International Desk: Tajikistan, a Muslim-dominated country in Central Asia and one of the states of the former Soviet Union, has passed a bill declaring the hijab banned. A law in this regard has also been passed in the country’s highest legislature. It has also added other rules, including dress, due to which restrictions are also coming on festival wear. Apart from the ban on women’s hijab, the bill also includes the cancellation of holidays for schools, colleges, and government institutions on Eid-ul-Fitr and Eid-ul-Azha, two religious festivals of Islam.
The bill was passed by a vote of parliament members in the upper house of the country’s parliament on Thursday. Earlier, the bill was passed by the lower house of parliament, Majlishi Namoyandag, on May 8.
A statement issued by the press center of Majlisi Milli after the passage of the bill by Parliament said, “The culture of wearing the hijab or such a head covering has been imported from the Middle East. This is not Tajikistan’s own culture. Apart from that, this dress is associated with radicalism.
96 percent of Tajikistan’s population is Muslim. The country’s government has banned the hijab, calling it ‘foreign clothing’. A fine of 65,000 Tajik somni has been provided for those who break this law. Which is more than 5 lakhs in Bangladeshi taka. In addition to the hijab, the country’s President Emomali Rahman has also imposed strict restrictions on the ‘Idi’ tradition of Eid..
Since 2007, a campaign against the hijab, Islamic clothing, and western clothing has started in Tajikistan. That year, the Tajik Ministry of Education banned both Islamic dress and Western-style miniskirts for students. Later, it was implemented in all government institutions. In the following years, an unwritten ban on the hijab was operating in the country. The local administrative authorities even formed committees at the grassroots level to implement the ban.
Basically, this step was taken to keep the culture, tradition, and dress of Tajikistan alive. In 2017, on Tajikistan’s National Day, the government also called on women in the country to avoid hijab and western clothing and wear traditional clothes of Tajikistan’s own culture.
It should be noted that although the official decision to ban the hijab has just been taken, the hijab has been banned in Tajikistan for many years. But there was no law. Growing a big beard is also practically forbidden in the country. In 2007, the Tajik government banned Islamic and western clothing, such as miniskirts, for students.
Tajikistan insists on wearing national dress under the new law. The government will send a message asking women to wear national dress. Islam has been the official religion of the country since 2009. However, in addition to this, the Tajik administration has also given full freedom to practice other religions.
Source: APB Live
