On Tuesday April 22, a working group, comprising representatives of the administration of Dushanbe’s Shohmansour district, held discussions with clothing vendors at the Vatan shopping center in the capital, the official Facebook page of the executive body of Dushanbe’s Shohmansour district says. 

The discussions are being conducted in accordance with government directives and on the instructions of the chairman of Dushanbe’s Shohmansour district, Safar Olimzoda.

“As President Emomali Rahmon stated: ‘One of the shameful phenomena in modern society is xenophobia and imitation of foreign culture.  Therefore, it is necessary for our politicians, cultural figures, and intelligentsia to enhance explanatory work on the essence of modern processes, to combat superstitions, reactionism, and imitation of foreign customs and traditions in society, and to conscientiously fulfill their political, social, and cultural mission before the people and the Motherland…’,” the district administration's message says.

The Shohmansour district administration also notes that “the issue of xenophobia in our society is currently one of the most pressing, and we must not remain indifferent to this phenomenon, but must jointly fight the spread of customs and traditions alien to our culture.”

It is noted that similar discussions will be held at other shopping outlets and markets in the district.

As a reminder, a legislative ban on the “import, sale, promotion, and wearing in public places of clothing alien to the national culture” was introduced in the country in May 2024 through amendments to the law “On the Regulation of Traditions, Celebrations, and Rites in the Republic of Tajikistan” (Article 18).

The law banning “alien garments” 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.

However, the term “alien clothing” has been interpreted in various ways.

At the time, MP Mujibakhon Javhari told Asia-Plus in an interview that the term “alien clothing” includes not only hijabs and niqabs, but also long black abayas that came from Arab countries, destroyed jeans, and very short or revealing outfits.

Speaking at a news conference, Deputy Minister of Culture, Davlat Safar, briefly remarked: “European clothing is alien to our culture.”

Sellers themselves told Asia-Plus that they are now refraining from selling hijabs and Arab-style clothing.