In Tajikistan, women in hijabs are not allowed in taxis

Drivers in cities and regions of the country are refusing taxi services to women in hijabs. In some cases, they are asked to remove their headscarves before getting into the car.

On Monday, a source from the Khatlon region, speaking on condition of anonymity, told Azda TV that the raids against hijabs are so serious that no one even anticipated this. According to the source, she wanted to take her sick daughter from the city of Bokhtar to Dushanbe for a medical examination and treatment, but taxi drivers refused her service, saying, “Until you take off your hijab, you won’t get in the car.”

“The taxi driver told me: ‘Sister, if you don’t take off your hijab, you won’t get in the taxi. The police check everyone on the road; if a woman in a hijab is in the taxi, we will be fined. I have already received one warning, please take off your scarf,’” the source reported.

She also added that after arriving in Dushanbe, her problems multiplied. “In every car I got into, the first thing they said to me was ‘Take off your scarf,’” she says.

“My daughter was seriously ill, she was almost unconscious due to a high fever; despite this, we were not allowed into the ‘Kara-Bolo’ hospital. We even reached out to acquaintances, begging them to let us in, but we were denied entry. I was told that I must first take off my hijab, and only then would I be accepted in the hospital,” the source informed us.

So far, the relevant authorities have not officially commented on this situation.

On May 8 of this year, the Chairman of the Committee on Religious Affairs, Traditions, Celebrations, and Rituals under the Government of Tajikistan, Sulaymon Davlatzoda, delivered a speech at a meeting of the Tajik parliament regarding the discussion of amendments to the law “On the Regulation of Traditions and Rituals” and proposed to ban “idgardaq,” ceremonial receptions of pilgrims, and “clothing that does not conform to national culture.”

At this meeting, the Majlisi Namoyandagon (lower house of the Tajik parliament) adopted new amendments to the law “On the Regulation of Traditions and Rituals,” which prohibits “the import, sale, and promotion of clothing foreign to national culture, as well as the wearing of such clothing in public places.”

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 may 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 a rise in 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 promotion of foreign culture” only targets Muslim clothing and hijabs, not other types of clothing that are far from Tajik culture.

After the adoption of this law, law enforcement officials and government employees began conducting raids against hijabs in the country’s educational and medical institutions.

In one of the videos widely circulated on social media, a group of individuals, including a man in a suit and several women in medical coats, are seen forcibly removing hijabs from a group of women. The footage shows the entrance to a medical facility, likely a hospital. They threaten a fine of 3,500 somoni (approximately 340 dollars).

Earlier, Radio Ozodi reported that according to the provisions of 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 conform to national culture” and wearing such clothing in public places in Tajikistan.

After the hijab ban was legalized in Tajikistan, threats against the government increased both within the country and abroad. On May 27, 2024, a video circulated on social media in which three young individuals, natives of Tajikistan, threaten the authorities and especially the enforcers 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, in Tajik.

All three individuals have their faces covered with masks, and two are holding firearms. One of them states in his address that they are ready to physically eliminate anyone who fights against the hijab in all cities and regions of Tajikistan.

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

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 and to hold demonstrations demanding 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 obligatory (fard) and that no one has the right to prohibit women from wearing hijabs. The League of Muslim Scholars called on the authorities of Tajikistan to repeal the harsh and unjust law.