• Kyrgyzstan has banned the niqab from February 1, citing security concerns. Medical & work-related face coverings are exempt.
• The ban restricts religious freedom. It isolates niqabi women, reflecting broader Central Asian crackdowns on Islamic dress and expression.
Kyrgyzstan has become the latest Muslim-majority nation in Central Asia to ban the niqab. Effective of February 1, the law imposes a fine of 20,000 som ($230) on women who wear the niqab in public spaces.
Kyrgyz lawmakers have justified the ban on security grounds, claiming it is necessary to ensure individuals can be identified.
However, the measure evidently stifles women’s freedom to choose how they dress and adhere to Islamic practises.
The ban is part of an amendment to the Religious Sphere Act, signed into law by President Sadyr Japarov on January 21. While the law does not explicitly mention the niqab—locally referred to as “parandzha”—it prohibits “clothing that makes it impossible to identify a person in government offices and public places,” a commonly used euphemism for the niqab.
Interestingly, face coverings worn for medical purposes or required for work are exempt from the ban.
Government officials and religious authorities emphasise that the ban does not apply to the hijab. Kyrgyzstan is notably the only country in Central Asia that permits the hijab in schools and government offices.
“There will be no restrictions on the head scarf. Our mothers and sisters have always worn head scarves as part of our traditions and religion,” said parliament speaker Nurlanbek Shakiev when introducing the bill last year.
The wearing of the niqab in Kyrgyzstan has become increasingly popular among Muslim women in recent years. The growing increase of the wearing of the niqab prompted the state-backed campaign Where Are We Headed? nearly a decade ago. More recently, in 2023, lawmaker Sharapatkan Mazhitova launched a renewed push against the niqab after visiting the southern region of Osh, where she expressed shock at the number of women wearing it.
“Every fourth woman in Osh wears the niqab, and their number is growing by the day,” Mazhitova claimed during a parliamentary session.
Mazhitova’s campaign also targeted men’s beards. She called on the government and parliament to ban both the niqab and long beards, citing “security concerns”.
However, such a ban will inevitably alienate and isolate women who wear the niqab.
A 38-year-old housewife who observes it told RFE/RL’s Kyrgyz Service that the ban will complicate her daily life. The mother of two, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said she started wearing the niqab six years ago at her husband’s request after they married. Her husband works in Russia.
“Now there is a ban, and I don’t know what to do. I don’t know what my husband will say when he returns home,” she said.
“Since I read about the ban on the Internet, I’ve been trying not to leave the house. When I must go out, I cover my face with a medical mask,” she added.
Kyrgyzstan is not the only Central Asian country to implement restrictive measures on Islamic clothing and appearance. Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan have banned the hijab in schools, offices, and government buildings.
In Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan, police have conducted raids in streets and bazaars, forcing men with long beards to shave them off as part of broader crackdowns on religious expressions.
The crackdown on outward expressions of Islamic identity in Central Asia is frequently justified under the pretext of “preserving security and safeguarding traditional values”.
Authorities in the region assert that their national attire fulfils the requirements of Islamic clothing for women. While Turkmenistan has not officially banned the hijab, it mandates that women wear traditional Turkmen clothing at work and public events. There have been multiple reports of hijab-wearing women being instructed by authorities to remove their headscarves.
Similarly, Tajikistan actively promotes traditional Tajik attire for women while prohibiting what it refers to as “alien” clothing—an implicit reference to Islamic garments.
