Comedian apologizes to Dagestanis for statements about niqabs

Omar Alibutaev, an actor and comedian, has apologized to the Dagestani people for his statements about the ban on wearing niqabs. Thus, speaking about niqabs, he said that nightclubs are also contrary to the Dagestani culture.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that a temporary ban on wearing niqabs has been introduced in Dagestan. The Spiritual Administration of Muslims (SAM) of Karachay-Cherkessia has also temporarily banned niqabs.

One of Alibutaev's statements on the ban on niqabs was posted by the Telegram channel "Voice of Dagestan". In it, he states that politicians motivate the decision to ban niqabs in Dagestan by the fact that it is not within the people's culture. "Are these Dagestani nightclubs parts of our traditions?" he asked in the video.

Later, Alibutaev posted an apology video in his Instagram* public page. He said that in recent days there has been a "tense situation on the religious issue" in Dagestan. "My video message caused confusion, because there were a lot of discussions, they were sent across all social networks ... People were divided into two fronts: someone scolds, someone supports them," he said.

Alibutaev has emphasized that these issues should be dealt with by "theologians and Islamic scholars."

*On March 21, 2022, the Tverskoi Court of Moscow banned the activities in Russia of the Meta Company, owning the Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp, in connection with extremist activities.