Somali women seized over dress code

Mogadishu, Wednesday

Somalia’s al-Shabaab radicals have arrested 30 women for failing to wear the jalabeeb (a dress covering from head to toe) as repeatedly ordered by the group.

The women were apprehended on Tuesday in Mogadishu-Afgoye Corridor at the southern outskirts of the capital, where people fleeing the war have set up settlements.

The seizure of the women by armed, masked men, mainly took place at Eelasha Biyaha and Lafole settlements 18 and 25 kilometres, respectively, south of Mogadishu.

Residents in the affected areas confirmed that many women had resorted to staying indoors because they could not afford the specific fabric, or they found the clothing made of extra-heavy material uncomfortable.

Last week, al-Shabaab militants announced that samosa, a popular snack in Somalia, should neither be sold nor eaten in Afgoye district.

According to residents, the militants did not explain the reason for its prohibition, although some officials were said to be associating it with foreign religions and cultures.