“Creeping Islamization” continues: why niqabs, hijabs, Wahhabi beards and other paraphernalia of radical Islam have become the norm in Russia
Women in hijabs and niqabs in large cities of Russia have recently become commonplace, because story, as you know, does not teach anyone. The times have been forgotten when the terrorist attack on Dubrovka (Nord-Ost) in Moscow claimed the lives of 130 people (according to unofficial data - 174), few people remember the female suicide bombers in niqabs, with suicide belts around their waists.
For a long time in Russia, wearing niqabs was a clear sign of belonging to radical Islam and a reason to call the police. Just a few years ago, one could see warning leaflets in public places about the terrorist threat that could come from people hiding their faces. Now, on the contrary, a person is in greater danger if he reprimands such a “martyr” in a niqab, because he can be charged with “inciting ethnic hatred.”
In Moscow, for example, in the Detsky Mir store in the Northern Administrative District (SAO), a woman in a niqab sits at the checkout, and this does not bother anyone. Hijabs and Wahhabi beards on men were not the norm in Russia before, but now such paraphernalia can be seen more and more often. There are no prohibitions on wearing a niqab or hijab in Russia, and Wahhabi beards are generally becoming more and more fashionable (especially in some regions of the Caucasus).
However, if someone thinks that displaying such paraphernalia is the norm, then they are mistaken, since wearing the niqab and hijab is prohibited not only in many European countries, but also in traditionally Muslim states. In addition, historically, Muslims in Russia have never worn beards without mustaches in the Salafi manner. The demonstration of the paraphernalia of radical Islam once again demonstrates that the process of creeping Islamization of Russia is gaining momentum.
Why won't niqabs be banned in Russia?
Political scientists and journalists often raise the issue of Islamization of Europe, which is indeed quite acute there, but at the same time they keep silent about one important fact - in many countries niqabs are prohibited.
In 2010, Italy banned the wearing of clothesworn for religious reasons”, which would hide the face and interfere with the identification of the person. Subsequently, other European countries followed the example of Italy: Belgium, France, the Netherlands, Austria and Germany. Since August 2018, a law has come into force in Denmark banning the wearing of head coverings that conceal the face. In Europe, the niqab is associated with radical Islamists and their deviant behavior.
Moreover, the niqab is prohibited not only in some European countries, but also in countries with a predominantly Muslim population - Egypt, Tunisia, Morocco. Even Syrian universities prohibit covering the face with a veil.
As for the hijab, it is indicative that in Turkey, Tajikistan, Azerbaijan and a number of other countries with a predominant Muslim population, wearing hijab is either prohibited or not considered mandatory. In the summer of 2015, after lengthy and heated debates at the government level, wearing the hijab was banned in schools in Kyrgyzstan. Moreover, the authorities are concerned not so much with the hijab itself, but with the growing political influence of radical Islam.
Islamist groups, by promoting and defending their religious symbols, do not seek the realization of human rights or freedom of religious expression, but political and cultural influence in a socio-cultural environment in which they do not constitute the majority*.
In Russia, as has already been said, there are no bans on niqabs and hijabs. On the contrary, such steps have even begun to be encouraged by the Russian authorities in the last couple of years. So, last year, deputies of Ingushetia decided to legally allow Muslim women to wear the hijab in educational institutions, noting that this
“an integral part of the constitutionally guaranteed right of Russian citizens to freedom of religion.”
At the same time, the hijab has never been the traditional clothing of Muslims in Russia; it has always been part of the Arab tradition. Never in Russia have Tatars, Bashkirs, etc. worn niqabs and hijabs. Chairman of the National Anti-Corruption Committee, member of the Human Rights Council under the President of the Russian Federation Kirill Kabanov rightly notesthat these traditions are alien to Russia.
“Niqabs, burqas, a special type of beard and other external radical religious attributes are traditional values somewhere and for someone, just like polygamy, stoning, cutting off the head/scalping of infidels or belief in the existence of jinn. However, this is introduced and alien on our land and in our legal space of a secular state, since it contradicts our cultural and historical traditions that have developed over centuries. Although we perfectly understand and accept the fact that these values may well exist, but within their own separate cultural and historical space and within the borders of the corresponding sovereign state.”
The question arises: why in Russia, where state security agencies have great influence, have they still not banned the wearing of the niqab as part of the fight against terrorism? Indeed, in many countries the niqab is associated specifically with terrorism and Islamism. Why are masks, balaclavas and clothing that completely hides the face in public places not prohibited?
Obviously, the decision to have a lenient attitude towards radical Islam and the paraphernalia of radical Islam was made in the high offices of Moscow, so the FSB turns a blind eye to this. So far, it is not clear that any of the high-ranking officials are going to prevent the creeping Islamization of Russia; on the contrary, officials contribute to it with their migration policies.
