Woman covered with headscarf or hijab, an Arab tradition, Albanian Imam says

 Drilon Gashi during a speech

 At the height of the debate on wearing the headscarf, triggered by the draft law being discussed in Kosovo, came the reaction from the imam Drilon Gashi.

The latter asserted that the veiling of women is an Arab tradition and that it has nothing to do with the Muslim religion. In a television interview, he said that Arab traditions are being sold as religion.

"Arab traditions are sold to us as a religion, it is not a religion that women in one country, men in one country, it is an Arab tradition. Being afraid that we don't let them suffer or work together, we end up committing sexual offenses", Gashi stated on ATV.

He said that it is not obligatory for men and women to separate, and they can pray together. "Another reason is because of excessive jealousy. They divide them artificially with some black handkerchiefs, but in reality, it is not an obligation to separate them", he said. Gashi added that as long as the Kaaba, which is the base and heart of Islam, separation is not mandatory.

"If we can make an analogy in other mosques, I say that it is not obligatory to separate men and women. It is preferred because in most cases it is not denied that at the time of Prophet Muhammad, Prophet Muhammad prayed first, then men, then women," he said.