A leading Egyptian cleric, Mohammed Seyyed Tantawi, has banned face veils in the girls' classrooms and dormitories of al-Azhar University in Cairo.

The decision to ban the Egyptian teachers and students from wearing face veil came four days after Tantawi said that the face veil "has nothing to do with Islam."

He said on Thursday that his decision to impose a partial ban is based on a 1996 constitutional court ruling that granted education officials the right to regulate Islamic attire in schools. He also said the goal was to "spread trust, harmony ... and the correct understanding of religion among girls."

The majority of scholars say this trend is merely a custom that dates back to tribal, nomadic societies living in the Arabian desert before Islam.

The decision seems to be setting the stage for the government to ban the face veil in public institutions.

Al-Azhar University is a segregated school, and men and women's classrooms are separated.