Instagram users treat Chechen Mufti's words about niqabs as inappropriate in pandemic

Criticism of women for niqabs in Chechnya is especially inappropriate during the pandemic, when it is prescribed to wear face-covering masks, Instagram users have pointed out. Others found it odd that the spiritual leader of the region spoke out against a Muslim tradition.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that the "Grozny" TV Channel had shown a report about the "educational conversation" conducted by the Chechen Mufti with the girls who wore niqabs. According to Adats, only the eldest men in the family have the right to such criticism, and the Mufti had grossly violated this rule, Ruslan Kutaev, the head of the Assembly of Caucasian Nations, believes.

Instagram users, while commenting on the Mufti's instructions to Chechen women, have compared a niqab with a medical mask.

The non-Muslim regions of Russia have no problems with niqabs, but Chechnya, where authorities declare their adherence to Islam, has them, the user bella_fateeva2 was surprised.

The user islam_istina_33 is sure that criticism of niqabs in Islam is unacceptable.

However, some commentators have agreed with the criticism of wearing niqabs. "Niqab is overkill. There has never been anything like this in Chechnya; and people won't accept it," wrote the user matrica_neo.

In his turn, the user loris9679 believes that the comparison of niqab with medical masks is inappropriate. "Niqab has nothing to do with medicine ... in the North Caucasus it's not accepted," he wrote.