Egyptian women are no longer allowed to travel to Turkey without security clearance, police in Egypt announced on Sunday. The same goes for Egyptian men – to prevent them from joining the so-called Islamic State. The restriction covers women aged 18 – 40 – they now need to obtain security clearance before leaving for Turkey.
“A security clearance can be acquired within 72 hours, and it is now mandatory for women traveling to that country,” the officer said.
In March, Egypt’s official Islamic authority called on Egyptian women to refrain from marrying Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL) fighters. The women ‘meet’ the jihadists on the internet, who then proceed to persuade them to travel to IS-controlled territories.
Male Egyptians came under the same rule in December. Like the women, they need compulsory security clearance to travel Turkey and Libya.
Since the overthrow of Islamist President Mohamed Morsi, Egypt has regularly suffered from Jihadist attacks, especially in the poorly policed Sinai Peninsula. The militants claim their acts of terror are revenge for repression against Morsi’s supporters. Morsi together with more than 100 of his colleagues were sentenced to death on Saturday for a mass jail breach in 2011.