There is a country in the world where 70 percent of the people follow Islam and the President is also a Muslim, but here women have been banned from covering their faces. In an important law passed in Kazakhstan, the country’s Parliament has taken this step amid growing religious fundamentalism and security concerns in the country. Under this law, now the niqab and all types of clothes covering the face have been banned in public places. (Photo: Reuters)
The bill has now been sent to the President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev for final approval. According to local media reports, the government has taken this step for security reasons and to maintain the secular identity of the country. (Photo: Reuters)
Officials say that face-covering clothes make it difficult for law and enforcement agencies to identify a person. This can threaten the public safety of the country. However, this bill also provides exemptions for certain circumstances. If a person covers his face due to any medical reason, weather, office requirement, cultural event or civil defence, then he will be exempted from this ban. (Photo: Reuters)
The government says that this step has been taken to maintain the image of the country’s secular policies and traditional cultural values. Officials also said that the niqab and full-face covering clothes are not mandatory in Islam and these traditions are often associated with foreign religious influences. (Photo: Reuters)
President Tokayev also said in March 2024 that the niqab is an old and unnatural dress, it has been imposed on the women of the country by new fundamentalists. He described it as against the traditional culture of Kazakhstan. In the last few years, there has been an increase in the number of women wearing niqab and covering their entire body with black clothes on the streets of Kazakhstan. This shows the changing religious trend of the country, which is completely different from its secular image. (Photo: Reuters)
Earlier in the year 2017, a ban was imposed on wearing hijab for schoolgirls in Kazakhstan. In the year 2023, this ban was also implemented on students and teachers of all schools, in protest against which more than 150 girls decided not to go to school. At that time also President Tokayev had clarified that school is an educational institution, where religious attire cannot be given place. (Photo: Reuters)
More than 70 percent of the population of Kazakhstan is Muslim, but the constitutional system of the country is independent of religion. Here the policies of the government are based on the principles of secularism. President Tokayev himself also believes in Islam and he also follows the beliefs related to it. He also performed Umrah in Mecca and he also keeps fast during the month of Ramadan. Despite this, he is in favour of keeping the country’s policies secular. (Photo: Reuters)
Kazakhstan is not the first country to take such a step. Other countries like Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan have also imposed public bans on veils and face-covering clothes in the years 2023 and 2025. Kazakhstan shares its borders with China, Russia, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan and the influence of fundamentalism is less here. (Photo: Reuters)
