Muslim-majority Tajikistan has banned the use of the hijab (Arabic head covering for women), terming it a “foreign garment”. Tajikistan has also banned ‘Eidi’, the practice of children asking for money during Eid. The move to ban the hijab in the Central Asian nation is the latest in a series of steps taken by the government to promote a secular national identity.

With approximately 10 million Muslims, over 96% of the people of the Republic of Tajikistan adhere to various denominations of Islam.

Tajikistan President Emomali Rahmon gave his assent to a bill regulating and banning the Arabic burqa, calling the hijab “a foreign garment,” according to Bishkek-based news agency AKIPress.

The new law also includes hefty fines for violators, ranging from eight thousand to 65 thousand Somoni, which is equivalent to Rs 60,560 and Rs 5 lakh. Government officials and religious officials who do not comply with the new laws can be fined Rs 3 lakh and Rs 5 lakh respectively, Tajik agency Asia-Plus News reported.

The Central Asian country’s President Emomali Rahmon also signed laws banning “excessive spending” and the practice of Eidi associated with Eid al-Fitr, Eid al-Azha and Navroz festivals, the report said.

The step to wear hijab in Tajikistan was taken to preserve ‘national culture’

The head of the religious committee, Suleiman Davlatzoda, told Tajikistan’s Radio Ozodi that the reason for banning the children’s tradition of Eidi was “to ensure proper education and to ensure their safety during Ramadan and Eid al-Adha.”

A press release issued by the Tajik president said the move was aimed at ‘protecting ancestral values ​​and national culture.’ The move follows years of an unofficial ban in Tajikistan, whose president called the hijab a “foreign garment” in an address in March.

The move, which has been widely criticized by human rights organizations and Muslim advocacy groups, is the latest in a series of steps taken by the Tajik government to promote a secular national identity.

During the unofficial ban, the Rahmon regime had long criticised the hijab, viewing it as a threat to the country’s cultural heritage and a symbol of foreign influence.

In 2015, President Emomali Rahmon launched a campaign against the hijab, saying it was a symbol of poor education and uncivilisation.

The hijab ban began in 2007 when the Tajik Education Ministry banned both the Islamic garment and Western-style miniskirts for students. The ban was later extended to all public institutions.

This comes at a time when the government is running a campaign via automated phone calls to promote the Tajik national dress.

Several Muslim-majority countries, including Kosovo, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan, have banned the burqa and hijab in public schools and universities and for government officials.