Russia: Another Attempt to Ban the Hijab in an Educational Institution

News:

Russia: Another attempt to ban young Muslim women from wearing the hijab was made at the Yamal Multidisciplinary College in Salekhard. “What is happening at the Yamal Multidisciplinary College? Students were forbidden from coming to the last bell ceremony wearing hijabs. They were also not allowed to properly organize their graduation celebration — they must send photos of their outfits for approval, and if the administration does not like them, they have to change clothes,” one user wrote anonymously in the community “Heard in Salekhard.”

As a result, a discussion unfolded on social media about the alleged ban on appearing in a hijab at official events at the college. Apparently fearing a scandal, the college administration quickly reconsidered: in a conversation with journalists, it denied the existence of such restrictions and even boasted that nine female students wearing hijabs are studying at the college.

Comment:

Over the past four years, since the beginning of the war with Ukraine, the level of aggression toward women wearing hijabs in Russia has increased many times over. Videos are constantly being published showing girls in hijabs becoming victims of street attacks or harassment. However, these are not merely random incidents — they are, of course, part of a state policy that is ultimately carried out both by ordinary citizens and by institutions, including educational ones.

Therefore, in the regions—especially outside the national Muslim republics—educational institutions are making various attempts to eradicate the hijab as a phenomenon. For example, in October last year, schools in the Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Okrug (KhMAO) banned the wearing of head coverings, including hijabs, niqabs, skullcaps (tubeteikas), kerchiefs, and hats.

It should be noted that Salekhard is a northern Russian city with a population of only about 50,000 people, of whom at least 5,000–7,000 are Muslims.

Written for the Central Media Office of Hizb ut Tahrir by
Muhammad Mansour