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With the beginning of the new academic year, scandals erupted again in some educational institutions. All the fuss is because of the uniforms of the students. This is not about a single school uniform, but about the strict clothing of Muslim women - the hijab.

The other day, two classmates in Kokshetau were not allowed to attend the first lesson. The director demanded that the girls take off their headscarves. To which the father of schoolgirls reacted very aggressively.

Freshman Lolita Tashukhadzhiyeva is being threatened with expulsion from the Polytechnic College in Astana if she does not stop wearing the hijab.

Similar situations happened in the last academic year. They don't come up very often, but they do happen. And all because teachers often do not want to make a fuss, but among them there are still those who do not intend to deviate from the established rules. They say that God's law is sacred, but they won't let you ignore the school charter.

By the way, Kazakh legislators have repeatedly expressed their opinion about hijabs. Someone was categorically against wearing a hijab in educational institutions and demanded to ban them, while others argued that this is the right of everyone to choose. But they did not come to a unified decision. And nothing has changed.

Correspondents of Total.kz asked the deputies what is the fate of hijabs in Kazakhstani educational institutions and whether this issue is on the agenda of parliamentarians in the new session.

Ahmed Muradov, Deputy of the Majilis of the Parliament of the Republic of Kazakhstan:

In Kazakhstan, 80% of Muslims, and they choose to wear what is allowed by their faith. And the hijab is an Arab attire, the original Kazakhs never wore it. The appearance in Kazakhstan of a special regulation or law prohibiting wearing them in public places is wrong. Each school has the right to make its own decision regarding the appearance of students. I think that a short skirt on schoolgirls is worse than a hijab. There is no need to make any disputes and problems around religion, and especially hijabs. First of all, the hijab covers the girl's head. But still, the main thing is not the appearance, but what is in this head. We have a democratic country, if you want - wear it, but do not violate the accepted norms.

Zhambyl Akhmetbekov, Deputy of the Mazhilis of the Parliament of the Republic of Kazakhstan:

The topic of hijabs in Kazakhstan has been raised more than once, and it must be approached with a clear understanding that Kazakhstan is not a country with an Islamic orientation. And we should not adopt the experience of those countries that allow the wearing of hijabs in schools. In our country, there is a single school uniform designed for everyone - believers, atheists, blacks and whites. Deeply believing parents should understand that their children do not go to school alone, besides them there are many other children who, unlike them, observe generally accepted norms. Those parents should follow all the rules. In Kazakhstan, there is no written document prohibiting or allowing the wearing of hijabs. And I think that we will not need it, since we are a secular state.

Kamal Burkhanov, Deputy of the Majilis of the Parliament of the Republic of Kazakhstan:

A school is a school, and the uniform is now universal, and I welcome this, as it disciplines. I am against wearing hijabs or wearing clothes indiscriminately. If there are any discussions around this in society and legislative formalization is in demand, it will be possible to discuss the issue in Parliament. It seems to me that now there is no such need. It's not that much of a problem.

Svetlana Romanovskaya, Member of the Committee on Legislation and Judicial and Legal Reform of the Majilis of the Parliament of the Republic of Kazakhstan:

There is nothing like that yet, there was no talk. Such regulations have not been submitted to our Parliament. I remember my childhood, not everyone lived in abundance, someone was richer, someone was poorer. But there was a single form that adjusted to the workflow. My youngest son is in third grade. I put a lot of effort into finding a form for him. I myself have nothing to do with whether it is normal for schoolchildren to go to class in a hijab. I think there should be freedom. And if we are talking about children in the first grade, surely the initiative comes not from children, but from their parents. But we have not yet considered such an issue, no one has raised it, and this moment is not fixed anywhere in law. And according to the law, everything that is not forbidden is allowed.

Vladimir Bobrov, Deputy of the Senate of the Parliament of the Republic of Kazakhstan:

I cannot comment on the actions of the leaders of educational institutions, because each case is individual, but, in principle, secular rules cannot be violated. According to the Constitution, our state is secular, and secular norms must be respected by representatives of all religions: Christianity, Islam, Judaism.

