After multiple attacks atrocities targeting churches and synagogues killed 22 last month, Russian authorities temporarily banned women from wearing the niqab full-face veil in the predominantly Muslim North Caucasus region of Dagestan on Wednesday ( Jul 3 ).
Following a request from Russia’s government of citizenship policy and spiritual matters, the Dagestan Muftiate announced in a speech posted on the Telegram message app that it would be imposing a “temporary” embargo on the niqab.
One of the militants had planned to avoid wearing a niqab, according to reports following the attacks on Jun 23.
The restrictions would be in effect “until the identified dangers are eliminated and a fresh theological conclusion is reached,” according to the muftiate, a religious organization for Dagestani Muslims.
The Arabian Peninsula’s niqab, a mask that covers the majority of the face and body, was first introduced there in the year 1991 as a result of an Islamic revival. It gained some popularity in Dagestan as a result of the region’s restoration.
Niqabs have been a popular look in the state’s larger places, despite the fact that only a tiny minority of Dagestani women wear full-face masks.
Similar masks are prohibited by law in a number of post-Soviet places and European countries.