Uzbek media reports say Uzbekistan has lifted the ban on wearing hijab and other religious clothing in public places.
Thus, Uzreport says a new decree inked by President Shavkat Mirziyoyev provides for the lifting of the ban on wearing hijab and other religious robes in public places.
“Due to the lack of a legal definition of the concept of “religious attire” in the current acts of legislation, a ban on appearing in public places in religious attire is excluded from the law," the document says.
At the same time, according to other current acts of legislation, the requirements for the clothing of employees of state organizations and institutions are regulated by their internal acts.
The role of religious clothing in public life has for years been a subject of heated public discussion in Uzbekistan.
The religious clothing ban was introduced in Uzbekistan in 1998.
On July 25, 2018, Uzbek Justice Minister Ruslanbek Davletov spoke at the National Press Club in Washington in favor of the state regulating how citizens dress. He argued, for example, that it was improper for people to obscure their face while in public as this could pose a threat to security.
On September 15, 2020, lawmakers in Uzbekistan approved the first reading of legislation that would, among other things, end a ban on the wearing of religious clothing in government offices and places of learning.
