A significant controversy has arisen after a popular restaurant in Egypt ejected a group of girls and denied them entry, reportedly because one of the girls was wearing a hijab. According to reports from al-Arabiya, Ahud Muhammad, a medical faculty student, shared on her Facebook page that she and 15 of her friends were expelled from a popular restaurant in Cairo due to one of her veiled friends. Muhammad further mentioned that the restaurant had not informed them beforehand that the entry of veiled women was prohibited at the establishment and that such women were barred from entering.
Muhammad had booked the restaurant to celebrate her birthday with her friends. During their entry, the restaurant management objected to her veiled friend’s entry, and refused to seat the girls, either inside the restaurant or at the outside tables, citing the presence of the woman in hijab. The restaurant management attributed the incident to the reservation employee’s mistake in failing to inform them of the directive prohibiting the entry of veiled women.
This incident has triggered widespread controversy throughout Egypt, with many people demanding action against the restaurant management on charges of racial discrimination and bullying, as there is no law in the country that prohibits veiled women from entering restaurants. The public outcry has been particularly intense on social and digital media platforms.