Galina Baimakhanova, Deputy of the Majilis of the Parliament of the Republic of Kazakhstan:

The school is a secular institution, and secular rules must be observed within its walls, including dress code. You can’t send a child, for example, half-naked. But there are religious educational institutions - there, please, you can demonstrate your religious affiliation. If the parents are so deeply religious, let them send the child to a madrasah. In addition, wearing hijabs is a kind of advertising of religious affiliation among children who do not yet understand the intricacies of religion. The child must determine his own views on faith in his life, but not be subjected to such indirect influence. I also want to note that clothing is the outer side. And the one who persists in wearing certain things believes in these symbols - he has a shallow faith. These are people who, as a rule, have not found their place in this life and are focused on details.

The vast majority of our compatriots (74%) answered “no” to the question of the Levada Center: “Is it permissible to attend classes in educational institutions in a hijab?” Regions.ru reports.

36% "rather disapprove" and 38% "definitely disapprove" of it. Only 18% do not consider it necessary to forbid Muslim girls to come to school in this form, and every fifth (9%) has no opinion on this matter.

Muscovites are the sharpest against hijabs in educational institutions: 91% of the capital's residents spoke out against it. In addition, more often than the average “against” are older people.

Note that the hijab is not a veil that covers the face, but a scarf that covers the hair. We also recall that until about the beginning of the 1960s. all women in Europe and Russia wore a headdress (hat or scarf) in public: this was required by the norms of decency. True, now this norm has been forgotten: even churched Orthodox women most often cover their heads only in church.

“What, in your opinion, explains such a resolute rejection of Muslim clothing in educational institutions? Would you allow schoolgirls to walk around in headscarves if it depended on you? - with such questions, the Regions.ru correspondent turned to the clergy.

“We are talking mainly about higher educational institutions, because it is possible to imagine a separate Islamic, Orthodox, Jewish school, and there are such in the same Moscow. A certain form of clothing is adopted there, they just wear headdresses, and this does not raise any questions. Higher education was formed within the framework of a rigid confessional orientation. Basically, these were universities under the Church, the main subject at the universities was theology. They were Christian oriented. Therefore, the collision is as follows: two powerful traditions collide - the creators of the higher education system and another confessional orientation. It seems to me that it is precisely with an understanding of this that it is necessary to formulate principles: higher education is now secular, they are admitted to universities not on a confessional basis, but the historical tradition belongs to the Christian denomination. Of course, in Iran or somewhere else it will be different, but in Russia and Europe it is exactly the same. It is necessary to comply with already established secular norms. It is clear that we Orthodox also want women to wear headscarves, and not only in church, but we do not demand this. So, there is no need to demand that others do so either. Moreover, the hijab is not just a scarf, but an element of clothing that identifies confessional affiliation,” the priest said.

“As for schools, there is a regional criterion. It is clear that in our Ryazan region, as in the entire central part of Russia, where the Orthodox community dominates, there must be principles of tolerance and mutual respect for our traditions. As well as if we come to Tatarstan, we must respect local traditions. They have the right and opportunity to wear headscarves, and Orthodox icons in public places will be out of place. On the whole, the problem of wearing headscarves is more far-fetched, it has been going on since the times of the USSR, since the Ministry of Education acts in the Soviet way, suppressing all confessions except atheism,” concluded Fr. Sergius.

Archpriest Andrey Spiridonov, cleric of the churches of the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Petrovsky Park and St. Mitrofan of Voronezh on Khutorskaya in Moscow, noted that “hijab is still not just a scarf, but precisely a piece of clothing that looks to our contemporaries declarative in relation to a certain religious affiliation ".

“Moreover, Islam is viewed by many of our secular compatriots precisely as something aggressive or even associated with terrorist intentions. Indeed, this is not always directly related to Islam in its purest form, and we know the varieties of Islamic sectarian culture. Often this is not a neutral designation of religious affiliation, but rather aggressive. Although a headscarf, everyone has the right to wear a hijab in a public place. So there's a contradiction here. On the one hand, the feeling of an outgoing threat, and on the other hand, a certain general dress code that requires everyone to be the same, and this is also coercion. We do not have a single ideological unity, an understanding of what is the norm of clothing and behavior in modern secular society. We do not have a common denominator, an absolute requirement, who should be dressed how, that is why there are such contradictions, disagreements and fears,” the priest emphasized.

