Local television presenters in Afghanistan on Sunday expressed frustration at a new Taliban decision to cover their faces when they air.
“A moderator needs to feel absolutely calm in order to get the truth across to people. Today was the first time I experienced a moment where I had to present my show with a mask and I wasn’t feeling well,” said TOLOnews host Sonia Niazi.
Announced on Thursday, the new rule comes days after authorities ordered women to cover their faces in public, a return to one of their previous norms and an escalation of restrictions that are sparking fears at home and in the international community.
While calling the move “advice,” Taliban Vice and Virtue Ministry spokesman Akif Muajer told Reuters that the last date they could present themselves without an uncovered face was Saturday, May 21.
2 of 3 picture of presenter with uncovered face in Afghanistan — Photo: TOLO / REUTERS
Image of a presenter with her face uncovered in Afghanistan — Photo: TOLO / REUTERS
On Saturday (21st), the hosts of Afghanistan’s main television channels went on the air without covering their faces, defying Taliban orders and refusing to submit to the group’s interpretation of Islam.
Since returning to power last year, the Taliban have imposed a number of restrictions on civil society. Many of them aim to restrict women’s rights.
- Taliban rule women as “no property” and must consent to marriages
- Taliban orders Afghan women to cover their faces again
Earlier this month, the Supreme Taliban chief issued an order requiring women to cover themselves completely in public, including their faces, preferably with the traditional burqa. It used to be that all you needed was a scarf to cover your hair.
The feared Afghan Ministry for the Promotion of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice has urged TV presenters to do so by Saturday. But journalists from TOLOnews, Shamshad TV and 1TV went live on the air without hiding their faces.
3 out of 3 women wearing burqa protest in front of the US Embassy in Kabul in support of the Taliban regime on January 26, 2022 — Photo: Wakil KOHSAR/AFP
Women wearing burqas protest in support of the Taliban regime in front of the US embassy in Kabul on January 26, 2022 — Photo: Wakil KOHSAR / AFP
“Our sisters fear that if they cover their faces, the next thing they will say is stop working,” said Abid Ehsas, Shamshad TV’s news chief. “That’s why they haven’t respected the order until now.”
The spokesman for the Ministry for the Promotion of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice, Mohamad Sadeq Akif Mohajir, warned that these women were violating the Taliban’s mandate.
“If they don’t comply, we will speak to those responsible,” Mohamad said. “Anyone who lives under a system and especially a government has to obey the laws and orders of that system, so they have to enforce the order.”
The Taliban have ordered women working in the government to be fired if they do not conform to the new dress code. Employees also risk being suspended if their wives or daughters don’t comply.