as well as endorsing the enforced wearing of the hijab. The Afghan Centre for Human Rights calls the ban on older girls attending school a "systematic and targeted violation" of their right to ...

Young, urban women in Afghanistan are increasingly ditching the all-enveloping blue burqa with a face mesh that has become a ...

But the abaya and hijab headscarf combination grew in popularity during the time of the foreign-backed government. When the ...

Many prefer a flowing abaya robe, worn with a hijab headscarf and often a face covering as well -- sometimes a medical mask, or a Saudi-style cloth niqab veil that exposes only the eyes.

But the abaya and hijab headscarf combination grew in popularity ... They have gradually erased Afghan women from public space, imposing what the United Nations has called a "gender apartheid".