The female presenters appeared on the most prominent Afghan TV stations on Sunday wearing the niqab, a day after they defied a decision by the Taliban authorities that required them to cover their faces during broadcasts.
Since coming to power in August 2021, the Taliban have gradually curtailed women’s freedoms and introduced forms of gender discrimination in line with their strict interpretation of Sharia. Earlier this month, the movement ordered women to cover their faces in public, preferably with a veil. The movement put only a veil on women, which means leaving the face visible. And the Ministry for the Promotion of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice asked broadcasters to abide by its latest decision starting Saturday. However, on the contrary, female announcers appeared on TV channels with open faces during the live broadcast on Saturday. On Sunday, they reversed their position and donned the niqab, revealing only their eyes and forehead, on Tolo News, Shamshad TV, One TV and Ariana.
“forced and compelled”
“We resisted and were against wearing the niqab,” Tolo News anchor Sonia Niyazi told AFP. “There was pressure on the channel, and (the Taliban) said that any TV presenter who appears on the screen without covering his face should look for another job,” she added. In turn, Tolo News director Hblwak Sabay told AFP that the channel was “forced” to implement the decision, explaining: “We were told: you have to do it. You must obey. there is no other solution.” “Yesterday I got a phone call and in strict terms I was asked to comply. So it was not our choice, but we were forced and forced,” he added. Muhammad Sadiq Akif Muhajir, a spokesman for the Ministry for the Promotion of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice, said the authorities had no intention of forcing women broadcasters to quit their jobs. “We are happy that the channels have properly fulfilled their responsibilities,” he told AFP.
Double restriction of freedoms
The Taliban authorities have ordered women workers to be expelled from government offices if they violate the new rules. Men in government positions risk being fired if their wives or daughters do not comply with the decisions. Returning to power in August 2021, the Taliban initially vowed to be more flexible than their previous regime from 1996 to 2001, when it denied almost all rights to women. But it quickly reneged on its commitments, largely depriving women of the opportunity to work in government offices, depriving them of access to secondary school and restricting their right to travel. The movement still forced women to wear the veil. But she would strongly recommend wearing the veil, which she introduced during her first presidential term between 1996 and 2001.
After the overthrow of the Taliban regime in 2001, many women in the more isolated and conservative parts of the country continued to wear the veil. But the vast majority of Afghan women were covered in a loose scarf. Television channels have stopped broadcasting soap operas featuring women in line with the Taliban’s decision.
