Dagestan: The Dagestan province in Russia has announced a temporary ban on the wearing of niqabs, a full-face veil with an opening for the eyes, following the deadly terror attacks on Jewish and Orthodox Christian houses of worship, Politico reported.
In a statement on Telegram, a spokesperson for the muftiate — an administrative entity that announces rules regarding the republic’s Muslim majority — said that the niqab covering the face except for the eyes will be forbidden “until the identified threats are eliminated” and the religious authorities come to “a new theological conclusion.”
The temporary ban has been implemented after a series of attacks were carried out on synagogues and Orthodox churches in Dagestan’s capital Makhachkala and the city of Derbent on June 23. As many as 22 people were killed and dozens of others were injured in these attacks.
The authorities in Dagestan blamed “international terrorist organisations” behind the attack However, it did not mention the name of any group responsible for the attack, according to Politico report.
According to reports, one of the five gunmen had planned to escape from the region wearing a niqab as a disguise.
Subsequently, Dagestan’s governor, Sergei Melikov, called the niqab a ‘security risk.’
Notably, the vast majority of Dagestan is Muslim, and the region has a history of Islamic insurgency, as per the Politico report.
Prominent figures in Russia have expressed their views regarding the temporary ban on niqab in Dagestan.
After Alexander Bastrykin, head of Russia’s Investigative Committee, called for a blanket ban after the Dagestan attacks, Chechnya’s strongman ruler, Ramzan Kadyrov, warned him to be “very careful.”
“One should not confuse religions with the reckless ideas of rabid fanatics and devils who can call themselves whatever they want but have absolutely no connection to the holy scriptures,” Kadyrov said.
Earlier in June, the law enforcement authorities in Russia identified five attackers behind the violence in Derbent and Makhachkala, TASS reported.
The attacks resulted in the deaths of at least 15 police officers and four civilians, including an Orthodox priest. Some of the attackers hailed from the Sergokalinsky district, situated between Derbent and Makhachkala, and were linked to the district’s head.
Former MMA fighter Gadzhimurad Kagirov, identified as a cousin of district head Magomed Omarov, was among those involved in the violence in Derbent. Additionally, relatives of Omarov, including his son and nephew, were reported to have participated in the attacks, as reported by TASS.
The attacks in Dagestan came after a group of terrorists stormed a concert hall near Moscow in March, killing 145 people in an attack, claimed by the Islamic State .
Both attacks have highlighted the rising threat of Islamic extremism in Russia — an unwelcome distraction for President Vladimir Putin, whose attention is focused on the grinding war in Ukraine, Politico reported.
(With Inputs From Agencies)
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