The order of the supreme leader of the Taliban fell at the beginning of May. Ended the simple headscarf restored a few months ago: in public, women must now be covered from head to toe. In the street it is the return of the burqa, this long blue veil with a fabric mesh for the eyes, symbol of Islamist fundamentalism in Afghanistan of the 90s.
On TV, the presenters of the big news channels are entitled to a small favor: the veil can reveal their eyes. Only their eyes! The Taliban are giving them until Saturday, May 21 to change their clothes. The journalists try to resist: the first day, they appear on the air face uncovered. Sunday, it was over, they all appeared veiled. It took less than 24 hours for the dreaded Ministry for the Promotion of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice to put down the rebellion.
Even under the veil, Sonia Niazi, one of the presenter of TOLONews, promises to continue to resist. “We will come to work until the Islamic Emirate withdraws us from the public space or forces us to stay at home“.
TV News Presenter with TOLOnews in Afghanistan Sonia Niazi on the forced wearing of full hijabs and face-covering while presenting the news pic.twitter.com/GcHmmfUcGS
—Asia Democracy Chronicles (@demchronicles) May 23, 2022
The Taliban have put pressure on the channels, threatening to fire those who do not follow the directives. In the west of the country, a very zealous TV director has also laid off employees who did not want to cover themselves. The spokesperson for the Ministry for the Promotion of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice said “happy that the chains have exercised their responsibility correctly“.
Sunday May 22, as a sign of solidarity with their colleagues, the male presenters wear black anti-Covid masks on the air.
Male journalists in Afghanistan presented news bulletin with face mask to protest the #Taliban‘s order that asked female journalist to cover their faces with mask. pic.twitter.com/FnPWKHYhvt
— Tajuden Soroush (@TajudenSoroush) May 22, 2022
This obligation to veil is not the only measure that restricts the freedom of women. When they regained power last summer, the Taliban promised a less strict regime than when they first took over the country. In fact, they gradually imposed a whole series of restrictions on freedoms, in education, work, daily life.
Television channels have already stopped broadcasting series and films with actresses. In the city of Herat, once considered progressive, men and women are no longer allowed to eat together in restaurants, and driving schools issue driving licenses only to boys.
Throughout the country, women are no longer allowed to work in the civil service, they can no longer take a plane without being accompanied by a male guardian, also responsible for their dress, he himself can be sanctioned. At the end of March, colleges and high schools for girls closed a few hours after the announcement of their reopening.
The international community is trying to exert pressure. The UN Security Council says to itself “deeply concerned“; on May 22 in Doha, Qatar, the American envoy for Afghanistan met with the head of diplomacy of the Taliban, he asked him to “respect more” women’s rights. What the foreign ministers of the G7 countries also said on May 12.
That said, the measures taken by the Taliban are hampering their international recognition – whereas no country to date has formally recognized the new regime… But this is a priority for the new masters of Kabul.
They are also hampering the humanitarian and financial aid that Afghanistan needs. The country is under international sanctions, billions of assets held abroad, particularly in the United States, are frozen. The country is plunged into a deep political and economic crisis, unemployment is exploding. And that’s what the Taliban should be concerned about, say the Afghan women, rather than our dress as women and TV presenters.