Archpriest Mikhail Dudko, editor-in-chief of the Pravoslavnaya Moskva newspaper, said that he personally sees nothing wrong with people following their religious clothing preferences.

“In some European countries, the wearing of hijabs in educational institutions is prohibited, in others it is not. I think the protest of Muscovites and other Russians is caused, first of all, by the fact that people perceive them not just as religious clothes, but as a demonstration of the desire of visitors to establish their own rules in our country. If these religious innovations in clothing and behavior are based precisely on the desire to bring something new, or are caused by a protest against what already exists, it seems to me that hijabs should not be worn. The consequences of all this may be undesirable. If this is a religious institution, I am not against it, although there should be moderation here too, because in this way one can reach the point of wearing a burqa. It is interesting, however, what caused the sudden desire to wear hijabs in educational institutions? Previously, in Soviet times, this was not the case in the Muslim republics, which means that now this is a clear innovation even for the parents of girls who go to school like this. It seems to me that more research is needed on the reasons why they began to wear such clothes. Let sociologists, historians, and other specialists work, and then it will be possible to make a decision,” Fr. Michael.

Archpriest Alexander Ilyashenko, rector of the Church of the All-Merciful Savior of the former Sorrowful Monastery on Novoslobodskaya, believes that "such a formulation of the question is not caused by serious life circumstances or contradictions - it is rather of some kind of provocative nature."

“In almost any religious tradition, little girls and girls of school age are not required to cover their heads outside the temple. Therefore, the problem, in my opinion, is far-fetched. This is the case when attention is focused on something in order not to solve the problem, but to create it. I don't think that people gave such answers in the light of recent events: the Levada Center prepares surveys in advance, this is a serious organization. And this survey was most likely prepared before the ISIS-related tragedies occurred. Yes, and the appearance of ISIS itself, in fact, was provoked - they showed unjustified aggression against Muslim countries, and received such a reaction. Do not show aggression, and there will be no reaction,” he concluded.

Archpriest Alexy Kulberg, rector of the Big Chrysostom Church in Yekaterinburg, head of the Department of Religious Education and Catechesis of the Yekaterinburg diocese, said that when he was at school, girls sometimes wore headscarves - for example, when they wanted to hide a bad haircut, or after head lice.

“But there is still a difference between a headscarf and a hijab. Now the hijab is associated, first of all, with the acts that the Muslim Brotherhood, ISIS, terrorists, and so on "glorified" themselves. Please note: on leaflets hung in public places, a potential terrorist is represented as a man in a hijab. And there are more such leaflets in metropolitan cities than in provincial ones. As a result, our compatriots have an association: the hijab is a terrorist. Unfortunately not unfounded. Hence the negative attitude towards wearing the hijab. As a human being, I would like to respect the traditions of representatives of various confessions and religious groups, but I am afraid that after the permission to wear hijabs, the question of the legalization of polygamy and the possibility of wearing Buddhist religious attire will arise. I think that non-traditional religious associations that want to wear their non-traditional religious clothes will also "pull up". Therefore, it is better to wear secular clothes. So there will be fewer reasons for provocations and loosening the foundations of our educational institutions,” the priest believes.

Priest Andrey Mikhalev, rector of the Holy Trinity Church in the city of Orel, head of the diocesan department for interaction between the Church and society, head of the commission of the Oryol Metropolis on family issues, noted that there is nothing wrong if a woman covers her head as a sign of humility.

“But the reaction of Muscovites, and other Russians, is understandable to me: we are representatives of a different culture, and for many, the demonstration of a different tradition causes rejection. There is a clash of two cultures. In addition, many, without understanding, put an equal sign between traditional and radical Islam. And the latest developments are causing concern for many people. Hijabs are also associated with radical Islam. To avoid conflicts, it is probably better for Muslim women wearing hijabs to study in specialized classes or in a religious school. I think we need to find a compromise. You should not go to conflict in order to win the right to walk in a headscarf. In addition, many Muslims are rich people, and it will not be difficult for them to open an Islamic school. There are Orthodox schools - well, let them be Islamic. It is not difficult to find a solution that would suit everyone, if there is a desire,” concluded Fr. Andrey.

