Saudi student kicked out of university bus for unveiling face

A Saudi student of Princess Nourah Bint Abdulrahman University for Women was kicked out of a university bus by a male supervisor because she unveiled her face, Al-Hayat reported.

A video of the incident was recorded and posted on YouTube showing the supervisor yelling at the bus driver not to drive and ordering students to give up the identity of the girl who revealed her face.

In the clip, the man tells the bus driver to turn the air conditioner off so the heat would force the students to reveal the girl’s identity.

The students then argue back, saying the veil is not mandatory in Islam. The supervisor then threatens to go to Minister of Education Azzam Al-Dakheel and ask him to expel the students.

One of the students told the newspaper she always unveils her face inside the bus because its windows are tinted and no one from outside can see them.

She said: “My three friends and I always unveil our faces inside the bus. We even sit at the very back so even the driver can’t see us."

“The supervisor spotted one of us without her face veil and went ballistic, yelling it is against the university’s regulations.”

The student who took the video said the incident delayed the other buses, which were dropping students home.

She said: “Four students were taken off the bus and had to follow the supervisor.

“He yelled at the driver as he was leaving to drop the girls home. “Everyone was shocked about what happened and I rode another bus and asked him to drop me somewhere near my home. I then asked my mother to come and pick me up with a taxi.”

The university’s code of conduct states all students are expected to wear appropriate dress and conform to the social norms of Saudi society. There is no mention of students being obliged to veil their faces.