UNIVERSITY HIJAB BAN: STUDENTS SPEAK OUT, OFFER VIEWS ON

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 DUSHANBE 000725 SENSITIVE SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PHUM PGOV KIRF KISL TI SUBJECT: UNIVERSITY HIJAB BAN: STUDENTS SPEAK OUT, OFFER VIEWS ON U.S. FOREIGN POLICY REF: A. 08 DUSHANBE 1409 ¶B. DUSHANBE 704 DUSHANBE 00000725 001.2 OF 002 ¶1. (SBU) Summary: Administrators at the National University of Tajikistan in Dushanbe recently expelled several students for failing to comply with a ban on wearing the hijab in class. On May 28, EmbOffs spoke to four students -- two men and two women -- who criticized the government's heavy-handed tactics. Their comments corroborate past reporting (ref A) that the ban is having the opposite of its intended effect: instead of controlling religious expression, the government is merely creating resentment. The students also offered their insights into U.S. foreign policy in the Islamic world. End summary. "SEE WHAT YOUR GOD CAN DO ABOUT IT" ¶2. (SBU) Two years ago the Ministry of Education ordered all public educational institutions to forbid students from wearing the hijab in class. Emboffs recently spoke with four National University students who described how administrators are implementing the hijab ban. Under University policy, women may wear the scarf on school grounds only if they tuck it behind their ears upon entering the campus. Despite this order, four of the 13 women in the University's Oriental Studies Department continued to wear their hijabs over their ears. In recent weeks, three of the four have been expelled for their refusal to comply with the administration's order. The fourth -- one of the two women EmbOffs interviewed -- said she has not been expelled yet because the University's rector has not caught her in her hijab. One of the students expelled in recent weeks had only one exam remaining until her graduation. She offered to remove the hijab for the remainder of her studies, but the rector refused to reinstate her, saying "I will kick out [all women wearing a hijab] and see what your God can do" about it. ¶3. (SBU) The two women we met both wear their hijabs in class in violation of the university's policy. Their teachers do not support their decisions to cover their heads. However, because the University rector has not caught the girls wearing their hijabs, they have not yet faced disciplinary proceedings. Though they fear they will eventually be kicked out, the women vowed not to remove their hijabs in deference to what they called an "unfair and undemocratic policy." ¶4. (SBU) The women also recalled their fathers' initial opposition to their decision to wear the hijab. The women argued that the hijab was an item of personal identity, and that wearing one made them feel more "pure." Over time, the fathers accepted their daughters' decisions to wear hijabs. In the words of one of the women, "my father told me it was better that I wear a hijab than a miniskirt." THE HIJAB AS EXPRESSION OF DEFIANCE ¶5. (SBU) The female students said they wear the hijab out of personal preferences, not as a response to pressure or a desire to conform to the strictures of any particular group or sect. As one stated, "no one forced me [to wear the hijab]. I do it for myself, and no one should be able to take it away from me." The male students enthusiastically agreed, adding that they liked it when women wore their hijabs in school because it provided "less of a distraction" and allowed them to concentrate more on their studies. ¶6. (SBU) All four students criticized the Tajik Government's claim that the hijab ban helped protect the country from Islamic extremism. They expressed a belief that the ban was instead another means by which the government sought to control the religious activities and behavior of its citizens (ref B). The students went on to claim that the government's ban on the hijab contradicts its claim to be democratic. One of the women asked if Muslim women in America were allowed to wear a hijab to class. When told that they could, she responded, "If that is true, then America is indeed a great democracy." DUSHANBE 00000725 002.2 OF 002 ¶7. (SBU) Students felt they lacked the power to do anything about their government's policies, and looked to the international community to help them. They said their government would liberalize its stance on religious expression only if the international community pressured it to do so. They explained that no group on their campus could successfully challenge the administration's policy because those students who confronted the university administration or the Ministry of Education would immediately be kicked out of school. AMERICA AND THE WORLD IN THE EYES OF THE STUDENTS ¶8. (SBU) Students expressed a range of views on other topics as well. When asked which global conflicts they most identified with, the students indicated a particular concern for the Palestinians. One of the women described the Palestinians as "the most suffering people on Earth." Additionally, students expressed a degree of concern for the citizens of Iraq, Afghanistan, and Lebanon, but did not openly criticize past or present U.S. policy related to any of these countries or their people. ¶9. (SBU) All four students acknowledged from the outset their personal resentment of the foreign policy of the past U.S. administration. While one of the women said it is too early to know whether Muslims will prefer President Obama to his predecessor, the other three students were more positive. One of the men expressed great hope for the new administration, citing the President's March 19 Navruz (Persian New Year) message and his "use of the words of the Prophet" as an indication that Muslims' image of the U.S. will likely improve. ¶10. (SBU) Comment: While we must be careful in extrapolating from the views of such a small number of people, the students' comments corroborate Post's observations that the hijab ban and other restrictive measures on religious expression may be prompting more young people to turn against the undemocratic practices of their government. The question remains, however, what students can do with their disaffection. The four we interviewed voiced the same pessimism we regularly encounter about their ability to effect real change. End comment. JACOBSON