Tajikistan's headscarf ban is seen as a reflection of the political line that the government of President-for-Life Emomali Rahmon has followed since 1997.
Tajikistan's government passed a law banning the wearing of the hijab, the latest in a series of 35 sweeping religious-related acts. This decision was described by the government as a measure to "protect national cultural values" and "prevent superstition and extremism".
The law, passed by parliament's upper house, the Majlis Milli, bans the use of "foreign clothing" — including the hijab, or head covering worn by Muslim women.
The Government of Tajikistan stated:
"Hijabs are a foreign culture and a cultural invasion. Women in this country do not cover their hair!'
Instead, citizens of Tajikistan are encouraged to wear the national Tajik costume. Those who break the law will be fined on a scale ranging from 7,920 Tajik somoni (about 700 euros) for ordinary citizens, 54,000 somoni (4,694 euros) for government officials and 57,600 somoni (about 5,000 euros) if they are religious figures.
Similar laws passed earlier this month affect some religious practices, such as the centuries-old tradition known in Tajikistan as "iydgardak", where children go door-to-door to collect money for Eid holidays.
The decision was seen as surprising, as this Central Asian country of about 10 million people is 96% Muslim, according to the latest census in 2020. However, the decision reflects the policy line the government has followed since 1997.
Converting mosques into teahouses
In Tajikistan, the government of President Emomali Rahmon has long targeted what it describes as extremism. After a peace deal that ended a five-year civil war in 1997, Rahmon — who has been in power since 1994 — initially reached a coexistence with the Tajikistan Islamic Renaissance Party (TIRP), giving it a number of concessions.
Under the UN-brokered agreement, representatives of the pro-Sharia TIRP would share 30% of the government, and the TIRP was recognized as the first post-Soviet party in Central Asia founded on Islamic values.
However, Rahmon managed to remove TIRP from power, despite the fact that the party had become more secular over time. In 2015, he managed to finally shut down TIRP, declaring it a terrorist organization after the party allegedly took part in a failed coup attempt in which General Abdulhalim Nazarzoda, an important government bureaucrat, was killed.
Meanwhile, Rahmon focused attention on what his government described as "extremist" influences among citizens. After first banning the hijab in public institutions, including universities and government buildings, in 2009, the regime in Dushanbe moved forward with a series of formal and informal rules to prevent influences from neighboring countries and strengthen its control over the country.
While there are no legal bans on beards in Tajikistan, multiple reports indicate that law enforcement forces have forced men with thick beards to shave, as they are seen as a possible sign of extreme religious views.
