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Women Live in Fear During Chechnya's Islamic Revival

   Diana Markosian | Grozny  February 23, 2011
   At  a  local  school in Grozny, a student covers herself with a scarf,
   adopting to the Islamic dress code

Photo: D. Markosian - VOA

   At  a  local  school in Grozny, a student covers herself with a scarf,
   adopting to the Islamic dress code

   At the entrance to a school in Grozny, the capital of Russiaâs Chechen
   republic, two security guards grip their guns as they order a woman to
   cover her head before walking into class.
   âYou  canât  go  inside  with your head like that,â one of them yells,
   tapping his AK-47.
   The  young student fiddles inside her purse before pulling out a black
   silk scarf.
   âIs this better?â she asks, covering up her entire head with the scarf
   that matched her kohl-lined eyes.
   Under  the  watchful  eye of Kremlin-backed leader Ramzan Kadyrov, the
   once  rebellious  Chechnya  is transforming into a conservative Muslim
   state.  This  has  coincided with the almost complete disappearance of
   the  ethnic  Russian  population, which has dropped by an estimated 30
   percent since the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991.

   [1]Slideshow:
   Many  Chechen  women are the first in three generations to cover their
   heads.  In  the officially atheist Soviet Union, women in the Caucasus
   burnt  their  headscarves, in an effort to dissuade youth from falling
   under the sway of religion.
   âThe  headscarf   is  a  symbol  of  purity  and  worth,â says Malika
   Omarova,  head  of the Union of Chechen Women in Grozny. âWhen I was a
   student,  I  never  wore a headscarf, not one person forced me. But, I
   want  our  women to wear them - it is in our blood. That is what makes
   us Chechen.â
   The Russian republic of Chechnya has seen two of modern historyâs most
   brutal  separatist  wars  in  the  last  two  decades, with atrocities
   committed by both rebels and federal forces. But Mr. Kadyrov, a former
   rebel  who  changed sides after the first war, has brought a semblance
   of  stability  to  Chechnya,  which has seen massive investment by the
   Kremlin.   But  Mr.  Kadryovâs  reign  has  also seen a resurgence in
   Islamic belief and practice.
   In  todayâs  Chechnya  of  cafes  and fashion boutiques, the mandatory
   headscarf symbolizes this Islamic revival.
   âChechnya  is  already  among  one  of  the  world's  most  repressive
   societies,  with  the  state  controlling almost every aspect of daily
   life," wrote Jennifer Windsor of Freedom House in a report on Chechnya
   âWith  the Kremlin largely out of the picture, the culture of impunity
   we  have seen develop under [Mr.] Kadyrov is likely to worsen, leaving
   the population more vulnerable to abuse.â
   The  battle  is  being played out in universities, state buildings and
   now  in  the  street,  where a wave of attacks last year took place on
   women  for  not wearing headscarves.  Mr. Kadyrov denies his men were
   involved.
   âI donât know [who they are], but when I find them I shall announce my
   gratitude,â    Mr.  Ramzan  Kadyrov  said  in  an  interview  on the
   state-run  regional television channel Grozny.  He called the victims
   of  the  paintball  attacks  ânaked  womenâ  who  had most likely been
   forewarned.   âEven  if  they  were carried out with my permission, I
   wouldnât be ashamed of it,â he said of the paint-pellet attacks.
   In  Moscow,  efforts to enforce a dress code by Chechnyaâs authorities
   have  angered  rights  activists  who  say such rules violate Russiaâs
   constitution.

   Zalina,  a  19-year-old  student  and hair stylist, who gives only one
   name, says wearing a headscarf is more of a chore than choice for her.
   âI  donât  see  the point in wearing it,â says Zalina, whose long dark
   hair flows out from under her head covering. âBut if I donât, I know I
   will be punished. I am scared of that.â

   The  vast majority of women in Chechnya are covered in headscarves; it
   is  no  longer  a  mark  of  distinction  or  a  choice.  Few dare to
   challenge  Mr.  Kadyrov's  rule in this southern border region of more
   than one million people.
   But the headscarf continues to embody the tensions between governments
   and their citizens.
   âWe  shouldn't  have to force our women to wear headscarves, it should
   come  from  their heart,â says Zargan Makhazhieva of Nisso, a regional
   human  rights  organization in Grozny. âIt is becoming another problem
   in Chechnya. We already have enough problems; we are barely recovering
   from the trauma of two wars. How much can we take?â

References

   1. http://www.voanews.com/MediaAssets2/projects/chechnya_23feb11/project/soundslider.swf

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