The Shuroi Ulamo (Council of Ulema – Tajikistan's highest Islamic institution) has issued a fatwa (a legal ruling on a point of Islamic law (sharia) given by a qualified Islamic jurist (faqih) in response to a question posed by a private individual, judge or government) on national clothing, stating that Tajik national clothing “fully complies with the requirements of Hanafi jurisprudence.” Therefore, it recommends that women in the country refrain from wearing clothing that is "alien to the culture and religion, which is promoted with certain goals."

The Council of Ulema mentioned that due to recent disputes and “unsubstantiated” claims regarding the compliance of Tajik national clothing with the norms of the Muslim hijab, the agency decided to issue a fatwa on this matter based on the requirements of Hanafi fiqh.

Besides the hijab, women are advised against wearing tight, transparent, black, or revealing clothing. "Islam has its rules for wearing clothes but does not set any restrictions on the cut or color, so it is permissible in our religion to wear clothes with national patterns.  However, women are not recommended to wear black garments, as it is not obligatory from a religious standpoint and is incompatible with our national characteristics and geographical conditions.  They should also avoid tight or see-through clothing," the fatwa states.

Considering these points, the Council of Ulema advises "our dear mothers and sisters to honor national culture and wear clothes in the national style that meet moral-religious standards, reflect the morality of the 'woman-mother,' and adhere to the norms of Islamic ethics."

The fatwa also addresses men's clothing: “Men should cover their bodies from the navel to the knees.”

The fatwa consists of five points. In addition to the aforementioned, it notes that according to Islamic Sharia and the Hanafi school of thought, women's clothing consists of a headscarf, a dress, and trousers, which have been worn by Tajik women for centuries.

It is also noted that “observing the wearing of national clothing as part of culture is considered an important means of representing the nation, strengthening the religion of the ancestors, and reinforcing national statehood, ensuring peace and stability.”

Recall, the Majlisi Namoyandagon (Tajikistan’s lower chamber of parliament) approved the bill banning hijab on June 8, 2024. 

The law mostly targets the hijab, or Islamic head scarf, and other traditional items of Islamic clothing, which started coming to Tajikistan in recent years from the Middle East and the country’s officials have associated them with Islamic extremists.

Lawmakers also approved new amendments to the code of administrative violations, which include hefty fines for offenders.  The code did not previously list the wearing of a hijab or other religious clothing as violations.

Radio Liberty’s Tajik Service reported on May 23 that the penalties for offenders vary from the equivalent of 7,920 somonis for individuals and to 39,500 somonis for legal entities.  Government officials and religious authorities reportedly face much higher fines of 54,000 somonis and 57,600 somonis, respectively, if found guilty.

It is to be noted that Tajikistan has outlawed Islamic hijab after years of unofficial ban.  The Tajik authorities’ clampdown on the hijab began in 2007 when the Education Ministry banned both Islamic clothing and Western-style miniskirts for students.

The ban was eventually extended to all public institutions, with some organizations demanding that both their staff and visitors remove their head scarves.

Local governments set up special task forces to enforce the unofficial ban, while police raided markets to detain “offenders.”  But authorities reject numerous claims from women who said they were stopped on the street and fined for wearing the hijab.

The government in recent years conducted a campaign to promote Tajik national dress.  On September 6, 2017, millions of cell phone users received text messages from the government calling for women to wear Tajik national clothes.  The messages stated that “Wearing national dress is a must!” “Respect national dress,” and “Let us make it a good tradition to wear national clothes.”

The campaign culminated in 2018 when the government introduced a 376-page manual -- The Guidebook of Recommended Outfits in Tajikistan -- which outlined what Tajik women should wear for different occasions.

Tajikistan has also unofficially banned bushy beards.  Thousands of men in the past decade have reportedly been stopped by police and had their beards shaved against their will.