The use of headscarves is completely banned in Tajikistan. With the decision taken by the Tajikistan Parliament, serious penalties will be imposed on people who wear, sell, import or advertise headscarves. In addition, Ramadan and Eid al-Adha holidays have been officially canceled.
long-standing nationwide headscarf ban in public officesIn addition, with the new bill passed by the parliament Headscarves and children’s celebrations during public holidays were also banned. The accepted bill is a border neighbor of Tajikistan. Taliban under the management Afghanistan It was taken by taking into consideration their relations with.
In case of violation of the law, heavy fines will be imposed on citizens. Criminal sanctions for violatorsFor civilians, the fine may go up to 7,920 Tajikistani Somoni (approximately 25 thousand TL), for government officials, it may go up to 54 thousand Somoni, and for religious authorities, it may go up to 57 thousand 600 Somoni.
The draft law, approved by the National Assembly on June 19, made the headscarf ban official throughout the country. With these changes, the rules regarding the use of religious clothing in Tajikistan have become even more stringent.
Official Restriction Follows Many Years of Unofficial Ban
Tajikistan’s official restriction on headscarves follows many years of unofficial ban. In the country ‘bushy beard’ like other Religious symbols are also unofficially banned. The Ministry of Education banned both Islamic clothing and Western-style miniskirts for students in 2007 and later expanded the ban to all public institutions.
In recent years, the Tajik government has launched a campaign to promote the wearing of Tajik national clothes, with the booklet “Guide to Recommended Clothing in Tajikistan” published in 2018. Clothing such as headscarves and chadors are seen as items that came to Tajikistan from the Middle East and are associated by government officials with Islamic extremists. This bill has caused controversy among Muslim citizens of Tajikistan.
Headscarf is Defined as Foreign Clothing That Does Not Belong to the Country’s Culture
According to the new law approved by the parliament in Tajikistan, headscarves are no longer worn. “foreign clothing that does not belong to the country’s culture” It is defined as. Signed by President Emomali Rahman The 35 draft laws include banning the wearing, importing, selling and advertising of headscarves.
With this decision, the use of headscarves, turbans and other clothes with Islamic symbols signed by Rahman was banned on the grounds that they were “foreign to the country’s culture”.
The ban on headscarves in Tajikistan is considered as a reflection of the political stance of the government since 1997.
In Tajikistan, 35 draft laws, including the headscarf ban, were approved by President Emomali Rahman on Thursday.
With this decision, the use of clothes containing Islamic symbols and the centuries-old tradition of children going door to door to collect pocket money during holidays, known as “iydgardak” in Tajikistan, were also banned.
With these changes, the government “protecting national cultural values,” “preventing superstition and extremism,” and “preventing waste during holidays and ceremonies.” aims.
Extremist Tendencies Are Among the Important Taboos of the Country in Tajikistan
In Tajikistan, extremist tendencies are among the important taboos of the country. Today, there are 18 terrorist organizations and political movements on the banned list in the country. ISIS and Al Qaeda In addition to organizations such as Tajikistan Islamic Resurrection Party (TİDP) and Grup-24, which were closed in 2015, they are seen as the main sources of extremism and terrorism.
Finally, it was revealed that four people captured by Russian law enforcement officers in the Crocus City Hall attack in the Russian capital, claimed by the Khorasan branch of ISIS, were carrying Tajik passports. The March 22 attack, in which 144 people died and 551 were injured, became one of the arguments supporting the legitimacy of the Tajikistan government’s anti-extremism policies.
The decision signed on Thursday was the latest example of the neo-communist policies adopted by President Rahman during his 30-year rule. 30 years ago, in the civil war that started as a reaction to the possibility of establishing a state based on Islamic rules in Tajikistan and grew with the support of Russia, in which more than 100,000 people lost their lives, current President Rahman was in conflict with the paramilitary forces of the Tajikistan Islamic Resurrection Party (TIDP). .
With the agreement reached under the leadership of the United Nations in 1997, the Tajikistan Islamic Resurrection Party (TİDP) was granted various privileges due to its opposition position, and the large wave of migration experienced during the country’s civil war was resolved peacefully.
According to this agreement, representatives of the pro-Sharia TIRP would share 30 percent of the government and would be accepted as the first post-Soviet party founded on Islamic values in Central Asia.
Tajikistan expert French academician Dr. Helene Thibault stated that TIRP played important roles in 1997; These included critical positions such as Deputy Prime Minister, Chairman of the State Customs Commission, Deputy Chairman of the State Customs Enforcement Commission, Chairman of the State Oil and Gas Company. However, by 2003, only 12 of the 53 bureaucrats in these positions were continuing their duties.
Founded in the 1990s, TİDP is the first political formation to emerge as an Islamist party in Central Asia, aiming to bring sharia to Tajikistan. As President Rahman’s power increased from the early 2000s, the influence of TIRP decreased and the party evolved into a more moderate position as a result of the changes in the political atmosphere.
Especially after the death of founding president Said Abdullah Nuri in 2006, TİDP officials criticized President Rahman’s headscarf ban in public and educational institutions in 2009, arguing that this ban was against Islamic values.
In 2015, allegations came to the fore that people associated with TIRP took part in a coup attempt against the government, and party activities were banned in the process.
Today, Tajikistan is a country where 98% of its population identifies as Muslim and is included in the list of “countries of special concern” by the US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF).
According to the 2017 statement of the Tajikistan Religious Affairs Committee, 1,938 mosques were closed in the last year and these places were converted into places such as tea houses and medical centers. With the “Parental Responsibility Law” that came into force in Tajikistan in 2011, parents of children receiving religious education abroad were punished, while young people under the age of 18 were prohibited from entering places of worship without permission. While there are no legal restrictions on beards in Tajikistan, it is known that the police forcibly shaved thousands of men.
The Constitution adopted in 2016 defines Tajikistan as a “democratic, sovereign, rule of law and secular” state. President Rahman said that changes such as the headscarf ban should “love Allah with all your heart”. “Don’t forget your own culture,” he advised.
These processes in Tajikistan show that the headscarf ban was not introduced suddenly, but is the result of long processes arising from the political and religious history of the country.
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