Afghanistan and Switzerland are two extremes of the globe in terms of stability, development, and global positioning, yet the treatment meted out to Muslim women reveals striking similarities. Recently, the Taliban banned windows equally on new and old buildings so that women either sitting or standing inside the residential area could not be observed by the public. Switzerland followed suit, outlawing Muslim women from donning the Nikaab (facial covering) in public and imposing fines of up to 1,000 Swiss francs on those who violated the law.
Ironically, Afghanistan’s edict professes to preserve women’s modesty by imposing limits, but in Switzerland, a comparable ordinance seeks to liberate women by protecting their independence. However, both cases undermine Muslim women’s freedom of choice and autonomy over their bodies and make it an agenda of political debates and cultural battles.
Contextual background
No sooner than the Taliban came back to power in 2021, it started to change regulations influencing the civil and political code, especially concerning women. From education and employment to public service and access to justice, Hibatullah Akhundzada’s new government enforced strict and regressive rules on women. It shuttered female-run educational institutes, forbade women from enrolling in colleges, restricted girls from receiving secondary education, and insisted on strict dress codes for instructors and female students.
While Afghanistan’s regulations are founded on patriarchal religious interpretations, Switzerland’s restriction is motivated by a secular desire for integration; both reveal a common tendency to politicise women’s bodies and limit their autonomy under varied ideological guises.
In addition, women have been barred from working in the non-governmental sector. Restraints have been put on NGOs and international organisations, hence severely restricting their capacity to employ women and so prohibiting women from occupying advocacy roles. More so, at the end of the year 2024, the Taliban used another repressive measure to curb women’s freedom by banning windows on both new and existing residential structures to guarantee women within are not seen by outsiders. The government spokesman, Zabihullah Mujahid, posted the four-clause decree on X (a social media platform formerly Twitter). The edict requires that new constructions not have windows overlooking courtyards, kitchens, or wells—spaces customarily utilised by Afghan women. Existing windows with such views must be covered to avoid “nuisances caused to neighbours.”
This ruling emphasises the Taliban’s deliberate attempt to remove women from both public and private spheres, thus keeping them subordinate to men. The Taliban is using an extremist interpretation of Islam in Afghanistan to control Muslim women and therefore rolling back all the progressive work that has been done to date. Similarly, so-called progressive countries are imposing dictates on Muslim women and using the state to subjugate and suppress their voices. The case in point is Switzerland, where voters in 2021 narrowly passed a ban on facial coverings including religious veils like niqabs and burqas and ski masks and bandannas. The right-wing Swiss People’s Party had been pushing for this for some time, and in 2022, an overwhelming 151 votes to 29 in Parliament formalised the decision. The ban came into effect on January 1 2025. Any infraction after that will result in a fine of up to 1,000 Swiss francs. Aircraft, diplomatic and consular facilities, houses of worship, and other sacred sites are excluded from this directive. It is also allowed to disguise one’s face for health and safety, local tradition, climate, art, entertainment, and commercial purposes.
Critics of the law argue that it unfairly targets Muslim women by portraying their apparel as a symbol of oppression while denying them any say in the issue, as in France and Belgium. Opponents argue that the law stimulates the debate over religious liberty, personal rights, and integration, as well as intolerance and sectarianism directed against Muslim populations. While Afghanistan’s regulations are founded on patriarchal religious interpretations, Switzerland’s restriction is motivated by a secular desire for integration; both reveal a common tendency to politicise women’s bodies and limit their autonomy under varied ideological guises.
The common denominator: Muslim women as victims
Two separate but related aspects of gender politics are Switzerland’s ban on face veils and Afghanistan’s tyrannical policies against women. Time and again, measures directed at women systematically ignore the voices and choices of the women they affect, exposing the broader ideological struggles over women’s rights, autonomy, and societal roles. Though these laws in both countries profess to empower or free women, they impose restrictions that impair personal freedom and agency.
