‘You want me to put tarha on 10 million women?’: Former Egyptian president’s speech mocking hijab rule resurfaces

Watch the video here:

Always like going back to what Nasser said a long time ago about the idea of mandatory hijab. pic.twitter.com/TQ5DMzAWxv

— Séamus Malekafzali (@Seamus_Malek) September 22, 2022

“We really wanted to compromise with the Muslim Brotherhood. If they were willing to do so in the correct and proper manner. And I met the head of the Muslim Brotherhood and he sat with me and made his requests. What did he request? The first thing he said to me was to make wearing a hijab mandatory in Egypt and make every woman walking in the street wear a tarha (scarf). Every woman walking!” Nasser is heard saying in the video.

The crowd was quick to express its disappointment, with one person even shouting: “Let him wear it”. Nasser chuckles and continues, “So I told him if one were to make that a law they will say that we have returned to the days of Al-Hakim bi-amri Ilah who forbade people from walking at day and only allowed walking at night and my opinion is that every person in his own house decides for himself the rules.

Denouncing the need to make the hijab mandatory, Nasser adds, “And he replied: ‘No, as the leader you are responsible’ I told him ‘Sir you have a daughter in The College of Medicine… she’s not wearing a tarha. Why didn’t you make her wear a tarha?”

“If you are unable to make one girl – who is your daughter! – wear a tarha, you want me to put a tarha on 10 million women? By myself,” he asks as the audience applauds.

Meanwhile, the Iranian police have denied reports that Mahsa Amini died in custody. The Associated Press quoted the force as saying that Amini died of a heart attack and was not mistreated. However, her family has expressed doubts about the police response. In the aftermath of the massive agitation, several Iranians have sought the downfall of the Islamic republic and many countries have also stepped forward to condemn Amini’s death.