RABAT: Morocco has banned the production and sale of burqa - full-face Muslim veils, apparently for security reasons, media reports said.
While there has been no official announcement, media reports said the interior ministry order banning the burqa would take effect this week.
“We have taken the step of completely banning the import, manufacture and marketing of this garment in all the cities and towns of the kingdom,” a high-ranking interior ministry official said.
Interior ministry officials on Monday started carrying out “awareness-raising campaigns with traders to inform them of this new decision,” said another website.
Officials said the measure appeared to be motivated by security concerns, “since bandits have repeatedly used this garment to perpetrate their crimes.”
Most women in Morocco, whose King Mohammed VI favours a moderate version of Islam, prefer the hijab headscarf that does not cover the face.
The niqab, which leaves the area around the eyes uncovered, is also worn in Salafist circles and in more conservative regions in the north, from where thousands of jihadists have gone to fight in Syria and Iraq.
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