MP Alisher Kadirov calls for legal protection of women wearing headscarves in Uzbekistan

Kadirov stressed that Uzbekistan’s status as a secular state is beyond dispute and that this gives citizens the right to live freely, provided they do not violate the law.

According to him, people of all nationalities and beliefs in the country have equal rights, and no one should be discriminated against. As an example, he noted that drinking beer or abstaining from it is a matter of personal choice, but advertising alcoholic products is prohibited by law.

The politician described the holding of various cultural events in society as another manifestation of secularism. Referring to Jennifer Lopez’s concert, he said that both her choice of clothing and the decision to attend or not attend the event are personal matters. At the same time, Kadirov stressed that women who wear headscarves should also be legally protected.

“We accepted public nudity as part of secularism – now let us also accept that the right to dress modestly should not be infringed upon. Just as we did not tell Lopez how to dress, we should stop telling religious women how to tie their headscarves, and stop forcing women who have chosen to follow their faith at this stage in life to remove their headscarves for passport photos. Identification requirements mean the face must be visible, not the hair. Let us show the same tolerance to our religious women as we did to Lopez,” he said.

Kadirov concluded by saying that secularism is not about the strong “teaching” the weak, but about treating both believers and non-believers equally.