In the State Duma, there was a call to legislatively prohibit the wearing of niqabs and other closed Islamic clothing in public places. This initiative was put forward by the deputy chairman of the CIS Affairs Committee, Alexander Borodai, who called this measure long overdue.
According to the deputy, such clothing causes a “sense of frustration and fear” among the majority of Russian citizens, which is associated with images of radical Islamic terrorism. He claims that this reaction is “absolutely natural” and can give rise not only to fear, but also to a reciprocal aggression.
Borodai stated that the image of a woman in a niqab is actively used by the propaganda of terrorist methods, due to which people who identify themselves with Russian culture and Orthodoxy may feel a potential threat.
The deputy made a radical proposal for the implementation of the ban: “If they want to wear this kind of clothing, let them stay at home.” Regarding migrants, in his opinion, the measures should be even stricter. “Such families should simply be expelled from the country without the possibility of re-entering,” he concluded.
This initiative brings to the discussion one of the most acute and delicate issues related to religion, public safety, and human rights in modern Russia.
