While the Taliban's takeover of Afghanistan has seen surprisingly many changes, the world has also been shocked by the wearing of the burqa by a female CNN reporter. CNN reporter Clarissa Ward, 40, arrived after the US withdrawal to cover the situation in Afghanistan and has been seen reporting for the past several days.
CNN's @clarissaward reports on what Afghanistan looks like as the Taliban take over.https://t.co/pJuaHC3iBC pic.twitter.com/zx9shFE8Lj
— New Day (@NewDay) August 16, 2021
Clarissa Warid also gave interviews to some Taliban officials, including the Taliban's advance in Afghanistan, but after August 15, people were surprised to see her on TV in a burqa. After the Taliban took over the presidential palace, Clarissa Warid was seen wearing a black burqa not only during special reports but also during live reporting.
This meme is inaccurate. The top photo is inside a private compound. The bottom is on the streets of Taliban held Kabul. I always wore a head scarf on the street in Kabul previously, though not w/ hair fully covered and abbaya. So there is a difference but not quite this stark. pic.twitter.com/BmIRFFSdSE
— Clarissa Ward (@clarissaward) August 16, 2021
During the reporting, the female reporter spoke not only to ordinary people but also to some Taliban officials and asked them about the future protection and education of women. After the photos in the burqa went viral, Clarissa Warid shared two photos of herself in a tweet, expressing her frustration at being made memes by sharing the photo with the burqa with her other photos.
On the streets of Kabul today- feel we are witnessing history pic.twitter.com/wcVKzbT6oJ
— Clarissa Ward (@clarissaward) August 16, 2021
The female reporter shared her two photos and clarified that the one in which she is not wearing a burqa is a picture taken in a private compound while the one in which she can be seen in a burqa is a picture taken on the streets of Kabul. She also expressed frustration over the comparison of the two images and the making of memes on them, adding that she had been covering up in the past.
Please watch our story from FOB Andar in Ghazni Province. Once a US base, now under the control of the Taliban. What it means for America’s legacy and Afghanistan’s future https://t.co/KiG5ztG6c8
— Clarissa Ward (@clarissaward) August 13, 2021
She tweeted that she used to wear the niqab in the past but now she is wearing the abaya in full veil but it is wrong to say that I wore the burqa for the first time. Clarissa Ward has also served in other Western broadcasters before CNN, and she has extensive access to reporting on war and violence.