Can you wear a hijab in Russia? And if so, where – and where not?

While Muslim women in France are defending their right to wear burkinis, Iranian women have launched a campaign against obligatory headscarves under the slogan “My Stealthy Freedom.” In both cases, women are protesting: the former for the right to wear what they want and the latter, not to wear what is being imposed on them by the country’s laws.

Paradoxical as it may sound, in Russia both these campaigns could unite. According to a report by the American think-tank Pew Research Center, Russia is the only country in the world that has a religious dress code for women that at once prescribes and proscribes certain items of clothing.

Moscowites celebrate the Day of the City at Poklonnaya Gora / Source: Yuri Mashkov/TASS

Dress code for Chechen women

The Republic of Chechnya is the only Russian region where women are forced, or rather, strongly encouraged, to wear headscarves. There are no local laws that prescribe headscarves and, as far as the law is concerned, Chechen women can wear whatever they like. However, in reality for many years already this predominantly Muslim republic in the Russian North Caucasus has been enforcing a dress code for women.

“Over the past decade, Chechnya has been actively enforcing conservative norms of behavior and dress. Originally they were initiated by the local authorities but they do enjoy wide public support,” says Vladimir Sevrinovsky, a Russian expert on the Caucasus and author of a guidebook to the region’s capital Grozny.

The dress code first began to be imposed in 2006. Back then, Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov, who at the time held the post of the republic’s prime minister, publicly stated that Chechen women should not be seen with their hair not covered by a scarf. By 2008, headscarves had become a must for female civil servants, public sector employees and teachers. Furthermore, women are not allowed to enter those institutions without a In a number of controversial incidents, Chechen women whose clothes violated Islamic dress code were shot at with paintball guns in attacks carried out by activists with approval from senior Chechen officials. The activists would drive around Grozny and when they spotted young women without a headscarf on or wearing a short skirt, they fired at them with paintball guns from their car windows.

In addition, from time to time campaigns are held in Chechnya urging women to comply with Sharia norms. Early in 2016, a public organization called Iman staged an event in Chechnya under the slogan “Bend to the Creator’s will,” during which activists handed out long dresses and headscarves to female passers-by in Grozny.

That said, says Sevrinovsky, the dress code needs to be enforced only among middle-aged and older women: “Today’s girls are raised in Sharia traditions from the time they start nursery school, so in future the full hijab, which implies not only a headscarf but generally modest clothes, will become an increasingly more common thing,” he said.

…but the hijab is banned in two of Russia’s regions

A completely opposite situation has developed in two other regions of Russia, the Republic of Mordovia and the Stavropol Territory. There, hijabs are banned in schools and universities.

“In the Stavropol Territory in 2013 and in Mordovia in 2014-2015, there was controversy over headscarves in educational establishments,” says Rais Suleymanov, a Russia-based Islamic scholar. “Local school administrations demanded that girls come to schools with their heads uncovered. The girls’ parents and the local Muslim communities protested, however, local education ministry officials and courts alike sided with the view that the dress code in the region should be strictly secular.”

During the scandal in the Stavropol Territory in 2013, Russian President Vladimir Putin was shown on Russian TV channel Perviy Kanal publicly supporting a ban on hijabs.

Why Russian women embraced Islam

Despite the fact, that a majority of people in Russia belong to the Russian Orthodox Christian faith, Muslims are not considered exotic or alien in the country. Unlike European countries, where Islam was brought in by migrants, in Russia many indigenous peoples professed Islam for centuries and lived side by side with Christians. However, during the Soviet era, all religions were frowned upon. The collapse of communism led to a rapid return Today there are no reliable statistics about the number of Muslims in Russia. The latest census questionnaires don’t ask a citizen his or her religion. So, the number of Russian Muslims is usually calculated by adding members of all ethnic groups in the country, which are traditionally Muslim, like Tatars, Bashkirs and Chechens. Thus, according to the latest data, there are about 16 to 20 million “ethnic Muslims,” that is 12-15 percent of Russia’s population.

In addition, there are so-called “new Muslims,” people who were non-Muslims, or professing other faiths, and then converted to Islam. “Such cases are pretty rare, but in Russia they get more publicity, than when Muslims convert to Orthodox Christianity,” says Nikolay Silaev, a senior fellow of the Center for the Regional Security and Caucasus Studies.  Available data on the number of religious conversions in Russia is not sufficient to indicate a trend, he adds. RBTH interviewed three women chose to convert to Islam.

Valeria, 22, converted to Islam five years ago

*Valeria requested RBTH to blur her photograph

“I grew up in a Christian home and my decision to become a Muslim shocked my family. At first they thought about the worst stereotype.  They believed I would blow up buses and trolleybuses in the near future.

Nevertheless, I am very grateful to my family for respecting my choice. This especially goes for my mother, who accepted my decision in a relatively short time and even defended me among family and close friends.

After converting, I began to study Islam, and in three months I started to perform prayers (namaz). Two months later, I started wearing a hijab.

Then I met my future husband. He is an ethnic Tatar, but his family did not adhere to Islam. Living together, we have finally established ourselves in our faith.”

Ulyana, 30, converted to Islam seven years ago

“I was interested in Islam since childhood. At university I learned the basics of the religion and Arabic. I had many Muslim friends, whose behavior was completely different from what was considered ‘normal’ in my society. This is why I decided to convert to Islam. My parents and close friends were understanding of my choice, as they were expecting it.

I do not wear a headscarf, and only cover myself during prayers. At first it was also difficult to fast, but I got used to it in three years. It’s also difficult to fight the stereotypes about Islam.

Many people believe that Islam is a cruel religion. I categorically disagree with such views. All the divine teachings are created by a great amount of love.

There are a lot of stereotypes about Islam, for example, that Muslims ‘kill infidels, stab poor animals, beat their wives and do not accept non-believers.’ The reason for this attitude is ignorance. If you do not understand something or fear it, you should find out, whether those fears are realistic or not. Most fears disappear when there is increased awareness and communication with proper practitioners of the religion.”

Zeinab (Elena) 55, converted to Islam 10 years ago

“It was in the late 90s. My husband and I traveled to Egypt as tourists. It was my first visit to a Muslim country. I saw people with a completely different mentality and attitude towards life. Having plunged into this culture, I became very interested in the Arab world, and I began to study the Koran. 

When I was 40 years old, I told my husband that I wanted to convert to Islam. My husband and children understood and reacted calmly to my decision. But it did not go so smoothly with my mother. Basically, the problem was the headscarf. But the situation was resolved. Now my mother even buys me halal food.  Within four years, my eldest daughter also converted to Islam.

Shortly after embracing Islam, I realized that I changed a lot and that I wasn’t Lena anymore. I then decided to take a Muslim name.

I worked as an English and German technical translator. When I put on the hijab, my co-workers began to treat me poorly. I was fired over a trivial matter. I was very upset, but two months later, I received an offer from a competing firm, which offered a similar job with a bigger salary. I told them that I wore a headscarf, but they said it did not matter what I looked like, as they needed my expertise.

I want to change society’s attitude to Islam by setting an example. People don’t want to listen to a long speech about Islam. They look at your deeds. A true Muslim is good to every single person, not just to fellow Muslims.”