Mandatory Burqa; Women Teachers: “The Burqa Is Not Just a Piece of Cloth, It Is a Shadow of Fear and Suffocation”

Image: WAKIL KOHSAR/AFP

Several female teachers in Herat have spoken out about the Taliban’s latest restrictive measure, saying the group has now forced them to wear the chadari or burqa; a decision that many women see as a complete return to darkness and the complete exclusion of women from education..

Shaqayeq Mushfiq, a veteran teacher, told Zan News:

“The Taliban are intensifying their war against women day by day. I went to ensure that the girls who come to class with such enthusiasm would not miss their lessons, but the Taliban did not let me in because I was wearing a black shawl instead of a burqa. I am fifty years old, who do they think is going to look at me?”

These words from Shaqayeq paint a painful picture of the current reality for Afghan women; women caught between their commitment to education and the restrictions imposed by the Taliban.

Frozan Tokhi, another female teacher in Herat, also spoke with distress:

“The day before, we were warned not to go to school without wearing the burqa. I wore it, but I could neither see the road clearly nor breathe easily. When I entered the classroom, all the students were terrified. The burqa is not just a piece of cloth; it is a shadow of fear and suffocation that weighs heavily on the minds and hearts of women and children.”

This new restriction comes as thousands of women across Afghanistan continue to suffer from the deprivation of education and work. Now, with the enforcement of compulsory burqa, the Taliban have taken yet another step towards silencing women and erasing their identity.