An asylum seeker in the U.K. successfully fought off deportation by arguing that he would be forced to shave off his beard if returned to his home country of Tajikistan.
The country’s Home Office attempted to deport the unidentified man, but an asylum court ruled that he is likely entitled to international protection because of his beard, according to the Telegraph. For years, Tajikistan’s government has enforced an unofficial no-beard policy for men in an ongoing campaign to prevent citizens from becoming radicalized and joining Islamic extremist organizations.
After his claim of persecution was initially dismissed, the man appealed on the basis that the first-tier tribunal did not adequately assess whether he would shave his beard because of “social pressures” or because of a legitimate fear of persecution, according to court documents obtained by the Telegraph. The Tajik asylum seeker claimed repatriation would leave him with “no option” but to shave his face, or else be jailed, tortured and have his facial hair forcibly removed.
“We find that this represents inadequate and incomplete reasoning in relation to the key issue of why the [Tajik man] is willing to shave his beard on return to Tajikistan,” Parminder Saini, the Deputy Judge of the Upper Tribunal, reportedly stated about the case. “If he wears a beard out of religious conviction but will conform for reasons of securing his safety, he may be entitled to international protection.”
“If, however, he would conform because of social or other pressures, or simply because wearing a beard is not an act of faith for him, and not because of the risk of persecution, then he may not be a refugee,” Saini continued.
Afraid of following the paths of other Muslim-majority countries like Afghanistan, the Tajik government has waged an “anti-radicalization” campaign that has consisted of forcibly shaving the beards of hundreds of thousands of men in recent years, according to the BBC. Men have described instances where they have been ripped off the streets by law enforcement and taken to police stations or barber shops to trim their faces.
The strict grooming policies also affect women, according to the BBC. Police in the country have closed shops where hijabs are sold and successfully encourage women to stop wearing them in public.
The U.S. recently cracked down on Tajiks with extremist connections or allegedly plotting terrorist attacks against the country.
In May, Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents arrested a Tajikistan-born Russian national in the Philadelphia area who entered the U.S. unlawfully and suspected of having ties to Al-Qaida. In June 2024, eight Tajik nationals suspected of ISIS ties were arrested during a nationwide sting operation that spanned several major American cities.
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