Priest Dimitri Lin, cleric of the Church of St. Nicholas on the Three Mountains, said that it was difficult for him to judge why people were so categorically opposed to wearing hijabs, but expressed his point of view.

“Schools impose certain requirements on the student. They discipline him and put an equal sign between all students, regardless of their nationality, religion or income level of their parents. It seems to me that this is a very important principle that has always been declared at school. Whoever you are - the son of a wealthy merchant, an aristocrat (unless, of course, their children attended classes on an equal basis with everyone), or from a simple family, you still must observe a certain form of clothing. I advocate that this principle be observed at school, and children would not compete in who has more expensive or fashionable clothes - this greatly destroys the child's psyche and leads to unhealthy relationships in the children's team. I think the same principle should be kept in mind when it comes to hijabs. Some norms are needed, for example, a school uniform that all children must wear. Therefore, wearing hijabs, in my opinion, is undesirable at school,” he continued.

“Often people who come out with extremely liberal or anti-church positions say: “Then you don’t need to wear crosses either.” Yes, if a child wears a cross as an ornament, demonstrating it, this is also wrong. The pectoral cross must be hidden under clothing. Nevertheless, it is still impossible to compare the Christian cross with clothing if it noticeably changes the appearance of the person wearing it. But small insignia that do not stand out from the general form adopted in educational institutions are quite acceptable. In no case should Muslim paraphernalia be banned, but still the hijab is something else. This is not just a symbol of belonging to a religion, it carries a certain semantic load. I think this is, first of all, a kind of infringement and demonstration of the secondary role of a woman in society, a sign of her obedience to her husband, God ... And the hijab contrasts too much with the appearance of other students. I think this is what underlies the sharp rejection of hijabs in society. Not to mention the fact that many attributes of Islam are associated with modern terrorists, with ISIS - I think this also affects the mood of people who so categorically rejected the possibility of wearing hijabs, ”concluded the priest.

Priest Peter Kolomeytsev, Dean of the Faculty of Psychology of the Orthodox Institute of St. John the Theologian of the Russian Orthodox University, noted: “Probably, it’s bad when people come to the theater in jeans and sneakers, and not in suits and evening dresses. And the clothes for the temple must be put on when you go there. And at school, it seems to me, all students should dress like most people. The difference shows inequality."

“They say Muslim women should not walk differently. Why not? They are not human, are they? I was in Turkey and saw Muslim women there who go around in shorts, with piercings and tattoos - normal Muslim girls. And in the mosque they dress as their tradition requires. In general, it seems to me that there is some kind of visual propaganda from Saudi Arabia. For example, Tatar national clothes have always been traditional. But no, now the Saudis say: "Dress like you should in Saudi Arabia, but the way you dressed before is bad." It destroys structures. And it seems to me that they put on hijabs in schools to show inequality, to separate themselves from other schoolchildren, to immediately declare: "We are not like you." In general, I have a poor idea of ​​how to call a girl in a hijab to the blackboard, ask her a lesson, and even more so say that she learned it poorly. It's like calling a man in a tailcoat from the orchestra pit and starting a dialogue with him during the action on stage. Those who wear hijabs evoke the feeling of a specific religious tradition or carnival - for some," he continued.

“In general, I like the school uniform. I found the last year, when they introduced a new one, blue. I thought it was great and democratic. I really liked her. It was a good form, I don't know why it was cancelled. Now, let's wear hijabs, shall we? - I think it's wrong. I understand if, for example, a monk came to Moscow with some kind of assignment, and proudly walks down the street in his monastic clothes. But we won’t see him in the theater, and probably won’t be allowed to teach him at school either. It seems to me that we need to strive to ensure that children themselves feel both comfortable and in an equal position. It's another matter if we are talking about some closed educational institutions - and even there they don't always wear religious clothes. I know many monasteries where there are shelters for girls: the orphanage at the Pokrovsky Khotkovo Stauropegial Convent, at the Holy Trinity Stefano-Makhrishchsky Convent, in the St. Nicholas Monastery in the city of Maloyaroslavets. But the girls there are dressed normally, no one dresses them up as novices or nuns. But they really come to the temple in handkerchiefs, ”concluded the priest.

