"The entry of veiled [women] or pets is not allowed." It was the warning Nevert Rahmy ran into when, before going to discover a new restaurant on the Egyptian Mediterranean coast, he read the rules of the establishment on his official Instagram profile. The ban, denounced by Nevert on her Facebook page, has fueled a viral reaction that has once again shown discrimination against those who opted for the veil among the wealthiest sectors of Egyptian society.

"A question worth answering: does the law in Egypt allow veiled women to be insulted and compared to pets? I just wanted to book in a new establishment in my country. The answer is for me because I am a veiled Egyptian and I do not accept this type of discrimination against anyone, "the woman wrote about a restaurant located on the beach. Since then, a wave of outrage has swept through the social networks of the most populous country in the Arab world .

"An unacceptable policy especially if the place belongs to the Egyptian Government. Stupid and unprofessional. You have to complain to the Ministry of Tourism," one of the Internet users warns him, among the dozens of comments that the publication has added until reaching debate in the local media. "It doesn't surprise me. And we should wait longer. In Egypt, social apartheid and a clan system have long reigned," replies another.

Contacted by EL MUNDO, Nevert has declined to speak. She does not want, she clarifies, to make statements to a foreign media about her country and about "any bad incident that has happened to me in my own country." "The truth is that the beach where the restaurant is located called me that same day and apologized to me and changed the rules that same day before the opening," she replies briefly to this newspaper. The events occurred in a new bistro on Egypt's north coast, the country's new high-class summer vacation fashion destination.

As she herself related to the Egyptian digital Egyptian Streets , the family called the establishment to allow, at least, the woman to put on a veil in the form of a turban but, once at the entrances to the premises, the resounding refusal came. "Some young people at the door, the same age as my children, told me: 'We are sorry but we cannot let you in.' I was very surprised," she said. Her father urged her to call the tourist police but she wanted to avoid a scene in the middle of the restaurant's opening.

The ban he captured and then suffered is still hosted on Nevert's Facebook page. "It is a restaurant and beach bar for people over 18 years old, only with appropriate beach clothing. No evenings or pets are allowed", outlines the message that caused the scandal. This discriminatory policy, often not expressed in such a direct way, is in force in some restaurants, resorts, bars and pubs in the land of the Pharaohs. It is not the first time that similar complaints have emerged from women whose access is banned in exclusive restaurants in Cairo for wearing "hijab" (Islamic headscarf).

"When I have traveled in other countries, my veil has never been an obstacle to entering anywhere. Nowhere except Egypt. I am sure this violates the law," Nevert argued in the publication under the label "discrimination against veiled women. " After days of controversy, the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities has assured that it will send a circular to hotels and restaurants to clarify that the burkini - the swimsuit that exposes part of the face, hands and feet - should be allowed in all places and that anyone who is vetoed to wear that swimsuit should contact the authorities, who "will take the appropriate legal actions."

His experience has since fueled the publication of similar ones and even the creation of a list of establishments that have adopted the same policy, with swimming pools expelling women with burkini or bars located in hotels in Cairo inviting parties to leave the space for their clothing. The aforementioned local publication with which Nevert did talk has put together the account of some of them. The usual response of the people in charge of the premises is that the prohibition is due to the fact that they are businesses where alcohol is served or activities that can be classified as "haram" (illegal, according to Islam).

The controversy reveals the various souls that live in the Arab country, not always capable of living together and recognizing each other. The handkerchief has often been associated with the lower classes versus the higher, more westernized classes , and with the "silent revolution" that triumphed a few decades ago in Egypt and has spread throughout all social sectors, as suggested by the Egyptian Leila Ahmed , professor at the Harvard Divinity School , in one of her essays.

And the conflict - in which the social abysses of a country with a legion of the poor also intersect, public morality that tries to spread the regime, elitism and classism - does not seem aimed at being resolved. In recent years supporters and detractors have engaged in complaints and public calls . For some, the veil is a symbol of the submission of women and the imposition, control and lack of individual liberties in an increasingly conservative society. For others, on the other hand, it is an icon of modesty and religious piety, identity and even of rebellion against the imposition of Western values.

According to the criteria of The Trust Project

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