Malawi Muslim women angry with NRB officials

Muslim women in Nkhotakota have accused national identity registration officers at Kayadzi primary centre in the district of forcing them to remove their headgear when processing the identity cards.

Malawi24 caught up with one of the women who expressed concern saying that the action is against National Registration Bureau (NRB) manual book that stipulates that Muslim women must not remove the headgear during the process.

The woman told this publication that the registration officers forced her to remove the whole headgear and when she asked them, they said that no one is allowed to do the process with the covering.

The 64-year-old woman said she tried to convince the officers but they still demanded that she should remove the headgear.

“I told them that I can’t remove my headgear for religious reasons. I am a Muslim and removing my headgear anyhow is unacceptable,” the woman who pleaded for anonymity told Malawi24.

NRB manual book on page 92 states that head coverings are not permitted except for religious reasons, but facial features from bottom of chin to top of forehead and both edges of face must be clearly shown.

The issue is different with women at Kayadzi primary school identity registration centre where they are told to remove the whole headgear if they want to have a national identity card.

The process is currently taking place in districts like Nkhotakota, Kasungu, Mchinji and Ntchisi.

According to National Registration Bureau, over 1 million people have been registered so far during the first phase of the process.