Instagram users debated the justification of the fine for the Chechen man for praying on the road.

The fine for the Chechen man who prayed on the road under repair is justified, some Instagram users believe. Other commentators felt that the courts and law enforcement selectively approach the issue, criminalizing the prayer specifically. There are cases of illegal persecution of Muslims for performing prayer in public places, which are defined as missionary activity; such fines can and should be challenged all the way to the Supreme Court, the lawyer is convinced.

As reported by "Caucasian Knot", a road worker from Chechnya was fined 5,000 rubles for performing prayer right during the marking of a public road.

Discussion of the posts about the fine for prayer in Astrakhan on the "Caucasian Knot" page on Instagram is focused on the reasons for holding a person accountable for performing prayer in a public place and the interpretation of this episode from the perspective of legislation. In total, two posts on this topic in the social network had gathered 292 comments by 18:00 Moscow time.

Social media users debated the legitimacy of the fine for prayer

Some participants do not see any direct harm to others in performing prayer and question the necessity of punishment.

How did he disturb them? And if he had been baptized there, would he have disturbed people?

"Who did he disturb?" - asks irinabarbus07.

"And how did he disturb them? And if he had been baptized there, would he have disturbed people?" - wrote daud49.095.

"A praying person does not disturb people at all," noted sochi_che.

Faith in God should be in the soul, not in public, in a roadside ditch.

Other participants link the situation not to the content of the prayer, but to the place and form of its performance.

"He simply violated the law of the Russian Federation. <...> Faith in God should be in the soul, not in public, in a roadside ditch," believes nikolskii_79.

"If it's unpleasant, let them not look, but pass silently. His prayer doesn't last five minutes," retorted ad.am9570.

"Even according to religious canons, praying on the road and obstructing traffic is not allowed. So he primarily violated the religious prescription. This is for those who will write that the rights of Muslims are being violated. And if there are those who wish to challenge this opinion and defend the rights of believing Muslims, I am all for it. But in those cases when their rights are truly violated and they are approached when they pray without disturbing anyone," noted aslan naptugow.

"File a lawsuit, this is a violation of the law. About freedom of religion. The country is multinational and multi-confessional, if you don't know. History should be studied," urged amg__247.

"The law equates collective public worship (including prayer) outside of special places (mosques, prayer rooms) to rallies, marches, and demonstrations," noted toliakaban.

A number of participants in the discussion compared prayer to other violations

The discussion includes the argument that attention to public prayer should be compared to other cases of violation of public rules.

"But for doing their business right by the entrance, they are not fined," wrote a2912malika1979.

"Oh yes, they are fined," replied implant_kbr.

"Stealing billions is normal, but a person who prays harms the country," believes badgr81745.

Some participants discuss whether restrictions are applied equally to representatives of different faiths.

"Only prayer is considered a rally, but Christian ones are not?" - asked amg__247.

"For the judge, how does prayer differ from a poem or a song? For us, it is a prayer; for him, it is literally a set of words, no different from a poem," wrote m.dagestan.05.

"Astrakhan residents, what are you, you are Muslims or am I mistaken?" - addressed other participants ali_evlo_2026_.

In the comments, a dispute arises about whether religious practice should remain a purely private matter or can be conducted in public space.

"Astrakhan tsars would be surprised that prayers are not allowed on their land, yet prayer cleanses both us and our land from negativity," believes tamriko180.

"The 7th century is over, you can relax," wrote toliakaban.

"In the USSR, people did not pray; was anyone worse off because of that?" - asked the same.

"People prayed, don't judge by yourself," retorted tamriko1801.

Some participants insist that religious rituals should be performed at home or in special places, while others disagree.

"This is your demonstration in a Christian country. Pray at home, don't impose your sect on everyone," declared moldagulovaalina.

The actions of law enforcement raised questions among commentators

One participant shifts the conversation from the specific episode to the attitude of representatives of various public platforms towards religious people.

"The most disgusting is the reaction of various channels like Pozdnyakov, Divnich, Russian Community, or Multinational. If you observe religion, they slander you. If you consume, drink beer or alcoholic energy drinks, trying to fit into the Russian world - they still slander you," pointed out rajeet763.

Are the guys in the SVO also fined? Or do they pray in a specially designated place?

A separate group of comments concerns the actions of the FSB and the Ministry of Internal Affairs, which participants associate with the fulfillment of assigned tasks.

"The FSB and the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Astrakhan have nothing else to do," wrote lamro_054.

"A task has been set, they are fulfilling it," commented eva_isakovna24.

"Are the guys in the SVO also fined? Or do they pray in a specially designated place?" - asked anzor_chik.

Some participants directly express support for the one who prayed and wish him acceptance of his prayer.

"May Allah accept your prayer," wrote volkov44672.

Some participants in the discussion unequivocally approve of what happened without developing an argument.

"That's exactly how it should be!" - wrote garycyprus.

"Who did he disturb?" - on the contrary, previously asked irinabarbus07.

"People," briefly replied fol66420.

Thus, the participants in the discussion are concerned not only about the legitimacy of performing prayer but also about freedom of religion and equal conditions for representatives of various religions in a multinational and multi-confessional country. At the same time, the case of the fine against the road worker divided the participants into those who believe that his rights were violated and those who, on the contrary, believe that praying on a road under repair violated the laws and rights of other people.

Personal prayer is not missionary work or a mass action

Lawyer Timofey Shirokov believes that there are facts of illegal persecution of Muslims for performing prayer in public places.

"They are pulling it under missionary activity, which, of course, does not exist. Like, mass rituals should be conducted in cult places; otherwise, approval is necessary," he told the correspondent of "Caucasian Knot".

A small congregation's prayer cannot be considered either missionary or a mass event. By the way, the Supreme Court said this.

According to the lawyer, in this case, a traffic violation was attributed.

"Processions and the like, if they go beyond the church grounds, are coordinated. But strictly speaking, they have a somewhat different situation; they are not considered missionary activities but as events requiring the maintenance of public order, so they are coordinated. The regime is different. A small congregation's prayer cannot be considered either missionary or a mass event. By the way, the Supreme Court said this. Therefore, of course, all these protocols are illegal. The trouble is that people prefer to put up with it and pay the fine, forming a practice," Shirokov said.

He also believes that each such case should be appealed to the limit, if necessary - to the Supreme Court.

"So that there is a completely clear and publicly known situation, and the police would not dare. Writing to Kadyrov, pressuring the muftis, the president's administration, whatever, noise is necessary. It doesn't have to be public noise; the authorities don't like that now, but at least some administrative noise," Shirokov concluded.

The piety of a Muslim is not determined by the literal observance of the prayer time to the minute, said earlier to "Caucasian Knot" the Islamic scholar Leonid Syukiyainen.

If the prayer coincides with study or work time, it can be postponed within the permissible time frame.

"In Islam, there are five obligatory daily prayers, but Sharia provides flexibility in their performance. If the prayer coincides with study or work time, it can be postponed within the permissible time frame. For example, the afternoon prayer can be performed right after classes if its time has not yet expired. Islam also allows the combination of certain prayers. The piety of a Muslim is not determined by the exact observance of prayer time; the intention and adherence within the permissible limits are more important. Interrupting the educational process for prayer is not a mandatory requirement for a Muslim," he told "Caucasian Knot".

According to him, Islam requires a clean place and minimal privacy for prayer, but not necessarily a mosque.