February 1st is the unofficial World Hijab Day. In some countries, including Kazakhstan, authorities are responding to hijabs by banning them from schools. Journalists from Uzbekistan, Tatarstan and Tajikistan told how they have such a restrictive campaign and how the population reacts to it.

In Kazakhstan, dozens of parents are suing school principals. They are trying to challenge the points of the internal charter of schools, as well as the point in the order of the Minister of Education of 2016 on uniform requirements for school uniforms. At the same time, the Minister for Religious Affairs and Civil Society of Kazakhstan, commenting on the refusal of some parents to remove hijabs from their children, admitted the idea that private schools for believers could be built in the country.

The Minister of Education of Russia in 2017 publicly spoke out against hijabs in educational institutions. At the same time, in Chechnya, on the contrary, a law was adopted that enshrines the right of schoolgirls to wear a hijab during their studies. The head of Chechnya, Ramzan Kadyrov, said that his daughters would not take off the hijab.

In Uzbekistan and Tajikistan, the hijab is banned in schools. In these countries, raids were carried out in public places, when women in hijabs were forced to remove it.

Using examples from their countries, journalists Hiromon Bakozoda from Tajikistan, Alsu Kurmasheva from Tatarstan, and Sirojiddin Tolibov from Uzbekistan tried to figure out how justified the fears of the authorities were and whether it was worth being afraid of the hijab in schools.

Will the ban provoke radicalism?

The main question that journalists are trying to answer during the discussion is whether the hijab ban will become a fuse for inciting radical sentiments in society?

Any bans cause a radical outburst and protest moods, - says journalist Hiromon Bakozoda. - It is necessary to be very careful in making decisions regarding prohibitions or preventive measures in the fight against certain phenomena. We need political wisdom. Our officials who make such decisions should think about this.

Her colleague Alsu Kurmasheva recalls a personal story from her school years, when a classmate in Soviet times came to school in red tights, the teacher called her parents, and the girl was forbidden to appear at school in such tights. The next day, in protest, all the girls in the class dyed their white tights red.

The ban generates only protest moods, Kurmasheva agrees.

Discrimination in exchange for security?

Sirojiddin Tolibov says that after a series of bombings in Tashkent in 1999, wearing hijabs and beards in public places was officially banned.

It was a decree of the Cabinet of Ministers of Uzbekistan. At the same time, the Uzbek Constitution does not clearly and clearly state that Uzbekistan is a secular state, as in Tajikistan, Tolibov said.

According to his observations, the current president of the country, Shavkat Mirziyoyev, is more loyal to traditional Islam, and this affects various areas. For example, mosques began to use loudspeakers again to call to prayer, which had been banned under Karimov.

Hiromon Bakozoda notes that the authorities of Tajikistan, when introducing a ban on the hijab in educational institutions, motivate their decision by the fact that even if the rights of certain groups in terms of religious freedom are infringed, this is all done for the sake of security in the country. And most of society treats prohibitive measures with understanding.

The topic of hijabs in Russian schools is again at the center of public discussion. The reason was a dispute in absentia between the Minister of Education Olga Vasilyeva and the head of Chechnya Ramzan Kadyrov. Formally, any religious attributes in clothes are prohibited in our schools, but in fact, in a number of Muslim regions, hijabs have long been legalized. Is this good or bad for Russia as a whole?

The other day, one of the courts once again forbade teachers and students to go to school in Muslim headscarves - hijabs. This time the case concerned the village of Belozerye in Mordovia.

"Handkerchiefs can also unite us - if we are a country with a strong spirit"

This is not the first such decision - in recent years, courts in various regions of the Federation have issued such bans, and they have been challenged up to the Supreme Court. This time, Minister of Education Olga Vasilyeva was asked to comment on the situation, and she supported him, saying that she did not think "that true believers try to emphasize their attitude to faith with paraphernalia." The minister, who is known as an Orthodox Christian, noted that education in Russia is “secular” and recalled a Supreme Court decision several years ago that confirmed that the hijab had no place in schools.

