The National Assembly (or Majlisi Milli), the Upper Chamber of Tajikistan’s bicameral Parliament, triggered a controversy on June 21, 2024 by imposing a ban on the Hijab in the Muslim-majority Central Asian country. The newly-introduced law restricts the import, sale and wearing of hijab (a head covering conventionally worn by many Muslim women) and foreign clothing, with violations attracting fines up to 39,500 Tajik Somonis (TJS 1 = USD 0.094). Earlier on May 8 (2024), the Lower Chamber of the Parliament (or Majlisi Namoyandagon) had approved this particular Bill, targeting traditional Islamic clothing.

Political analysts are of the opinion that the hijab ban is the latest move made by the Administration of President Emomali Rahmon to reduce public religiosity. Time and again, President Rahmon has referred to the hijab as a part of foreign clothing! The President has also made it clear that he would promote the Tajiki culture in an attempt to reduce visible public religiosity. In a press release, the Tajik President reportedly said that it was aimed at “protecting ancestral values and national culture”. Importantly, the law has imposed a ban on alien garments and children’s celebrations especially during the two most important Islamic holidays: Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha! Although Tajikistan is a Secular State, analysts have claimed that the hijab ban is deeply rooted in Rahmon’s politics and grip on power!

President Rahmon, who has been ruling his country for three decades (since 1994), has positioned himself against religious political outfits. Under his rule, the Central Asian country has undergone many changes, with the hijab ban being the latest. In 2016, he had the Constitution amended in order to remove the limit on the number of presidential terms, apart from imposing a ban on political parties based on religious faith (which could pose a serious threat to him).

According to experts, the Tajik President has taken sweeping measures in order to counter the increasing religiousness in the country after the fall of the erstwhile Soviet Union! In 2015, Massoumeh Torfeh, a former spokesperson for the UN Mission of Observers in Tajikistan and a journalist, wrote in Al Jazeera: “New mosques have been built attracting more people for prayer, more Islamic study groups have appeared and more women and men have donned Islamic-style dress. At the same time, Islamist armed groups have been active in the border areas of Tajikistan and Afghanistan.”

As expected, the new law has angered a number of Muslim advocacy groups, as well as common people. They argue that people should be free to choose what clothes they want to wear. Munira Shahidi, an expert on art and culture, recently told Radio Liberty’s Tajik service: “It is important to have the freedom to choose our own clothes. There should not be a law ordering us what to wear.”

Meanwhile, the Union of Islamic Scholars and Clerics in Afghanistan and the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), too, have criticised the move. “Banning the hijab is a violation of religious freedom and such bans on religious attire should have no place in any nation that respects the rights of its people,” stressed CAIR Director Corey Saylor.

It may be noted that Tajiki clothings are colourful and embroidered, and adapted from the Persian style of clothing.

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Published by Koushik Das

Koushik Das (born on May 16, 1976 in Kolkata) is a career journalist. Based in the Indian capital of New Delhi, Koushik writes mainly about foreign policies and current geopolitical issues, and rarely about other topics. His own political ideas are highly influenced by Antonio Gramsci, Louis Althusser, Michel Foucault, Michael Oakeshott and others. English philosopher and political theorist Oakeshott (Dec 11, 1901-Dec 19, 1990) says that “in political activity, men sail a boundless and bottomless sea. There is neither harbour for shelter nor floor for anchorage, neither starting-place, nor appointed destination. But we have to keep afloat”. (Rationalism in Politics, 1962) As a student of Political Science, Koushik loves to share his views on issues, which have great impacts on his thought process (and also on India, South Asia and of course on the global community), with his readers through his website – Boundless Ocean of Politics. By doing so, he tries to keep himself afloat. You will find some of his articles in https://inserbia.info/today/ (https://inserbia.info/today/author/kou_das13_i/), as he has been trying to assess the global geopolitics since 2003. You can also mail him at kousdas@gmail.com View all posts by Koushik Das