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Chechnya Mandates Islamic Head Scarves In Public Buildings

By Howard M. Friedman

In the Russian autonomous republic of Chechnya, requiring women at Chechnya's State University in Grozny to wear Islamic headscarves is part of a program by Chechen President Ramzan Kadyrov to promote an Islamic revival. Britain's Financial Times reported yesterday that the head scarf requirement applies in all public buildings. Many question whether the requirement violates church-state separation mandated by the Russian Constitution (Art. 14). Kadyrov brushes off questions about the legality of his program, saying: "Chechnya is 100 percent Muslim, and the spiritual revival of the population is essential for the rebuilding of the republic. No one can tell us not to be Muslims. If anyone says I cannot be a Muslim, he is my enemy."

Full post as published by Religion Clause on January 13, 2009 (boomark / email).