Dagestan's niqab ban sparks controversy after deadly attacks

Dagestan still feels the effects of the June attacks, which resulted in dozens of deaths. On Wednesday (July 3), a ban on wearing the niqab, a Muslim head covering for women, was introduced. This is surprising given that followers of Islam predominantly inhabit the area.

On Sunday, June 23, a series of terrorist attacks occurred in Dagestan, targeting churches and synagogues. As a result of the shootout with the police, 22 people died, and it was established that the organization responsible was Wilayate Caucasus, the local branch of the Islamic State in the North Caucasus.

The attack poses a significant image problem for local authorities, damaging the Kremlin's vision of "Russian interfaith, interreligious, and interethnic unity." Therefore, immediately after the attack on Monday, local authorities announced the creation of a ban on Muslim women wearing the niqab.

Despite some opposition from followers of this religion, the ban officially came into force on Wednesday, July 3.

The mufti, referring to the appeal of the Ministry of National Policy and Religious Affairs, which informed about the existing threat to the republic's population and based on the competent conclusion issued yesterday by the fatwa department, announced a temporary ban on wearing the niqab until the identified threats are eliminated and a new theological conclusion is reached – stated in a statement cited by the portal Meduza.io.

The Chief Mufti of Dagestan, Ahmed Abdulayev, advised men who do not want their wives' faces publicly visible to "leave them at home" (sic!). Interestingly, the custom of wearing niqabs is a foreign influence; traditionally, in the Caucasus, Muslim women wore a scarf that covered only their hair and neck.

After a thorough analysis of sharia texts in the four madhabs, the fatwa department does not see sufficient grounds to make a universal decision to ban niqabs. It is worth noting that in certain situations for security reasons, a local ban on wearing the niqab may be introduced, as society's safety is paramount in Islam - could be read on the Telegram channel.

Russian propaganda tries to present ethnic and religious tensions as "Western" problems that Russians do not have to deal with, but that is not true. Racism against residents of the Asian part of Russia flourishes in the army. In Dagestan and Chechnya, religious tensions and attacks have been occurring for years, one of the most recent and prominent examples being the anti-Semitic storming of the airport in Makhachkala.

The attack of Islamic terrorists on the Crocus City Hall concert hall in Krasnogorsk near Moscow overshadowed all minor incidents. In the bloodiest attack in Russia in 20 years, over 140 people died, and more than 550 were injured. The Afghan branch of ISIS claimed responsibility for the attack, but the Kremlin insists that Islamists could not have attacked because Russia is "a unique example of interfaith, interreligious, and interethnic unity."