Afghanistan asks women TV presenters to wear headscarves

Feb 15, 2012, 14:39 GMT

Kabul - The Afghan government said on Wednesday it had asked women television presenters to wear headscarves and to avoid heavy make-up after members of the upper house of parliament complained about non-compliance with Islamic ethics.

Minister for Culture and Information Sayed Makhdoom Raheen said the decision applied to both public and private television channels.

'We have notified every one through a statement that their female presenters in news and current affairs should dress up plainly and avoid unsuitable and heavy make-up,' Raheen told dpa. 'We have asked them to appear wearing headscarf when they present the news.'

An Afghan television producer said wearing a headscarf while reading the news was 'quite normal' and most women presenters wore headscarves even before the new rules.

However, Sami Mahdi of the 1 TV private broadcaster said the move was a sign the government was giving in to Taliban insurgents with whom it is trying to negotiate a peace deal.

'As you know the peace talks and negotiations are going on with the Taliban, and it makes journalists and the free media in Afghanistan concerned about the future,' he said, adding that the decision could be the first step toward curtailing free media.

The Taliban banned television when it controlled Afghanistan before the US invasion in 2001. Afghan women were not allowed to leave the house without a burka and a male relative.

'We didn't have any kind of freedom of expression; we didn't have television; we didn't have free press or radio,' Mahdi said. 'So they are against the appearance of women in television and actually against television.'

The Taliban, who have been waging a deadly insurgency for more than a decade, said they were opening an office in Qatar to talk to the international community. However, they have denied any intention to talk to the administration of President Hamid Karzai.

Many fear the Taliban would push for strict Islamic laws in any peace talks aimed at ending its insurgency.

The culture minister tried to downplay the significance of the decision.

'We have not asked the presenters to wear a veil or a Niqab mask in which you can see the lady's eyes only' Raheen said.

Women are allowed to wear heavy make-up in movies or television series, he said.