In Moscow, Pirogov Medical University to introduce medical uniform instead of ban on religious clothes

In Moscow, the problem with wearing religious clothes in the Pirogov Medical University has been solved: Muslim female students will be allowed to attend the university, including in hijabs; however, wearing of medical uniform is mandatory. This was told to the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent by Rushan Abbyasov, the Deputy Mufti of Russia, after the meeting with the Rector of the Pirogov Medical University.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that on September 10, in Moscow, the Rector of the Russian National Research Medical University named after N. I. Pirogov signed a decree prohibiting the students to come to the university in clothes "indicating particular nationality or religion." Starting from October 28, natives of Northern Caucasus began conducting pickets demanding to lift the ban, which was to enter into force on November 1.

On October 30, representatives of the Muslim community met Andrei Kamkin, the Rector of the Pirogov Medical University, the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent was told by Rushan Abbyasov, the Deputy Mufti of Russia.

"The dialogue has turned out to be productive and constructive. The Rector has at once said that he is not an Islamophob. Andrei Kamkin has explained that the decree essentially expresses the university's desire to return to medical uniform. Muslim female students will be allowed to attend classes in clothes complying with the requirements of religion and new requirements of the university," Rushan Abbyasov has reported.

"We have come to understand that the Rector's office of the university does not intend to violate the rights of Muslim women," the Deputy Mufti has stated. According to him, those arrangements satisfied both the Russian side and the Embassy of Malaysia, since a large number of students from Malaysia study at the Pirogov Medical University.

Full text of the article is available on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’.