“Hijab Day” – calls to protect women’s rights in Tajikistan

Against the backdrop of increasing repression against women in hijabs, some are calling to declare next Friday “Hijab Day” in Tajikistan.

A large group of religious figures and civil activists have called on Tajik men and women to take to the streets in protest against the Tajik authorities’ repression of women in hijabs and to hold demonstrations on Friday, May 30, 2024, demanding that the government repeal the strict law banning the wearing of hijabs and beards.

In particular, the well-known Iranian preacher Muhammad Ansari, who is very popular among Tajik youth, has called to declare next Friday “Hijab Day” in Tajikistan.

Muhammad Ansari told Azda TV on Monday that “this initiative is entirely a civil and legal initiative. In the sense that every person has the right to wear any clothing and to call themselves whatever they want.”

Ansari emphasizes that this initiative was proposed by a group of religious figures and civil activists.

“There is no political agenda or party goals behind the scenes, and it is the people of Tajikistan who have the choice of what to wear and how to wear it,” he noted.

He stressed that this is entirely a civil and legal initiative, and it is not a call for rebellion or mass unrest in Tajikistan.

“The only goal of this initiative is for every Tajik citizen to know their civil rights and dress as they like, and the government has no right to interfere in how residents dress,” says Ansari.

Tajik youth welcomed Muhammad Ansari’s call for protests and Friday as “Hijab Day” with enthusiasm, and many expressed their agreement with this initiative on social media; a video of his address quickly spread among the country’s residents.

However, most believe that the Tajik people will not take to the streets, as in the past, the authorities have harshly suppressed any protest initiatives in the country, including in 2022 when the authorities violently suppressed peaceful protests in Badakhshan.

A video has also circulated on social media showing three young men, natives of Tajikistan, threatening the authorities with death in Tajik. All three have their faces covered with masks, and two are holding firearms.

“We, the Tajik people, have kept silent despite all your oppression. However, today, when you passed the law banning hijabs, we will not remain silent. Expect our response,” says one of the masked individuals.

It is unknown where and under what conditions the video was filmed. The video has already garnered thousands of views.

The authorities of Tajikistan have not yet responded to this video.

Some experts believe that the Tajik government views calls for residents to take to the streets, hold demonstrations, and threats to kill officials as a call to violence and will respond harshly to them.

At the same time, some experts believe that the strict position of the authorities in Tajikistan regarding Islamic values may lead to serious consequences. The forced removal of hijabs from women and the shaving of beards from men, in their opinion, will only increase tension in society. Since the majority of Tajikistan’s population are Muslims, such measures may provoke a rise in discontent among the people. As a result, this discontent could lead to the emergence of extremist and terrorist groups, further exacerbating the situation in the country.