Fact Check: Is Burqa Mandatory In Taliban-Ruled Afghanistan?

Doha: The Taliban, facing international pressure, announced that they will respect women’s rights but under the Sharia Law. A spokesperson for the militant organization said that full burqa will not be enforced in Afghanistan, but a hijab will be required.

“The burqa is not the only hijab (headscarf) that (can) be observed, there are different types of hijab not limited to burqa,” Suhail Shaheen, spokesman for Taliban’s political office in Doha, told Sky News.

However, Shaheen didn’t specify what types of hijab will be accepted in Afghanistan. Hijab generally refers to a head covering, while burqas are head-to-toe covering.

Amid criticism over its women’s rights issues, Shaheen tried to calm things by saying that women can get education from primary to higher level. He also pointed out that they had announced this policy at international conferences in Moscow and Doha.

Schools for girls were also operational, he highlighted.

In their previous rule, the Taliban banned girls from attending schools and killed women for adultery.

Interestingly, sale of burqas and hijabs have grown since the Taliban swept across the country.