Burka Enforcement and Burka Bans: Where Extremist Policies Meet

On May 7, the Taliban introduced a new law that makes wearing of the burka, a traditional garment that covers the entire body with just a grille for the eyes, compulsory for women in Afghanistan. The new law follows the shuttering of secondary schools for girls in March. These actions demonstrate that the Taliban's promises to honor women's rights when they seized power in August 2021 were empty. As fears about the dire future of Afghanistan turn into reality, the burka is poised, once again, to be a symbol of the Taliban's brutality. For Muslim women in the West who freely choose to wear the burka or the niqab for religious reasons, the renewed focus on their clothing in the news does not bode well.