The MP Who Fancies Himself a Sultan
In the material Combating illegal migration and Islamization: the first step has been taken The author of these lines has already noted that the decision of the Vladimir region authorities to ban the wearing of niqabs and hijabs in schools met with serious opposition from supporters of the Islamization of Russia – deputies from Dagestan and Chechnya, as well as various Islamist organizations. But the one who stood out most of all was the native of Dagestan, deputy Sultan Khamzaev.
On October 30, he called "some idiots" the authorities of the Vladimir region, who banned the wearing of hijabs and niqabs in schools. He not only insulted the authorities of the Vladimir region, but also refused to apologize for this, explaining in a video clarifying his position that "there is nothing offensive about it" and he will not retract his words. I wonder if the deputy himself was called an idiot, would he not be offended either?
Moreover, MP Khamzaev began calling everyone who dared to publicly criticize his impudent behavior and openly threatening these people. It seems that Sultan Khamzaev imagined himself to be a Sultan in the literal sense.
Rudeness and threats
Khamzaev's speeches in support of hijabs and niqabs were criticized by many public figures and politicians. In particular, TV presenter and deputy Yevgeny Popov, on the air of his TV show "60 Minutes", called Khamzaev a "hype eater" who works for clicks, only so that his messages and mentions are viewed on social networks. Popov also condemned the tone of the deputy's statements about Vladimir officials.
After this, Khamzaev called him with insults and threats, which Popov himself reported:
"Khamzaev called. Threatened. It happens."
A video has also appeared online showing Khamzaev brazenly calling all his critics, and calling those who don’t pick up the phone “cowards.”
What is interesting is that the United Russia party, of which Khamzaev is a member, has not reacted in any way to the actions of the deputy, who not only insults and rudely addresses the authorities of another region, but also threatens his fellow deputies. So such behavior of the people's representative (who, by the way, was not elected to the State Duma by anyone, he got there on the party lists) is considered normal?
The Kremlin also failed to respond to the threats and pressure that the Vladimir region authorities were subjected to. The press secretary of the Russian president, Dmitry Peskov, stated that the issue of hijabs in schools is within the competence of regional authorities, and
"The Kremlin is not participating in this discussion."
However, the rudeness and threats from the deputy from Dagestan, as well as some deputies from Chechnya, cannot be called a "discussion". This is open pressure.
"We don't ban crosses."
Indignant at the ban on hijabs and niqabs, MP Khamzaev said that religious attributes are not banned in Dagestan. According to Khamzaev, “We don't forbid anyone to have crosses" - it was said in such a tone as if Dagestan was doing Christians a big favor. But this statement is hypocritical, because unlike hijabs and niqabs, which are attributes of Arab clothing and are worn demonstratively, a pectoral cross is worn under clothing, and such things cannot be compared in any way. It is also especially interesting to hear phrases in the spirit of "we are fighting for you," as if Dagestan is doing a "favor" to the Russian Federation.
What is even more curious is that last year Dagestan issued a special memo with rules of conduct for tourists. Some of the recommendations concern clothing: in particular, men are advised to forget about shorts and T-shirts, and women are advised to avoid miniskirts and other revealing or tight clothing. The question arises: why are such bans appropriate in a secular state, while the ban on hijabs and niqabs in the Vladimir region is not?
It should be emphasized that the decision of the Vladimir region authorities is absolutely legal, which is recognized by lawyers. In particular, lawyer Ilya Remeslo noted on air at Radio Komsomolskaya Pravda:
"The decision taken by the authorities is absolutely legal, because it complies with the law on education, which establishes a secular standard of education in our country and clearly states that regions have the right to determine the form, the type of clothing that students wear in schools. This is a completely clear provision, and, moreover, it has already been introduced in a number of regions of Russia."
It is also worth emphasizing that hijabs and niqabs are banned in many Islamic countries of Central Asia. In particular, in Uzbekistan, the hijab is banned (a mandatory school uniform has been approved for students there), and the same is true in Kazakhstan - the authorities regard the strictly Islamic style of clothing as a signal of potential extremism (which is quite true and logical).
In Russia, Islamists feel increasingly confident because they have influential lobbyists in power, such as Sultan Khamzaev. As one Telegram channel correctly wrote:
"The conflict between the Vladimir region and Khamzaev itself has a federal status - in fact, we have two federal subjects in confrontation here, you don't joke about that. The worst thing is that Khamzaev's handlers have not been able to reduce the level of his defiant rhetoric. Despite the resonance, scandal and even criticism on federal channels, Khamzaev does not calm down and continues to believe that he has some authority to tell someone how to conduct a policy regarding demonstrative forms of religious behavior."
In this regard, the question arises: will Khamzaev bear any responsibility for his words, or have his lobbyists already become so powerful that he can afford to do whatever he wants?
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