Egyptian leader says women must take virginity tests before joining university

Cairo: An Egyptian lawmaker has said that women should be forced to undergo virginity tests before being admitted to a university.

Parliamentary lawmaker Elhamy Agina has called on the Ministry of High Education to issue a notice that would enforce virginity tests on women seeking admission. He further stated that the university should issue admission cards to those females who clear the test, said a report in the Independent.

"Any girl who enters university, we have to check her medical examination to prove that she is a Miss. Therefore, each girl must present an official document upon being admitted to university stating she’s a Miss," Agina was quoted as saying in an interview.

In Egyptian culture, the term 'Miss' is used for referring to a woman who is considered to be a virgin.

"No one should be upset by this decision. If you’re upset then that means you’re scared that your daughter is in an ‘urfi’ marriage behind your back," he further added.

However, Agina received a lot of criticism for his suggestion. Taking a dig at Agina, prominent feminist Mona Eltahawy said on Twitter, "I see Egyptian parliamentarian Elhamy Agena's [sic] obsession with women's vaginas continues".

Journalist Jacky Habib also took to the micro-blogging site to express his opinion. "How about we have mandatory IQ tests for politicians who aim to mandate nonsense like this," he tweeted.

This is not the first time Agina has said something controversial. Last month, Agina said that all Egyptian women must undergo genital mutilation as the men in the country are sexually weak and cannot meet increased demands in the bedroom.

Agina also said that if Egypt decides to go against FGM, it will need strong men. And, the country does not have that. Therefore, it was better for women to undergo FGM to reduce their sexual apetite and stand by their man.