Amid Hue and Cry Over Bombay High Court Ruling On Hijab, A Look at Hijab Ban in Islamic Country Tajikistan

By New Age Islam Staff Writer 28 June 2024 Tajikistan Parliament Bans Hijab and Eid Festivities in The Country Main Points: 1. 2.Tajik government closed 1500 mosques in 2011 and 1938 mosques in 2017. 2. Beards are banned in public places and schools. 3. Azan is not allowed on loudspeakers. 4. 5.Girls wearing hijab are expelled from schools. ----- (File Photo) for Representative Purpose ----- While there has been much hue and cry aver hijab ban in some colleges in India, the restrictions on hijab and other Islamic clothing and practices in an Islamic country Tajikistan with 98 per cent Muslim population evokes much surprise and debate. The government of Tajikistan has banned hijab in all public places after over a decade of secularisation of Tajik society. The President of Tajikistan Emomali Rahmon has been criticising Islamic burqa and other Islamic practices as a symbol of foreign and alien culture. He has been promoting ancestral values and national culture. Before the hijab was banned by the Tajik parliament, hijab and miniskirts and beards were already banned in secular schools in the country. Girls wearing hijab were expelled from schools. This was one of the many restrictions placed on the Muslim society of Tajikistan to prevent Pan-Islamic religiosity in public. At a time when the religious scholars and leaders of Asian countries have been promoting Arab culture among the Muslims, the Tajik government has declared Arab culture 'alien' to Tajikistan. The Tajik parliament dubbed hijab as Astik,"alien garment" and exhorted the Tajik Muslims to adopt national culture and clothing. It would be surprising for many Muslims of India and Pakistan that the Tajik government under Emomali Rahmon has been cracking down on unregistered mosques, churches and synagogues and monitoring religious education and religious activities of Tajik people. It has not hesitated to close down or destroy unregistered mosques, churches or synagogues. In 2011, it shut down 1500 mosques and in 2017, 1938 mosques. More importantly or rather disgustingly, some mosques were converted into tea shops, some into medicine centres and some into beauty parlours. The mosques, churches and synagogues that refuse to government principles and regulations are shut down. Beards are also seen as a potential symbol of extremism by the Tajik government and therefore men, particularly students are banned from wearing beards. The Tajik government has also banned the custom of Eidi, the gift to children from elders and Eid festivities. Children below 18 years of age are barred from Friday prayers and from religious activities. They are more encouraged to pay attention to their studies and to do their homework. Prayers in public halls are prohibited in Tajikistan and all religious activities should have prior approval of the government. The Friday sermons are pre-approved with topics given by the government as is the norm in some Arab countries. Clerics cannot give private sermons as is done by maulvis in India, Pakistan and Bangladesh in the name of Milad or Islah-e-Moashra (social reform), spreading sectarian hatred among the Muslim masses. Salafism or Wahhabism is not approved because it is considered a foreign religious doctrine. (It does not mean that the Barailvi sect is approved). Only government approved religious education is allowed in schools. There is only one madrasa in Tajikistan. If a student wants to study religion abroad, he needs the government approval. The Tajik government promotes national clothing. It has shut down hundreds of Islamic clothing stores and has published a guide book of national clothing. Names is yet another issue on which the Tajik government has clear directive. It discourages Arabic names and promotes Tajik or at best Persian names. The president suggested that the Persian epic Shahnameh should be consulted as a source for names. On the contrary, in India, Pakistan and Bangladesh, Muslins tend more and more towards Arabic names for their babies. The replacement of Khuda Hafiz with Allah Hafiz is, one example of the influence of Arab culture. The Tajik government does not recognise Islamic organisations and has therefore, banned the Islamic Renaissance Party. The party has been banned as a terrorist organisation. The Tajik president Emomali Rahmon, therefore, has successfully prevented public show of religiosity without facing any violent protests and opposition. There have been criticism of the government decisions in the country and abroad but on the whole, the decisions of the government have been accepted by the majority of the population. Emomali knows from the developments in the South East Asian Muslim majority countries that uncontrolled religious activities and sectarian or extremist ideologies gradually over take the society and in the end, it goes out of control of the government as has happened in Pakistan and Middle East. Therefore, he has restricted religious activities and public visibility of religiosity in the country. It may be said that he has crossed the limits by restricting Eid festivities for children or forcing the Muslim men to shave their beards or restricting the number of mosques in a town. He has perhaps done it to prevent the growth of religious fanaticism as a result of uncontrolled religiosity in Muslim societies. The hijab ban in Tajikistan shows that the Islamic countries have different approach and interpretation of modesty in Islam. The Quran does not prescribe face veil but the Islamic scholars and exegetes have preached that a woman should cover her face. This was repeated and reiterated so many times and by so many scholars that the face veil has become a religious issue. The girl students have, therefore, been made to believe that covering their face is their religious duty. In Iran, keeping the face uncovered is allowed but the woman must cover her hair as if the hair is a 'satar', a body part to be covered. Mahsa Amini was killed by the religious police not because she had not covered her hair but because she had not covered it 'properly'. It means inly some part of her hair could be seen. The so-called ulema of Taliban say that the full body of the woman, including her face must be covered when she ventures out and she should be accompanied by her close man relative. These interpretations have also influenced the Indian women who believe that her hair is also a 'Satar' to be fully covered. It is the Islamic scholars who have confused the Muslim Ummah with their divergent, sometimes, contradictory interpretations of the Quranic verses. URL: https://www.newageislam.com/islam-women-feminism/bombay-high-court-hijab-ban-islamic-tajikistan/d/132592 New Age Islam, Islam Online, Islamic Website, African Muslim News, Arab World News, South Asia News, Indian Muslim News, World Muslim News, Women in Islam, Islamic Feminism, Arab Women, Women In Arab, Islamophobia in America, Muslim Women in West, Islam Women and Feminism