COUNCIL OF MUFTIS CONSIDERS RUSSIAN SUPREME COURT DECISION ON HIJABS TO BE POLITICAL
Interfax-Religiia, 12 February 2015
The Council of Muftis of Russia criticized the decision of the Supreme Court of the RF on the issue of wearing religious clothing.
"Now the topic of scarves has been politicized and therefore the court's decision is political and not judicial; this is how the Council of Muftis of Russia perceives the situation," the website of the muftiate reports.
On Wednesday the Supreme Court ruled as legal requirements on the appearance of schoolchildren that were approved by the government of Mordovia and that prohibit the wearing in educational institutions of the region of religious clothing and head coverings, including hijabs. Thereby the appeal of the Muslim community of Mordovia was rejected and the decision of the republic's Supreme Court took legal effect.
Concern with regard to the situation in Mordovia was expressed by the head of the Council of Muftis, Ravil Gainutdin, who sent to President Vladimir Putin a request to protect the right of Muslim girls to wear hijabs in educational organizations.
The head of the synod's Department for Relations of Church and Society, Archpriest Vsevolod Chaplin, commenting on the topic of hijabs, told Interfax-Religiia that "the discussion about clothing of religious significance is not closed. Moreover, it now can begin with new force." He emphasized that worldviews in Russia are equal, including secular and religious worldviews, and the requirement that believers not wear religious clothing "is just as strange as, for example, the hypothetical requirement by believers that secular clothing also not be worn."
On his part, Minister of Education Dmitry Livanov told journalists that "today on the federal level a rule is in effect prescribing how children should be dressed in school," and one of these rules says that school clothing "should be secular."
In July 2013 the Supreme Court ruled as legal a decision of a court confirming a ban on wearing hijabs in general education schools of Stavropol territory.
In April 2013 the topic of wearing hijabs in schools was raised during a "direct line" of Russian President Vladimir Putin with citizens. At that time he declared: "There is nothing good in this. Of course, there are distinctives of the national republics, but what you are talking about is not a national distinctive but a demonstration of a certain attitude toward religion," V. Putin said, noting that "in our country there never was such a tradition in Muslim regions."
"I think that in our country we could and should go in the direction of a return to school uniforms. Such work is already underway and I consider that in the regions it will not be forgotten or abandoned, but will be actively implemented," the president concluded. (tr. by PDS, posted 12 February 2015)
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