Kazakhstan has become the latest Central Asian Islamic/Muslim-majority country to ban clothing covering one’s face in public places. Kazakhstan PM Kassym-Jomart Tokayev signed a law to the effect, making exceptions for medical purposes, in adverse weather conditions and at sporting and cultural events.
Kazakhstan bans face covering attire in public
The law states that any clothing interfering with facial recognition will be banned. However, the legislation does not specifically mention any religion or religious attire targeted by the ban. Previously, Tokayev had praised the law, stating that it would strengthen Kazakhstan’s ethnic identity. It must be emphasized that the country is a former Soviet republic with a Muslim-majority population.
Earlier this year, Tokayev was quoted by the Kazakh media as saying that wearing national style clothes was better that being covered in face-covering black robes in an unmistakable reference to the burqa. In the interaction, he also highlighted that there was a need to popularize Kazakhstan’s national clothes that emphasized their ethnic identity.
The government maintains that the new regulation reflects Kazakhstan’s dedication to secularism and the preservation of its national identity. According to local media, officials aim to distance the country from religious practices perceived as “foreign” and not aligned with traditional Kazakh culture.
While the face-covering ban has been portrayed by the government as a progressive measure, public sentiment appears to be more divided. In 2023, more than 150 schoolgirls in the Atyrau region refused to attend classes in protest against a hijab ban. Similar protests emerged in other southern regions. Authorities claimed the issue was resolved through discussions with parents, but ambiguity remained about the scope of the restrictions.
“At school, the primary focus must be on education. Religious beliefs are a personal matter and should remain private,” President Tokayev stated at the time, reinforcing Kazakhstan’s secular framework. In March 2024, Tokayev openly criticized the niqab, describing it as an outdated form of dress introduced by radical groups and inconsistent with Kazakh values and traditions. In recent years, the presence of black niqabs and long robes has grown in Kazakh cities, indicating a shift in religious attire despite the country’s officially secular stance.
Other Islamic nations who banned burqa and hijab
Kazakhstan is not the first Islamic nation to impose a ban on face-covering clothing. In recent years several Muslim-dominated countries have imposed such a ban citing security concerns. In addition to Kazakhstan, countries like Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, and Tajikistan have also implemented restrictions on garments such as the niqab, burqa, and paranja, which cover the face. These regulations typically apply to public spaces and government institutions. Authorities justify the measures by stating that such attire is not rooted in local cultural traditions and may pose challenges to public safety and facial identification.
Hijab and burqa ban in Bharat
On the one hand Islamic/Muslim-dominated nations are getting rid of the hijab and burqa and on the other, ‘Hindu-dominated secular’ Bharat sees protests and violence when such a ban is sort in educational institutions, mind you not even public places. What’s worse? In states where Congress and its allies are in power, peak secularism is exhibited where laws/rules are applicable only to Hindus while Muslims get a free pass.
The Islamists of Bharat vehemently oppose everything when it comes to the rights of Muslim women – the ban on triple talaq, the ban on the display of hijab in educational institutions, etc. Yet, the self-anointed custodians of the Muslim community in Bharat are often the ones who themselves lead “modern” and “progressive” lives, away from the shackles they so desperately and vehemently seek to impose on whom they pretend to be the saviors of.
