Настоящее Время: Hijab banned? Tajikistan's parliament prohibits wearing of "clothing contrary to national culture"

Current Time article by Akram Abdukakhor (Акрам Абдукаххор) dated 24 May 2024 reports that the parliament of Tajikistan has adopted amendments to the law “Об упорядочении традиций, торжеств и обрядов в Республике Таджикистан” (“On the Regulation of Traditions, Celebrations and Rites in the Republic of Tajikistan”) banning so-called “clothing contrary to national culture” (“одежда, противоречащая национальной культуре”). The article states the law does not name the prohibited clothing directly but that experts interpret the ban as targeting primarily women’s Muslim dress, including the hijab and the sa tr (satr / сатр, described as a women’s Muslim headscarf).

According to the article, the amendments ban the import, sale and wearing of such clothing in public places. Fines are set at 7,920 somoni (about USD 733 at the reported exchange rate) for individuals and 39,600 somoni (about USD 3,668) for officials. The article states the amendments were adopted by parliament without public consultation, and reports that prior to the law’s entry into force a video circulated on Tajik social media showing an employee, apparently at a medical facility, threatening women wearing the satr with a 3,500-somoni fine and instructing one woman to wear the headscarf “in the Tajik way.”

The article quotes national-costume designer Romish Odinazoda (Ромиш Одиназода), culturologist Munira Shahidi (Мунира Шахиди), and three unnamed women in Tajikistan giving differing views on dress. It also references prior enforcement actions including mass raids against women in religious dress and men with beards, in which detainees were taken to police stations, pressured to remove the clothing, and had beards shaved. The article names Nilufar Rajabova (Нилуфар Раджабова) in a related cross-reference as a woman fined for hijab-related detention. The article cites unspecified international human-rights organisations as having previously criticised Tajik authorities over pressure on women who wear Muslim clothing.