The surprise move comes as similar moves in Europe – including controversial calls in Britain for a ban on burkas – have sparked cries of discrimination against Muslims.

The crackdown was ordered by the secular government in Damascus amid fears of increasing Islamic extremism among young Muslim students.

Syria is not a Muslim country. An official at the ministry says the ban affects public and private universities and aims to protect the country's secular identity.
Sunday’s ban includes women wearing niqabs, veils covering the head and mouth while leaving the eyes exposed, and the head-to-toe burkas, which also cover the eyes with a mesh mask.

It did not include the hijab, or headscarf, which many Syrian women wear.

As many as 1,200 women teachers wearing niqabs and burkas are also said to have been transferred out of Syrian schools and universities and reassigned to government offices where they would not come into contact with students.

While plans to introduce a burka ban in Britain have prompted a fierce debate, most Syrians reportedly welcomed the clampdown.
Many are said to be in favour of a wider ban on burkas and niqabs from all public places.
'Hijabs and niqabs have been a symbol of oppression and religious extremism over the past hundreds of years. They have been a tool used by fundamentalist men to repress women,' said Ahmed, a 32-year-old engineer.
One passer-by in an upscale Damascus suburb said the burka to him was like a ‘walking black ghost.

Syria’s Minister of Higher Education Ghyath Barakat is said to have told his top officials: ‘We will not leave our daughters a prey for extremist thoughts.’
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