Lawyers treat request of KChR's MIA about Muslim clothing in schools as illegal

The campaign to combat Muslim headdresses poses a threat of persecuting Muslims, the human rights defender believes. Lawyers have treated the request lodged by f the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA) of the Karachay-Cherkessian Republic (KChR) demanding to provide information about the pupils and teachers wearing Muslim headdresses as a violation of laws, the right to the freedom of religion and access to education.

There should be trust between pupils and teachers; and they must understand that nothing compromising will be reported about them to the MIA, unless this is a direct violation of the law, Svetlana Gannushkina*, the head of the "Civic Assistance" Committee*, has stated.

She has noted that the school's main mission is education; the appearance should not be a defining factor. “We need to look at what’s in the head, not on the head. This is not what defines people's interrelationships,” Ms Gannushkina has noted.

She believes that the fight against anything should be meaningful and should not pose a threat to people.

The above request violates the freedom of religion, constitutional provisions, and federal laws, said a lawyer from the KChR's Bar Association has stated.

*Included by the Russian Ministry of Justice (MoJ) into the register of foreign agents.