Alwaght- The Russian government says it doesn’t not have a unified position on wearing Islamic headscarves also known as Hijab in Russian schools and that the decision lies with regional governments.
Kremlin doesn’t not have a unified position on wearing Islamic headscarves in Russian schools, Russian Presidential Spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Friday.
Earlier in the day, the parliament in Russia’s North Caucasus republic of Chechnya passed amendments to the local law allowing students to wear clothes or symbolics in line with their faith, including hijabs.
"The Kremlin doesn’t have any joint stance in this case," Peskov told reporters. He noted that this issue has been discussed in many countries and there is no talk about a "standard approach" to this issue. "These issues are regulated in various countries in different ways," Peskov added.
Peskov noted that Russia is a multi-ethnic and multi-religious country, which is also a secular state under the Constitution. The issue on wearing hijabs at schools should be decided at the federal level, or it may be within the competence of regional authorities.
Half of Russians think there should not be any ban on wearing hijabs at schools, a poll conducted by the Russian Public Opinion Research Center (VTsIOM) showed on Jan. 31.
"One in two respondents (50 percent) back lifting the ban on wearing hijabs so that children from Muslim families could study calmly," the pollster said.
Some 37 percent of Russians strongly oppose the proposal, saying it is impossible to lift the ban on hijabs. The figure among followers of Islam who said so stands at 36 percent, the survey showed.
Sociologists say Russians have become more tolerant to the manifestations of religious affiliation at schools. "