Under patriarchal values, women in Afghanistan are limited to submissive roles under the cover of protection but ultimately support male authority. Because their identities are sometimes reduced to symbols of family honour or societal morality, Afghan women’s points of view are mostly absent, and little space exists for their agency to be acknowledged. The Taliban’s radical interpretation of Islam, which mixes state authority with severe patriarchal norms to systematically marginalise women, further tightens these prohibitions.
At the same time, Switzerland’s prohibition on facial coverings, which is supposedly for the sake of public cohesion and safety, betrays a narrow view of modernism that disregards the freedom of Muslim women who prefer to wear the niqab. Under the cover of inclusiveness, this law sacrifices religious freedom and personal liberty, therefore silencing the voices of the people it is supposed to defend. Here, secularism shows up as a rejection of religious expression leading to legislation marginalising Muslim women under the pretext of integration. Both incidents draw attention to a sad reality: across many political and cultural environments, women’s bodies and choices remain battlefields for political and ideological goals. Whether they represent protectors of honour in ancient civilisations or modernism in secular governments, stories put upon women restrict their agency.
Broader themes
Across the globe, control over women’s autonomy includes healthcare, reproductive rights, cultural standards, and historical legacies, resulting in ubiquitous barriers that limit their freedom. Coercion within personal relationships, along with restrictive legislation that undermines women’s rights, severely limits reproductive choices and exacerbates mental health issues. These challenges are further compounded by intersectional factors such as ethnicity, gender, and class, which magnify inequities, especially during crises when access to care becomes difficult. Cultural norms, such as rigid beauty standards, reflect a dual reality: they can empower women in some contexts but also impose limitations that constrain their autonomy.
At the same time, patriarchal systems perpetuate inequality by restricting women’s rights, denying them access to resources, and reinforcing male dominance. This dynamic entrenches women in subordinate roles, both within the household and in society at large. One of the clearest examples of this control is the way women’s appearance is regulated, especially regarding the hijab, which highlights the deep intersection of social, political, and cultural efforts to constrain women. In countries like Iran, the hijab is mandated by law, reflecting state control over women’s bodies and stripping them of bodily autonomy. This compulsory dress code has sparked resistance, with women demanding the right to choose how they dress, asserting their autonomy in the face of authoritarianism.
Perspectives on the hijab among Muslim women vary widely. ‘The hijab is my choice, and I decide to wear it with conviction. It helps me to establish who I am. Free from social pressure and limited beauty standards. For me, it’s about expressing my beliefs and seizing ownership of my identity—not about persecution,’ says Hafsa Sayeed, a Muslim woman and hijab wearer. Many Muslim women see the hijab as more than simply a religious symbol; it’s also a way to combat sexual objectification and assert their identity in a predominantly non-Muslim environment.
‘The hijab is not just about modesty; it’s about control over my own body. It protects me from the objectification that women often face and helps me focus on what truly matters—my mind, my character, my faith,’ says Fatima Mir, an undergraduate student. As Muslim women who opt to wear the hijab encounter discrimination and scrutiny in Western cultures, it frequently becomes an issue of contention. By portraying the hijab as a symbol of oppression, which questions their claim to personal freedom, society’s attitudes may reduce the same freedom that democratic countries assert to safeguard. From one angle or another, the hijab highlights the conflict between personal decision and societal assessment by symbolising both freedom and subordination.
Furthermore, how women with hijabs are portrayed in the media usually supports unfavourable preconceptions by showing them as either oppressed or obedient. These representations influence public perceptions and shape policy debates on issues like immigration, integration, and cultural identity. Such narratives go beyond individual experiences, contributing to broader societal ideas about gender, religion, and personal freedom.
Policies meant to empower women sometimes ignore their liberty, therefore limiting their options to political symbolism. Whether based on secularism or patriarchy, these acts draw attention to the continuous neglect to interact with the voices and lived experiences of women. Real empowerment comes from letting women create their own identities free from the restrictions of ideological agendas and honouring their autonomy.
