In a powerful gesture of dissent against Taliban rules that ask women anchors to over their faces, the country’s male TV anchors have decided to stand up for their colleagues
Several news channels have decided to protest against a Taliban decree that orders women presenters to wear face coverings. @tolonews/Twitter
Media has been strictly regularised under the autocratic Talibani regime in Afghanistan since it took over the country’s administration last year. Over the last few months several media houses have shut operations and hundreds of journalists have been left without jobs.
In a powerful gesture of dissent against the strict media rules, the country’s male TV anchors have started appearing on their shows wearing masks. What is the meaning of this protest and why is it happening, let’s find out:
Why are male Afghan TV anchors masking up?
Male TV presenters in Afghanistan have started appearing on screen with masks covering their faces to show solidarity towards their female colleagues.
The Taliban’s Ministry of Propagation of Virtue and Prevention of Vice earlier ordered all media houses to allow female TV presenters only if they are wearing face coverings. It said that the decision was final and there was no room for debate, The Guardian reported.
The decision, however, met with dissent in the form of a protest dubbed #FreeHerFace on social media. Men on Tolo News and 1TVNews wore masks to mimic the effect of the face veil their female colleagues have been forced to wear after a Taliban crackdown.
Several human rights organisations, including Human RIghts Watch and Amnesty International, and the United Nations Security Council have condemned the Talibani law.
What is the Taliban order for female TV presenters?
Earlier this month, Taliban officials announced that all women and girls must leave home only when necessary and wear head-to-toe clothing when out in public. According to NPR, these are among the harshest restrictions the group has introduced since returning to power in August.
The Islamic group went a step further on 19 May as it ordered female TV anchors to cover their faces while on air. Even though it impacts a handful of female journalists in the country, the protest against the decree has been largescale in and outside the country.
Most female anchors have since been seen with their faces covered, according to the Associated Press. But so have many of their male colleagues, who have donned face masks on air in solidarity.
According to the new order, as reported by The Guardian, in the first instance of the order being disobeyed the Taliban will advise and guide the unveiled woman; as a second step summon her; the third step is three days’ imprisonment. As a fourth step, the guardian of the unveiled woman will be taken to court and sentenced to an appropriate punishment.
According to a report by Reporters Without Borders and the Centre for the Protection of Afghan Women Journalists, fewer than 100 of Kabul’s 700 women journalists were still formally working at privately owned radio and TV stations immediately after the Taliban takeover.
The Taliban leadership has also barred girls from attending school after the sixth grade, reversing previous promises by officials that girls of all ages would be allowed an education.
With inputs from agencies
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