Tajikistan's parliament has approved a bill to outlaw the hijab, describing it as an "alien garment". It has also banned the practice of youngsters going door to door collecting money during Eid, said Free Press Kashmir.
The ban on headscarves is seen "as a reflection of the political line" that the government of president-for-life Emomali Rahmon has been "pursuing" since 1997, said Euronews.
His administration has "had its sights set on what they describe as extremism for a long time", added the news site, particularly since he blunted the influence of the Tajikistan Islamic Resurrection Party and then banned it altogether.
Rahmon is a polarising figure who has held on to power in elections that "fall far short of being free or fair", said the BBC. His measures have sparked international attention: in 2023 the US Commission on International Religious Freedom designated Tajikistan a "country of special concern".
Experts believe the hijab ban was influenced by a terror attack in Moscow in April. Four of the attackers were said to have had Tajik passports, according to Russian authorities.
There are restrictions on Islamic religious dress in other countries, including France, which prohibits wearing "symbols or clothes through which students conspicuously display their religious affiliation", and Austria. In addition, Italy, Germany, Belgium, Norway and Bulgaria have laws prohibiting the use of Islamic garments.
Several Muslim-majority countries have also banned the burqa and hijab in educational establishments and government buildings, including Tunisia, Kosovo, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan.
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