Afghan male TV presenters wear masks in protest against Taliban

Kabul, Afghanistan – (AFP):

Seconds before he presents a news bulletin, Afghan television anchor Nisar Nabil puts on a black mask as a symbolic protest against the Taliban authorities for ordering women presenters to cover their faces on air.

Since seizing power last year, the Taliban have imposed a slew of restrictions on women and girls to comply with the group’s austere brand of Islam.

This month Afghanistan’s supreme leader and chief of Taliban, Hibatullah Akhundzada, issued a diktat for women to cover up fully in public, including their faces, ideally with the traditional burqa.

The feared Ministry for Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice ordered women television presenters to follow suit.

After initially defying the order, women presenters are now wearing full hijabs and veils that leave only their eyes on view across channels like TOLOnews, 1TV, Shamshad TV and Ariana Television.

But they have received support from their male colleagues who have launched a campaign to oppose the order. The Taliban officials do not appear to be in favour of rolling back the decree, however.

While there are no women presenters at state television, male anchors are now airing programmes wearing traditional Afghani shalwar kameez.