Thamina Usmani hosts the television news program of Afghan broadcaster Tolo TV in Kabul, May 22, 2022. WAKIL KOHSAR v AFP
Eventually, they submitted to the Taliban’s order to conceal their appearance. The hosts of the major Afghan television networks went on the air on Sunday, May 22, with their faces covered, obeying a Taliban order a day after fighting back.
Since the Taliban returned to power last year, they have imposed a range of restrictions on civil society, many aimed at forcing women into their strict understanding of Islam. Earlier this month, the Taliban supreme leader issued an order that women must cover themselves fully, including the face, in public, ideally with the burqa, a full-face veil with a fabric mesh at eye level. In the past, just a scarf covering your hair was enough.
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The feared Afghan Ministry for the Promotion of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice had ordered TV presenters to comply by Saturday. The journalists initially decided not to comply with this order and went on the air live without hiding their faces.
Taliban print
Before turning around. On Sunday, female presenters wore full veils leaving only their eyes and forehead visible to present the news on TOLOnews, Ariana Television, Shamshad TV and 1TV. Sonia Niazi, a TOLOnews presenter, explained:
“We resisted and were against the port [du voile intégral]. But TOLOnews was pressured to [les talibans] said that any presenter who appeared on screen without a face covering should be given a different job. »
Khpalwak Sapai, director of TOLOnews, explained that the channel was “forced” to enforce the order on its employees:
“We were told: You have to do it. You need to. There is no other solution. I got a call on the phone yesterday and was sternly told to do this. So we don’t do it voluntarily, but forced and coerced. »
Mohammad Sadeq Akif Mohajir, spokesman for the Ministry for the Promotion of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice, said the authorities had no intention of ousting the presenters from their jobs. “We are pleased that the broadcasters have taken their responsibilities properly,” he commented to Agence France-Presse.
Full veil in public
The Taliban have ordered women working in the government to be fired if they do not conform to the new dress code. Male employees also risk being suspended if their wives or daughters don’t comply.
The Taliban regained power in August 2021 and announced a more flexible regime than during their first harsh rule. But in recent months they have begun to quash opposition and erode freedoms, particularly for women in education, work and everyday life.
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They started by saying that women should wear at least a hijab, a shawl that covers the head but reveals the face. Then, in early May, they ordered them to wear a full veil in public, preferably the burqa, which had been mandatory during their 1996-2001 tenure.
In the twenty years since the Taliban were overthrown in 2001, many conservative rural women had continued to wear the burqa. But most Afghan women, including TV presenters, had opted for the headscarf. TV stations have already stopped series and soap operas starring women on Taliban orders.
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