Taliban forces Afghan women TV anchors to cover faces

Afghanistan’s Taliban rulers have started to enforce a new order requiring all female TV news anchors in the country to cover their faces while on air.

The Information and Culture Ministry announced that the policy was “final and non-negotiable”.

“It is just an outside culture imposed on us, forcing us to wear a mask, and that can create a problem for us while presenting our programs,” said Sonia Niazi, a TV anchor with Afghanistan’s TOLOnews.

 “This decree is unpredictable for all female presenters because Islam has not commanded us to cover our faces,” Niazi said.

“Every Islamic scholar and political figure has opposed this decree.”

The Taliban has said female presenters could wear medical masks instead. Regardless, Niazi said she feels trapped by the order to cover her face.