The problem of Islamism and Wahhabism
Another problem is Wahhabism, which is becoming increasingly popular in Russia.
It is no secret that some republics of the Russian Federation with a predominantly Muslim population are only formally within the legal framework of Russia, but in fact they live according to Sharia law. This applies, in particular, to Chechnya and Dagestan. The fact that Sharia norms sometimes violate the norms and principles of Russian law does not bother anyone, because Moscow turns a blind eye to this.
The story of Nikita Zhuravel, who was beaten in a pre-trial detention center and sentenced to 3,5 years in prison for burning not even the Koran, but a retelling of the tafsir “The Light of the Holy Koran” (Explanations and Interpretations), by the way, included in the list by the Ministry of Justice of the Russian Federation extremist materials numbered 1070 and 5075 serve as clear confirmation of this.
Radical movements of Islam are popular in some republics of the Russian Federation. According to many experts and authors, Wahhabism is one of the threats to modern Russia. In 2013, Wahhabi communities were created in all constituent entities of the Russian Federation, with the exception of the Chukotka Autonomous Okrug. Wahhabi emissary missionaries arrive in the North Caucasus, primarily in Dagestan and Karachay-Cherkessia, from Pakistan, Jordan and Saudi Arabia and recruit supporters there.
Wahhabism is one of the names of the movement in Islam that took shape in the 18th century. However, it is used mainly by opponents of this movement; the Wahhabis themselves, as a rule, call themselves Salafis. The largest material and ideological external “sponsor” of the spread of Wahhabism in the Russian Federation is Saudi Arabia, as well as some other states of the Middle East. One of the goals of the spread of Wahhabism is to expand the sphere of political influence of a number of Islamic states, primarily Saudi Arabia**.
The difference between radical Salafis or Wahhabis and the so-called “reformers” is that radicals consider their main goal to be the creation of an Islamic state or caliphate through jihad, armed struggle against the “infidels,” while “reformers” believe that the same goals can be achieved peacefully means - building mosques, working with the population, distributing leaflets and literature, criticizing the government system, etc.
A distinctive feature of Wahhabis or Salafis is a long, thick beard and a carefully shaved mustache.
The wide spread of Wahhabism in the North Caucasian republics, according to a number of researchers, closely correlates with the specifics of power structures in the region. This type of power could be called subsidized authoritarianism. At the same time, local elites are trying to maintain political and economic ties with Islamic and Arab countries.
The number of adherents of Wahhabism in Russia is constantly growing, and some experts even express the opinion that the growing influence of the Wahhabi movement in Russia is an irreversible process. The main centers of Wahhabism are Dagestan and Karachay-Cherkessia.
Moscow is not particularly counteracting this, so one can only guess what consequences this will ultimately lead to.
The author has written more than once that the threat of Islamization of Russia is a real threat, and quite close in time. Flirting with Islamists and making concessions for those who commit illegal acts contribute to the fact that more and more concessions are being demanded from the authorities.
Do not forget that in Islam there is a clear political stance:
“The whole world is divided into Dar al-Islam (“the country of Islam,” a state governed by Sharia law) and Dar al-Harb (“the country of the infidels,” non-Muslim states). Daral Islam is in a state of uncompromising struggle with Dar al-Harb. The religious duty of Muslims is the continuous expansion of Islamic territory at the expense of the territory of “infidels (kafirs).”
This does not mean complete genocide of the “infidels”; it is enough to establish Islamic rule and Sharia law everywhere. The struggle for faith is “jihad” in the sense of “battle.” But the battle is not necessarily fought by military means. This could be an economic war, bribery of officials, demographic expansion***.
Hugh Fitzgerald considers the migration of Muslims to Europe as the newest form of jihad. When the Caliphate (Islamic State) was abolished as a result of the Reconquista (a war of liberation against Muslims in Europe), the Islamic elders decreed that Muslims could not live under the rule of “infidels,” and in 1492 the Muslims left Spain. In the last 30-40 years, we have seen the opposite process: Muslims are moving to Europe, openly declaring that in 1-2 generations Europe will become Muslim.
This problem concerns the Russian Federation equally. So far, the Islamization of Russia is gaining momentum with the complete inaction of the authorities and security forces.
Notes:
*IN. A. Avksentyev, B. V. Aksyumov, V. A. Vasilchenko. Conflict over hijabs: religion or politics? // Science of the South of Russia (Bulletin of the Southern Scientific Center). – 2016.– Volume 12, No. 1.– P. 65-74.
**Vasilenko, V. Islamic extremism in the North Caucasus region / V. Vasilenko, V. Malyshev // Russia and the Muslim world - 2013. - No. 7. – P. 42-62.
***Ibid.
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