Tajikistan set acceptable beard length

Council of Ulemas (reputable experts in Islam) of Tajikistan established standards for wearing beards for males and style of clothes for females, reports Islamnews.tj.

Reportedly, the rules concern Sunni Muslims of Hanafi school, the official orientation of Islam in Tajikistan, observed by the vast majority of the republic's population.

According to new regulations, a man should wear beard of the size as same as his fist. Women's clothes should cover all parts of body except face, hands and feet.

The Islamic Center of Tajikistan, that shelters Council of Ulemas, announced that these standards were set upon request from Religious Affairs Committee. Yet, it wasn't specified what measures would be taken against those whose beard is longer than set length.

Previously, in 2009, similar rules were introduced for male teachers. Only men beyond their 50 could wear beards providing the length does not exceed 3cm.

A while ago, the subject of wearing beards in Tajikistan was touched in the report of the US State Department on human rights in the world countries. Authors of the report noted that although the republic has not officially banned beards and moustaches, civil servants face bans on beards. Besides, beard wearers often hardly find jobs. 

The great majority of Tajikistan people are Muslims. There are nearly 3,000 mosques and about 20 religious education centers in the country.

WKT citing lenta.ru