Tajikistan Parliament’s Ban on Hijab Triggers Debates

 

Tajikistan's parliament approved a bill to ban the hijab on Friday, June 21. The decision follows years of restrictions on religious attire, with President Emomali Rahmon referring to the hijab as part of "foreign clothing," Dushanbe-based independent news agency Asia Plus reported.

The bill restricting the use of the hijab was passed in the 18th session of the upper house of Parliament, Majlisi Milli. The house banned "alien garments" and children's celebrations for the two most important Islamic holidays—Eid al-Fitr and Eid Al-Adha.

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 authorized the law that forbade youngsters from celebrating Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha.

Not just Hijab but the beards of Muslim men has also created a fuss.

Over a month earlier, on May 8, the lower chamber of the country's parliament, Majlisi Namoyandagon, approved the bill. With hijab, an Islamic scarf at its centre, the bill targets traditional Islamic clothing.

Rahmon’s hijab ban comes as part of his agenda to promote ‘Tajiki’ culture, aimed at reducing visible public religiosity. As the head of what Rahmon deems a secular state, the ban is deeply rooted in his politics and grip on power.

Emomali Rahmon ruled for 30 years, ever since he served as the President of the Central Asian country from 1994. The president has been positioned against more religious political parties, reported The Indian Express.

Under Rahmon's rule, Tajikistan has undergone a series of changes–the hijab ban being the latest. One of the massive changes came in 2016, following the amendments to the Tajikistan Constitution to remove the limit on the number of presidential terms. He has also banned faith-based political parties that could challenge his own.

Experts mention that the Tajik president’s sweeping measures could come after the increasing religiousness evident after the Soviet Union split. In 2015, Massoumeh Torfeh, a former spokesperson for the UN Mission of Observers in Tajikistan and journalist, wrote in Al Jazeera “New mosques have been built attracting more people for prayer, more Islamic study groups have appeared and more women and men have donned Islamic-style dress. At the same time, Islamist armed groups have been active in the border areas of Tajikistan and Afghanistan.”

The new law restricts the “import, sale, promotion and wearing of clothing deemed foreign to the national culture”. According to Radio Liberty’s Tajik Service, violations may attract fines ranging from 7,920 Tajikistan somonis for individual offenders to 39,500 somonis, around three lakh Indian rupees.

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.

Sulaiman Davlatzoda, the head of the Religion Committee, had then said as per Radio Liberty’s Tajik Service, Radio Ozodi, that children's holidays were banned to ensure “proper education and ensuring their safety during Ramadan and Eid al-Adha”.

According to the Majlisi Milli press centre, during the session, they supported changes to Tajikistan's laws concerning holidays, cultural practices, the role of teachers in children's upbringing, and parental duties.

Regarding the women's garments, they have been arriving in Tajikistan from the Middle East in recent years and are seen by officials as linked to Islamic extremists. The bill has caused debate among Tajikistan's mostly Muslim population in the tightly governed ex-Soviet republic.

Lawmakers also agreed on new changes to the rules for breaking the law, which include large fines for those who break them. The rules did not previously list wearing a hijab or other religious clothing as something citizens can't do.

Radio Ozodi reported on May 23, that the Tajikistan authorities decided that the fines for people who break these rules would be different for different entities.

Individuals could get fines as high as 7,920 somonis, while companies could get fined up to 39,500 somonis. Government officials and religious leaders might have to pay even more if they're found guilty, with fines reaching 54,000 somonis for officials and 57,600 somonis for religious leaders.

Fareha Naaz is a columnist
based in New Delhi, India.
Courtesy: www.livemint.com