Islamic costumes for women, including tourists

ArabicNews, 6 January 1999

The Sudanese News Agency SUNA has reported that the Sudanese government has decided to make Islamic uniform obligatory and that it will use volunteer policemen to monitor the implementation of this decision. Women visitors to the country will be asked to wear proper costumes.

The agency added the general security committee in charge of supervising the Islamic Sharia laws, which Sudan has been committed to since 1991, had released the decision, adding that women who arrived in Sudan through any port or entry point, including tourists, have to wear costumes which reflect Islamic values.

The Sudanese government said that foreign women who are visiting Sudan should wear a scarf and cover their legs and thighs according to the Islamic practice.

It is said that the southern Sudan is controlled by Christian parties, and the Sudanese decision is not applied to them, despite the presence of some Moslems in the south.