Why did Muslim-majority Tajikistan ban the hijab?
Tajikistan's government passed a law banning the hijab, the latest in a string of 35 wide-ranging religion-related acts, in a move described by the government as "protecting national cultural values" and "preventing superstition and extremism". The law, approved by parliament’s upper house Majlisi Milli last Thursday, bans the use of "foreign clothing" — including the hijab, or head covering worn by Muslim women. Instead, Tajikistan citizens are encouraged to wear Tajik national dress. Those violating the law are set to be fined on a scale ranging from 7,920 Tajikistani somoni (almost €700) fo...