The first Muslim country to ban the hijab (and fine women who wear it)

Khujand (Tajikistan)In the bazaar of Khuyand, the second largest city in Tajikistan, until May of last year, women walked around with hijabs and abayas, others in European clothing with their hair uncovered, and others with scarves tied at the nape of their necks and colorful tunics. Now, however, one of these garments has been banned. In a country with over 90% Muslim population, one might think the state has banned uncovering their hair. But no. In Tajikistan, which is constitutionally secular, the fined woman is the one wearing a hijab.

Last year, President Emomali Rahmon signed a set of laws that, according to the preamble, aimed to “protect the true values of national culture, prevent superstition and fanaticism, and increase spirituality and living standards.” The new regulations dictate the budget, guests, and schedule for national celebrations, family ceremonies, and pilgrimages to Mecca. They also prohibit the import, sale, and use of “foreign clothing,” with fines ranging from 8,000 to 54,000 somoni (between 700 and 4,700 euros), in a country where the average salary is 2,700 somoni (approximately 240 euros).

The law does not specify particular clothing items, but in practice, it has led to the prohibition of the hijab and abaya. Khursand Khurramov, a Tajik political scientist and journalist, explains that the authorities justify it with the argument of “preserving cultural purity” and have classified the hijab as “an Arab garment that is not part of Tajik culture” and therefore must be eliminated. Following this logic, Khurramov argues, jeans and sneakers should also be banned, but only Muslim veils are in their sights. “It is evident that the goal is the secularization of society,” he states.

Tajikistan is a very conservative country, analyzes Fran Olmos, a researcher at the Foreign Policy Centre, but “Islam is not as central to society as in the Middle East.” This is due to the legacy of the Soviet Union, which secularized Central Asian societies. In Tajikistan, there is a “balance between Islam and its own traditions,” which have been influenced after centuries of coexistence, Olmos describes.

Against radicalization

However, President Rahmon is the leader in the region who has made the pilgrimage to Mecca the most times and who has most incorporated Islam into his political image. Therefore, the new laws are not a fight against religion. According to Olmos, “the real reason behind this measure is the fight against radical Islamism and its expansion”.

Tajikistan shares a long border with Afghanistan in a sparsely populated and poorly guarded region. In 2011, the exiled leader of the Islamist opposition created the Taliban group Jamaat Ansarullah, formed by Tajiks, which controls northern Afghanistan. In 2018, the Islamic State claimed responsibility for the attack in which four tourists on bicycles were murdered. The proximity of the Taliban regime to a region where the government does not have eyes on every corner is worrying as a source of radicalization.

However, there is no evidence that banning the hijab curbs radicalization. Instead, it limits personal and religious freedom of expression in an authoritarian state where religious education is highly restricted, where non-Sunni branches of Islam are persecuted, and where children and women are prohibited from entering mosques. The law not only responds to the government's will to control but also further limits women's rights in a deeply conservative society.

Munira Shahidi, president of the Ziyodullo Shahidi cultural foundation, states that the ban “affects each woman differently”. For some, especially in cities “where secularism has long marked public life”, it is not a significant change. This is the case for Narguiza, a 27-year-old girl from Dushanbe who is not religious, who says the law does not affect her “in any way”. Sharafat, also from the capital, understands that “for women who wear religious clothing, it has a great impact on their lives” and that it can make it difficult for them “to maintain their spiritual practice”.

The rural areas of the country are much more conservative and religious. Oksana, from a village near the capital, sees the change favorably because she has witnessed how religion has transformed the lives of progressive girls who, according to her, have been influenced by their families to “leave university and lock themselves at home”.

With no option to protest

Shahidi explains that the hijab is a “personal and intimate expression of faith, rather than a political symbol”, as perceived by the government. For women, the ban represents a “silent loss”, as they have no other option but to resign themselves and cover their hair with Tajik scarves tied at the nape of the neck, accepted by the authorities, with no option for protest in a very authoritarian state.

According to Khurramov and Olmos, the regulation has not been applied systematically. “There are cases where women with hijabs have not been allowed to enter public buildings –says Khurramov–, but even the Committee on Women's Affairs has admitted that their attempts to restrict women's religious attire have failed”. Despite this, there are reports of women being taken to police stations and forced to hand over their veils, and others being expelled from buses or hospitals. Despite its irregular application and uncertain long-term impact, the new legislation is an attack on the already curtailed freedoms and rights of Tajik women in a society marked by political and social restrictions.