Following his son, the father also signed a law banning the hijab

On June 20, the authoritarian president of Tajikistan signed 35 laws.

According to the press service of the president of Tajikistan, Emomali Rahmon signed 35 laws, including the laws of the Republic of Tajikistan “On the Regulation of Celebrations and Rituals in the Republic of Tajikistan” and “On Responsibility for the Education and Upbringing of a Child”.

On the president of Tajikistan’s Facebook page, it is reported that these laws were adopted “with the aim of protecting the inherent values of national culture, preventing superstitions and fanaticism, wastefulness in celebrations and rituals, enhancing the spirituality and socio-economic level of the Tajik people, as well as protecting the rights and freedoms of children, education, training, and upbringing of a child in the spirit of humanity, pride in patriotism, and respect for national and universal values.”

The day before, parliament deputies, under the leadership of the chairman of the Majlisi Oli Majlisi Milli (upper house of parliament) of Tajikistan Rustam Emomali, fully supported the proposed amendments to the law and adopted them.

Experts have expressed concern over the adoption of this law, primarily the ban on wearing hijabs and holding children’s festive celebrations “idgardak” in Tajikistan, and believe that the adoption of this law will increase problems in Tajik society.

As previously reported, the head of the Committee on Religious Affairs of Tajikistan Sulaymon Davlatzoda proposed that deputies introduce amendments to the law prohibiting “foreign clothing” and “idgardak”.

This decision by the authorities has caused a wide resonance in Tajik society. Both ordinary citizens and experts of various levels have expressed their opinions on this issue. Most believe that the tough stance of the Tajik authorities towards Islamic values could lead to serious consequences. They argue that the forced removal of hijabs from women and the shaving of beards from men will only increase tension in society. Since the majority of Tajikistan’s population are Muslims, such measures could provoke growing discontent among the population. As a result, this discontent could lead to the emergence of extremist and terrorist groups, further exacerbating the situation in the country.

Experts note that “preventing the propaganda of foreign culture” only targets Muslim clothing and hijabs, rather than other types of clothing that are far from Tajik culture.

The detention and interrogation of women in hijabs by law enforcement agencies, as well as the forced removal of hijabs in front of hospitals and markets, have intensified the resonance in Tajik society.

Earlier, Radio Ozodi reported that according to the norms provided in Article 18 of the new edition of the law “On the Regulation of Traditions and Rituals” and the Code of Administrative Offenses, fines ranging from 8,000 to 65,000 somoni (from 800 to 6,500 dollars) will be imposed for “importing and selling clothing that does not correspond to national culture” and wearing such clothing in public places in Tajikistan.

After Tajikistan legalized the ban on wearing the hijab, threats against the government have increased both within the country and beyond its borders. On May 27, 2024, a video circulated on social media showing three young men, natives of Tajikistan, threatening death to the authorities in Tajik, particularly targeting the implementers of the Law of the Republic of Tajikistan “On the Regulation of Traditions and Rituals,” which prohibits the wearing of Muslim clothing in public places.

A large group of religious figures and civil activists declared the upcoming Friday as “Hijab Day” in Tajikistan and called on Tajik men and women to take to the streets in protest against the government’s repression of women in hijabs, to organize demonstrations, and to demand that the government repeal the harsh law banning the wearing of hijabs and beards.

On Friday, May 31 of this year, the League of Muslim Scholars based in Istanbul condemned the law banning the wearing of hijabs in Tajikistan. The League of Muslim Scholars noted that Tajikistan’s law prohibiting the wearing of hijabs is a “blatant violation of Islamic law,” stating that wearing the hijab is mandatory (fard) and that no one has the right to prohibit women from wearing the hijab. The League of Muslim Scholars called on the authorities of Tajikistan to repeal the harsh and unjust law.