Vasilyeva’s words provoked Ramzan Kadyrov, who wrote that “a headscarf is not an attribute, but an important part of a Muslim woman’s clothing,” and in Russia, the Constitution “guarantees the right to choose, have and disseminate religious and other beliefs and act in accordance with them.” At the same time, Kadyrov pointed out that the issue of wearing hijabs at school was not considered by the Constitutional Court (Vassilyeva confused the Supreme and Constitutional Courts in an interview), and therefore, they say, the minister “imposes his personal conviction on millions of citizens”:

“My three daughters go to school, wear the hijab, have excellent grades. Olga Vasilyeva demands that they take off their headscarves? Girls will never do this. Am I supposed to pick them up from school and go with them to find a place where girls will be allowed to be Muslim?

I am convinced that the topic of headscarves is thrown up to divert the attention of society from the real problems of the school. Drug addiction, drunkenness, crime, the systematic encroachment of teachers on the sexual inviolability of children ... This is what should worry everyone who is at war with hijabs.

A day later, the speaker of the Chechen parliament, Magomed Daudov, announced that the republic would immediately initiate the development of a law “under which our children of different nationalities, if they so wish, will wear hijabs, and crosses, and kippahs in schools.” It is clear that we are talking about the republican level. But even here there is a problem - now at the federal level it is regulated how students should be dressed, and one of the signs of school clothes is its secular nature.

Public opinion is also against hijabs in schools - as a survey conducted a year and a half ago by the Levada Center shows, 74 percent consider hijabs unacceptable, and 18 percent are in favor - that is, the alignment roughly corresponds to the confessional.

The discussion about hijabs has been going on for years, and this time the Kremlin decided to refrain from participating in it. Dmitry Peskov only reminded that "there were different formats for approaching this topic":

“There were also judicial options, in the Stavropol Territory and Mordovia - then there were advising decisions of the Supreme Court. There are other non-judicial options. But now we would not want to become a party to this issue.”

But at the same time, Vladimir Putin's position on this topic is well known - a few years ago he spoke about hijabs at school. The last time was in the spring of 2013:

“There is nothing good in this. There are, of course, features of national republics, but what you said is not a national feature, it is a demonstration of a certain attitude towards religion... There has never been such a tradition in our country in the Muslim regions.”

At the same time, Putin recalled that even in some Muslim states (for example, the republics of the former USSR), wearing hijabs at school is prohibited by law.

In general, Putin's approach is characterized by another of his statements on this topic:

“One should always treat people's religious feelings with great respect. This should be manifested in the activities of the state, in nuances, in everything. Secondly, we have a secular state, and it is from this that we must proceed...

We have a multi-confessional state, but there are certain rules of a general secular state, our church is separated from the state .... If everyone is not equal and does not show the secularism of our state, all the rest, representatives of all other traditional religions, one way or another in the near future will feel disadvantaged."

That is, if we allow one group of citizens to stand out on religious grounds, others will soon revolt. And this is so - if you look at the European experience that we have before our eyes. There, the struggle for hijabs has long taken on a political connotation. Many predict that allowing hijabs in European schools will be the first step towards the transition of the Old World to life according to Sharia norms. But this is where the most important differences between Russia and Europe begin.

Unlike Europe, our traditional values ​​are not in decline - Christianity is not dying out, but is being revived, and other religions are not in crisis. And Muslims in our country are not newcomers, but the indigenous population of part of the country's regions. And this is a very important difference, especially if we do not follow the European path, but our own. And therefore, what is unacceptable or dangerous for Europe may well work for us.

The Muslim revival, which manifests itself, among other things, in wearing hijabs - and this is not at all a cape that covers both the figure and the entire face of a woman, leaving only her eyes open, this is just a scarf on her head - it is absolutely not dangerous for Russia if three conditions are met .

First. This is acceptable in those regions where historically Muslims live. And only if they themselves consider the hijab to be appropriate for their tradition, suitable for their children, then the local parliaments have the right to establish a version of the school uniform, including a headscarf for girls. All the fear of headscarves is not at all connected with the rejection of Islam as such. The same reaction is caused here and there by beards. If in Dagestan they are fighting against the “bearded”, it is not because they love to shave so much, but because the Wahhabist version of Islam introduced from outside in our North Caucasus is indeed often associated with an armed terrorist and separatist underground.

