American journalist Clarissa Ward who is reporting from Kabul, Afghanistan for CNN has become such a popular figure in the last few hours that Wikipedia had to modify her page a few hours ago. Her image, standing with the Taliban army has gone viral and so has the meme that shows her wearing a burqa while reporting yesterday. Something that she never did before.
According to reports, the meme originated from the social media account of right-wing conspiracy theorist Jack Posobiec depicting Clarissa Ward with and without a burqa, just a day apart. His post was retweeted by US senator Ted Cruz and soon, it spread over the internet like wildfire.
During her broadcast report, Clarissa admitted to having dressed differently than before like most Afghan women that can be seen on the road now.
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
On Monday, August 16, Clarissa Ward was forced to react to the viral meme with a clarification.
She wrote on her Twitter account, "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."
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
However, in the news clipping, she can be heard saying, "... I am dressed in a very different way than how I would have dressed on a normal day to walk down the streets of Kabul."
Several international news agencies have raised the concern of burqas in their story in the last few days hinting at an increase in the sale of burqas since the Taliban's comeback in Kabul. The whole incident has brought forth an old Reuters report from 2009, where Afghani women from Herat were quoted bidding goodbye to the powder blue burqas and opting for a more breathable attire.
"Yusefy has sold the powder blue garb, which covers women from head to foot, for the past ten years. It was mandatory attire for women during the austere rule of the Islamist Taliban..." said the Reuters report. It further quoted Yusefy who never demanded that his wife and two daughters wear a burqa, "I hope, God willing, that things in Afghanistan will progress more, that people will be more open-minded and more sensible, so that a woman, a sister, a mother, can go about the market freely."
