Egyptian lawmaker Elhamy Agina has drawn criticism for his saying female students seeking admission to the country's universities should undergo virginity tests, The Washington Post reported on Sunday. Unnamed officials said the country's Council for Women will file a report against the legislator with the state's attorney, reported Ahram online.
Agina reportedly told Egyptian newspaper Youm7 that a law should be introduced to ensure that every female applicant proves "she is a miss [virgin]" and that her parents would be intimated of the test results. He added that no one should be upset by such a proposal which could help reduce the number of Urfi marriages, Egyptian Streets reported.
Urfi marriages are unions not officially registered, but presided over by a cleric. They are viewed, by conservative sections of society, as a cover for pre-marital sex. The legislator, who is also a member of the Egyptian parliament’s human rights committee, reportedly suggested that he be kept in-charge of reviewing these applications.
Responding to the criticism on social media and other platforms, Agina said that his proposal was only a suggestion made during a discussion on how urfi marriages could be reduced, Independent reported. The legislator had previously said that women should undergo genital mutilation to "reduce their sexual desires". He was referred to the parliament’s ethics committee for that comment but is yet to be penalised, The Washington Post reported.
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