At a cultural symposium held on Wednesday, Higher Education Minister Hani Helal promised to implement a court order to remove interior ministry-appointed university guards from Egyptian campuses within one month.
“We allow students to express themselves freely on campus,” the minister said. “But we won’t allow them to recruit for certain illegal groups or political parties–not even for the ruling National Democratic Party itself."
Speaking to Alexandria University students on Thursday, Helal angered many in the audience when he asserted that students affiliated with the Muslim Brotherhood opposition movement belonged to an “outlawed" and "extremist” group.
The minister went on to stress that he had nothing against female students wearing Islamic face veils, describing the practice as "a personal choice."
Translated from the Arabic Edition.
