Press Release
Kyrgyzstan Wants to Join the Fight Against the Beard and Niqab in Central Asia
(Translated)

During the opening of the new building of the administration of the State Committee for National Security in the Panfilov district of Chui, Chairman of the State Committee for National Security Kamchybek Tashiev expressed his opinion that the niqab and long beard should be banned. According to him, “The people of Kyrgyzstan have never worn a niqab, and men between the ages of 20 and 25 have not grown their beards to the navel. Currently, there are attempts to introduce the customs of other countries and religious movements into Kyrgyzstan.”

Before that, Jogorku Kenesh’s MP Sharapatkan Mazhitova prepared a draft law on banning veils and long beards in Kyrgyzstan and presented it for public discussion. She noted that such measures are important for the country's security. The draft law recommends a fine of 2,000 soms or 30 days of community service for those who violate the rule.

Majitova criticized women wearing the niqab during the September 7 session. She gave the example of the Uzbek Parliament's ban on wearing the niqab, and stressed the need to take similar measures in Kyrgyzstan.

Meanwhile, the Kyrgyzstan Muslim Scholars Council issued a statement regarding this draft law. The statement stated that the niqab is not obligatory, and there are many people who cannot even reach the level of the veil. It was emphasized that growing a beard is one of the Sunnahs of the Messenger of Allah, and keeping the beard is a moral duty. Hence, it becomes clear that the main initiator of this draft law is the official government.

It is known that the governments of Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan have fought Islam under the pretext of growing a beard and wearing the niqab. And now the Kyrgyz government is about to join this war. In these countries, people who pray, grow beards and women who wear the hijab are summoned to the local government, and “demonstration work” is carried out with them, to this day. Often, raids may be carried out, where police officers stop bearded men walking in the street and take them to the police station under the pretext of “religious extremism.”

Naturally, the battle of the Central Asian authorities against Islam did not begin recently, and perhaps it began after they eliminated their opponents and established dictatorial regimes. For example, the President of Uzbekistan, Karimov, began a large-scale battle against Islam and Muslims, after organizing the bombing of February 16, 1999. He tried to destroy Islamic values in society under the pretext of combating terrorism. He fought severely against men's beards and women's veils, and going to the mosque and receiving religious education was prohibited for school and university students. On 5 September, the Parliament of Uzbekistan introduced a draft law on applying administrative punishment to women who wear the niqab.

The tyrant of Tajikistan, Emomali Rahmon, also banned giving Islamic names to newborn children, under the pretext of combating terrorism and extremism. The Tajik government shaved the beards of tens of thousands of men, and forcibly removed the veils of thousands of women.

In Turkmenistan, the government is searching the homes of citizens it considers “religious” and confiscates all types of religious literature other than the Holy Quran. The government of Turkmenistan is no less than Uzbekistan and Tajikistan in the war against Islam and Muslims.

Forcibly shaving the beards of Muslim men under the age of 50, forcing them to drink vodka, severely beating them and depriving them of their liberty for 7-8 years without any trial or investigation has become usual. Civilian and military employees are also prohibited from performing acts of worship such as prayer, and those who do not adhere to this are immediately expelled and subjected to various financial and physical pressures.

In Kazakhstan, the struggle against Islamic values intensified after the ban on wearing the hijab in schools. If we turn to the latest incident, on October 6, the Kazakh Ministry of Culture and Information raised the issue of banning the wearing of the hijab and niqab in public places. The court clarified this with national security. More precisely, according to their claim, it is extremely difficult to recognize women who cover their faces in public.

As with the neighboring countries, laws issued in the religious sphere in Kyrgyzstan are mainly aimed at restricting Islam and Muslims. The Kyrgyz government is also taking gradual steps to control the Islamic environment rooted in society. In the beginning, the government included the group “Munkareen Muqrabeen” (repelling munkar) who say: “It is not necessary for a creature to promote virtue and prevent vice that Allah has commanded,” it has added it to the list of “extremist” organizations through the court.

On the other hand, it made obtaining permission from the Mufti and the Ministry of Interior a condition for anyone who goes out to dawah... Thus, the preachers were divided into two parts.

In fact, banning the niqab and beard contradicts the democratic values they promote. More specifically, freedom of belief and individual freedom in a democracy that guarantees a person to practice any religion and use any advantage. These values are the constitutional law of the secular state. However, the West has already begun to abandon its idea on the international stage. In other words, for the West, these freedoms only apply to all except to Islam and Muslims. For example, religious freedom is given to Satan worshipers or other immoralities. Non-Muslims are allowed to wear whatever clothes they want and even go out into the streets naked. But when it comes to Islamic values, the issue is viewed differently. This is clearly evident in the ban on wearing the hijab in schools in France in 2004, the expulsion of female Muslim employees from public institutions, and the ban on the niqab in public places in 2010! This means that the democratic and the authoritarian regime are two sides of the same coin, meaning that both of them place their will above the will of the people! In particular, events in Iraq, Afghanistan, Syria, and most recently in Gaza have shown that the slogans of freedom and the rights of women and children have been buried in the ground by bomb explosions.

In fact, Muslim women do not wear the niqab because Democrats allow it or because of individual freedom, but rather they wear it as an Islamic value. Also, Muslims do not shave their beards because of the prohibition of Kuffar or their agents from doing so. Rather, they grow their beards because of the Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace. Because the Messenger of Allah (saw), is a good example for every Muslim in all aspects of life, and therefore, we must resist the Kyrgyz government’s war against Islam on the path of dictatorship, and because the government that bans the hijab and beard today, so, it is natural that our supplications, prayers and fasting will also be prohibited tomorrow.

Media Office of Hizb ut Tahrir
in Kyrgyzstan