Student barred over hugging

Egypt’s al-Azhar University has expelled a woman student after she appeared in a video hugging a male colleague, accusing her of undermining the school’s reputation.

The video, which went viral earlier this month, showed a young man carrying a bouquet of flowers kneeling before a young woman and then hugging her in what appeared to be a marriage proposal.

University spokesperson Ahmed Zarie said the video had caused a public outcry and that the decision to expel her was because she had presented a “bad image” of al-Azhar University, which strictly segregates the genders. –