Tajikistan is all set to impose a stritct ban on Hijab after the nation’s parliament approved the law referring to it as an ‘alien garment’. The action is a result of the government’s ongoing attempts to stop promoting Tajik culture and outlawing public religious practice.
Furthermore, the nation in central Asia, where more than 95% of the population is Muslim, outlawed the practice of youngsters begging for money on Eid. The nation’s most recent initiative to advance its “secular identity” is the hijab ban.
In an official statement, President Rahmon Emomali said that the move was aimed at “protecting ancestral values and culture.”
Tajik based media reported that those violating the law will be subjected to a high amount of penalties ranging from 8,000 to 65,000 Somoni, which is equivalent to Rs 60,560 and Rs 5 lakh. If religious leaders and government officials disregard the new rule, they would be subject to significantly larger fines of Rs 3 lakh to Rs 5 lakh, respectively.
On June 19, at the 18th session of the Tajik Parliament’s upper house, the bill to outlaw the hijab was approved. The house also authorised the law that forbade youngsters from celebrating Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha.
According to a 2016 BBC report, as part of a “anti-radicalization campaign,” the Tajik police allegedly cut the beards of 13,000 males and closed 160 stores that sold headscarves.
Thousands of males were imprisoned, according to the report, for “adopting mannerisms alien and inconsistent with Tajik culture.” It stated that one of the most serious offenses was not shaving. The President has also warned the Tajiks to wear white instead of black in mourning.
