The governor of Dagestan has temporarily banned the niqab, a headscarf worn by Muslim women that covers the entire face except for the eyes and is typically paired with a long dress. According to Samupto, this restriction will remain in place "until identified threats are mitigated and a new theological opinion is secured."
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The basis for this decision was an appeal by the Ministry of National Policy and Religious Affairs, which, according to Samupto, cites existing threats to the safety of the population of Dagestan. Before the ban was announced, it was reported that the Mufti's fatwas (religious rulings) department did not find sufficient evidence to support a blanket ban on the niqab but allowed local bans due to "external factors."
Based on the BBC Russian service, discussions on this topic in Russia intensified after the terrorist attack in Dagestan. On June 23, several gunmen attacked churches and synagogues in Makhachkala and Derbent. As a result of the attack, 22 people were killed, 17 of whom were law enforcement officers. Information spread through anonymous Telegram channels suggested that one of the killed terrorists had a niqab with him and intended to use it while escaping after the attack.
The head of Dagestan also opposed wearing the niqab. According to Sergey Melikov, these garments are dangerous because men can hide behind them, and women can carry forbidden items. The head of the Russian Investigative Committee, Alexander Bastrykin, supports banning the niqab. "I agree with you; we need to ban all of this immediately," Bastrykin told a speaker at a legal forum in St. Petersburg. He previously stated that some Central Asian countries have banned the niqab, leading migrants to move to Russia and wear it there. Additionally, Bastrykin said that the attacks in Dagestan were committed by "Islamists, terrorists."
"They even managed to bring the flag of Islamic terror into our territory. Therefore, the State Duma should immediately respond to this event," Bastrykin said. The head of Chechnya, Ramzan Kadyrov, responded by urging caution in equating "Islamist" with "terrorist." As Kadyrov says, "Muslims have not committed terrorist acts and are not committing them."
Wearing the niqab is banned by law in more than a dozen countries, including France, Belgium, and Denmark.
