The Egyptian Foreign Ministry's regular qualification examinations to select new staff members — next scheduled for July — have sparked widespread debate on job prospects at the ministry for veiled women. Many Egyptians believe that veiled women are routinely disqualified no matter their qualifications and performance on the examination, which includes a two-hour written test in general culture and language proficiency.
In March 2012, when the Muslim Brotherhood began to dominate the state institutions after taking control over the People’s Assembly and the Shura Council, journalists were surprised to see a veiled woman among those accepted to take an introductory course at the Egyptian Foreign Ministry’s Institute for Diplomatic Studies.
