Tajik Foreign Ministry briefs diplomats on 'alien clothing' law: framing the 2024 dress restrictions as counter-extremism

On 15 August 2024 Sputnik Tajikistan published an analytical article in Tajik titled “Либоси сиёсӣ” ё Тоҷикистонро чаро намефаҳманд (“‘Political clothing’, or why Tajikistan is misunderstood”). The article reports that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Tajikistan had convened diplomatic and media representatives to explain the state’s religious-policy framework, and sets out the state’s official rationale for the amendments to the Law on the Regulation of Traditions and Ceremonies in the Republic of Tajikistan (first adopted 2008, amended 2011 and 2024).

Officials quoted. Farrukh Sharifzoda, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Tajikistan, describes foreign and social-media reporting on the law as “provocative and malicious”. He states the government’s view that the measures are directed at preserving national and religious values and at combating extremism and terrorism, and denies that hijab-wearing or the hajj have been banned. Saidmukarram Abdukodirzoda, Chairman of the Council of Ulema, argues that Islam does not prescribe a specific form of women’s dress and that Tajik national dress already meets the Quranic requirement of covering; he characterises the Afghan burqa as “contrary to Islam”. Abdurahim Kholikov, Chairman of the Center for Islamic Studies, frames national dress as a pillar of national identity and independence. Regional analyst Rustami Rushangar characterises Western criticism as serving extremist interests.

Scope of the 2024 amendment, per the article. The amendment is reported as prohibiting not only the wearing but also the import and sale of items the authorities classify as “alien clothing” (либоси бегона): foreign-style hijab and headscarves, long black abayas, ripped jeans, and short or revealing clothing. The article also places the 2024 amendment in a longer chronology of state restrictions in effect since the late 2000s, covering religious education of minors abroad and at home, children and teenagers attending mosque, long beards for men, and religious propaganda in public places.

External reference named. The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) is cited as having described the law as “harsh and repressive” and called for its repeal; the article rejects that framing and the wider criticism from international human-rights organisations as a “political cover” (либоси сиёсӣ) over values and security.

The article is state-aligned reporting and should be read as an official framing of the 2024 amendments, not as independent analysis. It is useful for UK asylum and protection purposes as primary evidence of the government’s official position, the named state actors responsible for it, and the legally-amended scope of the 2024 restrictions as publicly described by the state itself.