The chief mufti of Dagestan, Akhmed-haji Abdulaev, said that the republic’s muftiate is preparing a religious decision (fatwa) to ban the niqab. He spoke about this at a meeting of representatives of civil society and religious communities with the participation of the head of Dagestan Sergei Melikov in Makhachkala.

Earlier, at a session of the People's Assembly, the head of Dagestan Sergei Melikov expressed his opinion regarding wearing a niqab.

“Personally, I am against wearing it... This clothing, unusual for the Caucasian peoples, makes it possible for men to hide behind scarves, and for women to carry prohibited items. From the point of view of terrorist security, I am also against it,” Melikov said.

At the St. Petersburg Legal Forum, the Chairman of the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation, Alexander Bastrykin, in turn, spoke out against wearing religious clothing that covers the face.

“It is the task of the State Duma to pass a law prohibiting what you are talking about. There, in countries with a predominantly Muslim population, this is prohibited, but here it is allowed. Why? I don't know, but I'm not a legislator either. I agree with you, we urgently need to ban all this,” Bastrykin emphasized.