Fri Mar 07 05:04:33 UTC 2025: ## Tajikistan Promotes Traditional Dress, Sparking Controversy
**Dushanbe, Tajikistan – March 7, 2025** – The Tajikistani government is urging women to adopt traditional clothing, discouraging both Western styles and Islamic head coverings, in a move aimed at strengthening national identity. This initiative, detailed in a forthcoming manual scheduled for release in July, offers guidelines on appropriate attire for various occasions, from work to celebrations. The government plans to leverage fashion designers to promote traditional garb.
The advice, described by a culture ministry official as based on “scientific and historical sources,” applies to women of all ages. However, the initiative has drawn criticism. Pharmacist Firuza Naimova questioned the government’s priorities, highlighting pressing issues like electricity shortages, air pollution, and emigration to Russia as more significant concerns.
President Emomali Rakhmon, who enacted a law in 2024 banning the import, sale, and public wearing of foreign clothing, has previously linked the wearing of Western clothing, including the hijab, to a rejection of Tajikistani values and national identity.
The government’s push for traditional dress has intensified existing pressures on women’s clothing choices, according to Farzona Saidzoda, co-author of the initiative “Tell Me Sister.” One doctor, Dzhamila, reported facing increased scrutiny and even fines for wearing a hijab this year. These accounts suggest a growing crackdown on non-traditional clothing. The move comes amid a broader effort to define and reinforce Tajik national identity.
First Piper 