Second. In Russian and non-Islamic regions of Russia, Muslim women can also go to school in a hijab - but only in private, non-state schools.

Third. Russia is moving towards greater consideration of religious and national customs and way of life, not just of all the peoples inhabiting it, but, first of all, of the state-forming Russian people. This does not mean that Orthodoxy will be imposed on atheists or pagans - but our state and society will more and more correspond to the ideas of the Russian people about justice, order, dignity, work, solidarity, and the common cause. And this correspondence will be more and more noticed everywhere - at school, on city streets, on TV screens.

This is what is important - if we are a strong country, and first of all in spirit and faith, then our internal diversity will only benefit us. Our Buddhist Kalmykia and Tuva, our Muslim Dagestan and Chechnya will strengthen our common great Russia. With the full, one hundred percent, recognition by all their inhabitants of the simple fact that our secular and multinational state was created by the Russian people, without exception Orthodox, if not in form, then in essence, in content, according to their ancestors and historical memory.

So handkerchiefs can also unite us. After all, a few decades ago, the vast majority of Russian women did not leave the house with their heads uncovered, and Orthodox even now enter the temple only with their hair removed under a scarf or hat. Yes, even without headscarves - if we have common or close family, historical and moral values, then we will definitely be able to solve the issue of hijabs so that no one in our small homeland, or in Russia as a whole, feels disadvantaged.

The attention of the Muslim community these days is riveted to the situation that has developed in Turkey in connection with the abolition of the law that prohibits the hijab in educational and state institutions of the country. Currently, Turkish university teachers continue to collect signatures under a statement in support of women who are fighting for the right to observe the precepts of religion at school and at work. According to the initiators of the action, Professor Ihsan Daag and Professor Shaban Chalis, almost 3,000 signatures have been collected so far.

It is worth noting that many of those who these days participate in rallies and protests against secularists who want to keep the secular dress code for students and civil servants at all costs are not observant Muslims. People express solidarity with believers because they dream of a day when every Turkish citizen, regardless of religion, gender and social status, will be guaranteed all rights and freedoms.

As one of the signatories of the statement in defense of the hijab, atheist Atesh Nesin, said: "The citizens of Turkey should be guaranteed freedom of religion, even if we do not agree with the basic principles of the religion that someone professes."

The activity of the Turkish intelligentsia and its desire to protect the rights and freedoms of fellow citizens aroused genuine interest on the part of Russian politicians and Muslim public figures.

We asked Dengi Khalidov, adviser to the president and corresponding member of the Academy of Geopolitical Problems, head of the Center for Problems of Ethnopolitics and Islam, on this topical issue.

"I fully support the initiative of Turkish teachers who advocated the abolition of the law prohibiting the hijab in educational and state institutions of the country. This law, imposed by secularist, godless and anti-Islamic structures, is nonsense for the Republic of Turkey and must be changed. Naturally, this is opposed the so-called fourth power - the media, which is engaged in the substitution of Islamic values ​​and presents the norm as a pathology," D. Khalidov said.

He also stressed that "Turkey is already a divided society in relation to the main principles of Islam, and the opposition is trying to aggravate this situation, but it does not succeed well, since the foundations of Islam are quite strong and durable."

As a positive example, he cited the wife of the current President of Turkey, Abdullah Gul, who boldly wears a hijab and is proud of it.

"Thank God, the hijab is now becoming a symbol of the moderate and democratic Islamic movement all over the world," he added.

Denga Khalidov said: "There comes a time when people have to choose, when it is no longer possible to sit on the sidelines, as if nothing is happening. If we stand aside, the 'globalist club' will hit our families and leave no stone unturned."

When asked about possible forecasts of this situation, Denga Khalidov replied that the alignment of forces in the Turkish parliament is still unknown. The Justice and Progress Party, according to D. Khalidov, has the majority of votes and it can contribute to the amendment of the basic law, but we do not know what is happening in the General Staff, which is closely connected with the Americans."

