Dagestan to impose temporary ban on niqabs

The restriction will remain in place until the "eradication of revealed threats and a new theological conclusion."

Yesterday, the media reported that the republic did not find sufficient grounds for a total ban on niqabs, citing the Fatwa Department of the Muftiate of Dagestan (a fatwa is a legal ruling on a point of Islamic law, Sharia). However, today, July 3, the Muftiate claimed that journalists had misinterpreted the information.

On June 29, at the International Youth Legal Forum in Saint Petersburg, Alexander Bastrykin, the head of the Investigative Committee, called for an "urgent" ban on niqabs in Russia. In response, Ramzan Kadyrov advised to be "extremely cautious" when making such statements.

The discussion on the niqab ban stemmed from the terrorist attacks in Makhachkala and Derbent, in the Republic of Dagestan, on the evening of June 23. Several men attacked churches, synagogues, and a traffic police post, resulting in 20 fatalities. Fifteen of the deceased were police officers and members of Rosgvardiya.

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