Egypt: Maria TV channel features only veiled women

Well! That is a news!

A new Egyptian channel known as Maria TV is going to be launched this weekend. What's odd about this channel is that it features only women as its staff and specifically 'veiled women' portraying full islamic attire.

The women dressed in black from head to feet wearing even gloves, are seen to be programming in a small apartment in the working class district of Abassiya in the images. The channel is going to be run exclusively by women who wear the full veil.

The channel will be broadcast for six hours a day on al-Ummah channel, a religious station run by ultra-orthodox Salafi Islamists

The woman leading this channel believes that with the Hosni Mubarak gone, the country has taken one step forward in the enlightenment process. These hijab wearing women were earlier routinely discriminated against for jobs, especially on TV.

She added: 'I was told that it won't work because of the body language. Well, the tone of my voice can convey my emotions and reactions.'

The channel's name has been named after a Coptic Christian woman who was married to the Prophet Mohammad. Abeer Shahin who is going to work as a TV anchor for this TV channel spoke:

'It's unfair to deal with veiled women as a standard religious housewife. No, she can be a doctor, a professor and an engineer,'