The presidential adviser and corresponding member of the Academy of Geopolitical Problems believes that everything that happens in the Islamic world, including the solution of the issue related to the hijab, indirectly concerns the Muslims of Russia.

“While in our country, not a single law at the federal level regulates the wearing of the hijab, this is a personal matter for every Muslim woman. In the Caucasus, in particular, there is no ban on wearing a headscarf in universities and state institutions. At the same time, at some stage, the Russian authorities can initiate this law, perhaps only at the regional level.The question is that certain forces through the parliaments in the republics can push through this decision," he said. "R. Kadyrov, who advocates the revival of religious and national traditions in the minds and hearts of people".

Our second interlocutor, the manager of the affairs of the Spiritual Muslim Board of Ingushetia, an employee of the Spiritual Center of Muslims of the republic, Ruslan Meriev, expressed a neutral position on the issue of allowing or abolishing the hijab.

"Each state should have its own laws, its own rules and norms, in accordance with which people live and develop. At the same time, the norms must comply with universal human and moral principles. In the case of the hijab, as in any other case, there are pros." and "against"... As for Turkey, which at one time was one of the centers of Islam, it again fell under the influence of pro-Western forces, and the development of tourism played a significant role in this," R. Meriev believes.

“We in Ingushetia are calm about the hijab, while there is no mass agitation for the widespread wearing of a headscarf. In state educational institutions and organizations, leaders demand an appropriate female uniform that covers hair and body,” said the head of affairs of the Spiritual Muslim Board of Ingushetia.

The head of the public association of Muslim women "Muslimat" in Makhachkala (Dagestan) Khadizhat Shikhalieva stressed that the problem for Russian Muslims is not a ban or permission to wear the hijab in schools, universities and government institutions, but in the minds of young people who are not yet ready to return to primordial Islamic values, in particular, many are not yet ready to wear Muslim clothes.

Khadizhat Shikhaliyeva: “In my opinion, everything depends on the person himself, whether he wants it or not, whether he is ready for it or not. In our republic, the process of the revival of Islam is going quite smoothly, and there is no opposition from the authorities regarding the issue of wearing traditional Muslim clothing. This is especially true in the autumn-winter season.Of course, observant Muslim girls of school age have some problems during the spring-summer period.But we solve them by working with the administration of schools where it is categorically not allowed to wear a hijab, we talk about Islamic topics, we organize meetings with It is interesting that it is in schools where the hijab is strictly prohibited that observant Muslim women appear. And where there is no ban, they tend to open clothing. But as such, the problem of banning the wearing of the hijab is not in Dagestan. For example, in state institutions in they mostly go without headscarves, although there is no ban on wearing them."

The head of the press service of the Spiritual Board of Muslims of Chechnya, Sultan Khasimikov, describing the situation in the republic, noted that in Chechnya there are no problems associated with wearing a headscarf.

“Like every observant Muslim, it makes me happy when I see a hijab. In my opinion, a woman in a headscarf looks more spiritual and cleaner, while a man, of course, should treat all women with respect. they blame her for not wearing a headscarf," he told an IslamNews correspondent.

Regarding Kadyrov's speech, S. Khasimikov said that "some media outlets outside the republic misunderstood him. He did not call and did not force women to wear a headscarf, but appealed to compatriots to revive the forgotten spiritual values ​​associated with the religion and traditions of the Chechen people."

Allow or deny? To wear or not to wear? Sometimes these questions arise before us as sharply as they once faced Shakespeare's Hamlet - "to be or not to be?". Russia is in no hurry to issue laws regulating the dress code of students and officials. On the contrary, several years ago, our compatriots obtained permission to be photographed in a hijab for a passport and other documents, and now there is a tendency in society to form an adequate perception of closed clothing, including traditional Muslim clothing.

However, the problem that is relevant today for Turkish Muslim women cannot but evoke a lively response from Muslims in other parts of the world. After all, as you know, our ummah is one body, and if one part of it hurts, then it certainly responds with suffering in another. That is why Russian Muslims, who are closely watching the events taking place in Turkey, await with trepidation the decision that the parliament is to adopt one of these days. Time will tell how the confrontation between believers and secularists will end.