On Saturday (May 21), several female news presenters in Afghanistan appeared on TV without a face veil, in defiance of the Taliban diktat which made covering the face mandatory for the women.
As per reports, female journalists associated with 3 broadcast stations in Afghanistan went ahead with their live programmes without a face cover. The Taliban-led Afghan government has now threatened the women with termination from their organisations.
The radical Islamic outfit has also warned media managers who ‘failed’ to enforce their diktat. The development comes days after the Taliban had ordered female Afghan journalists to cover their faces during news programmes.
“If they don’t comply, we will talk to the managers and guardians of the presenters. Anyone who lives under a particular system and government has to obey the laws and orders of that system, so they must implement the order,” remarked Taliban spokesperson Mohammad Sadeq Akif Mohajir.
#AFG A powerful message from an Afghan woman (TOlo TV Host) that needs reflection: This is me, Yalda Ali, a woman -on verge of being eliminated by the Prevention of Vice and Promotion of Virtue. We are required to appear like this, hereafter. @bsarwary pic.twitter.com/Gjjhgm0wJf
— Wali Arian (@waliarian) May 19, 2022
While reacting to the Taliban’s diktat, journalist Wali Adrian had tweeted, “A powerful message from an Afghan woman (Tolo TV Host) that needs reflection: This is me, Yalda Ali, a woman -on verge of being eliminated by the Prevention of Vice and Promotion of Virtue. We are required to appear like this, hereafter.”
Reportedly, the women declined to wear a face cover, fearing that it would lead to even more restrictions in future.“Our female colleagues are concerned that if they cover their faces, the next thing they would be told is to stop working,” Shamshad TV Head Abid Ehsas pointed out.
“This is the reason they have not observed the order so far,” he added. Although women had to wear headscarves on TV, the Taliban has now made covering the face mandatory.
While reacting to the orders of the Islamist outfit, a female journalist told the BBC, “They are putting indirect pressure on us to stop us presenting on TV. How can I read the news with my mouth covered? I don’t know what to do now – I must work, I am the breadwinner of my family.”
No comment! pic.twitter.com/VzGcqedTLo
— Wali Arian (@waliarian) May 19, 2022
‘Head-to-toe’ burqa mandatory for women in Afghanistan
Earlier this month, Taliban chief and Afghanistan’s supreme leader Hibatullah Akhundzada had issued a decree making an all-covering burqa mandatory for women in Afghanistan. The decree by Akhundzada was released by Taliban authorities at a function in Kabul.
“They should wear a chador (head-to-toe burqa) as it is traditional and respectful”, the decree said. Recently, the Islamist outfit had declared that women would not be allowed to wear coloured Hijab.
According to reports on social media, female students who were wearing coloured hijab or scarves were not allowed to enter a university in Kabul on May 18 this year. Videos posted on social media showed Taliban operatives standing near the gate of the university and guiding the women who were wearing coloured Hijab.
From cracking down on girls’ education in the country, to stopping women from flying alone, the Taliban has continued to oppress women in the country. The general disdain for the women under the Taliban rule can be seen in all spheres of society.
