Taleban Orders "Female Anchors Cover Faces"... Male Anchor Wears Mask in Solidarity

Taliban "God's Command"

An Afghan Tolo News female anchor wearing a mask and proceeding under the Taliban's instructions. / Photo by AP Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Na Ye-eun] After the Taliban, who took control of Afghanistan, ordered female anchors to cover not only their heads but also their noses and mouths, male anchors showed solidarity by wearing masks as well.

According to foreign media on the 23rd (local time), on the 19th, the Taliban government's 'Ministry for the Propagation of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice' announced that the measure requiring all women to cover their faces in public places would be extended to broadcasters. Previously, female Afghan broadcasters had been wearing scarves that covered only their heads and necks during broadcasts.

Afghanistan's TOLO News announced on the 22nd (local time) that in response to the Taliban's directive that female broadcasters must cover their faces during broadcasts, all presenters, including male anchors, would appear on air with their faces covered.

Indeed, during the 6 p.m. broadcast of TOLO News that day, a male anchor wore a black mask while delivering the news. TOLO News also released footage showing not only male anchors but other male reporters and staff wearing masks inside the company as a sign of solidarity while carrying out their work.

A male anchor of Afghanistan's Tolo News is broadcasting while wearing a mask. Photo by Tolo News capture.

Kpolwak Safai, deputy director of TOLO News, posted a photo on his SNS showing staff wearing face-covering masks during a meeting, writing, "We are deeply saddened today."

However, the Ministry for the Propagation of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice emphasized that the measure is "not our words but God's command."

Sonia Niazi, a female anchor at TOLO News, told AFP, "They (the Taliban) forced us to wear masks, but we will continue to fight using our voices."

Khatera Ahmadi, a female presenter at TOLO News, raised her voice, saying, "How can we broadcast properly when we can't even breathe or speak properly?" Another female presenter, Farida Sial, told the BBC, "As a Muslim, wearing a hijab that covers the hair is fine, but it is really difficult for a presenter to cover her face for 2 to 3 hours during a broadcast," adding, "They are trying to erase women from social and political life."