Kazakhstan has enacted new legislation banning the wearing of face-covering garments in public, a move the government says is aimed at strengthening national identity and improving public safety.

The law, signed by President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, bars clothing that "interferes with facial recognition," with exceptions made for medical needs, severe weather, and participation in cultural or sporting events.

While the text of the law does not mention any specific religion or religious dress, it follows Tokayev’s repeated statements in favor of promoting traditional Kazakh attire over imported Islamic styles, reports First Post.

“Rather than wearing face-concealing black robes, it’s much better to wear clothes in the national style,” Tokayev said. “Our national clothes vividly emphasise our ethnic identity, so we need to popularise them comprehensively.”

The decision aligns Kazakhstan with other Central Asian countries, such as Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan, that have placed restrictions on garments like the niqab and burqa.

Governments have justified the bans as part of efforts to uphold secular values and improve security by avoiding obscured identities in public.

Tokayev said that it's part of upholding Kazakhstan's secular constitutiotn. “This principle must be strictly observed in all spheres, including education,” he said, adding, “School is, first and foremost, an educational institution where children come to gain knowledge. Religious beliefs, on the other hand, are a choice and a private matter for each citizen.”

Public sentiment around the bans is still divided. Kazakhstan, like many of her neighbors, is a relgiously diverse country, with about 70 percent of the population being adherents to Islam. around 25-30 percent of the population practices a form of Christianity, with a small percent being either irrelgious or practicing folk religions. 

In 2023, more than 150 girls in the Atyrau region staged a school boycott in protest of a ban on the hijab. Similar protests emerged in other southern areas of the country.

While the law does not single out Islamic dress, Islamists argue it contributes to growing pressure on Muslim women to abandon religious garments.