Social media users urged punishment for the security forces involved in the incident with Fatima Alieva.
Users on Facebook* called for punishment of Moscow police officers who used force against Dagestani native Fatima Alieva and tore off her hijab during her detention. Other participants in the discussion suggested that the police were drawn to her specifically because of her Muslim headscarf.
As reported by "Caucasian Knot", on October 30, it became known that the family of 25-year-old Dagestani native, therapist Fatima Alieva, is seeking an investigation into the actions of the Moscow police and holding them accountable. According to relatives, during her detention in the Vykhino-Zhulebino area, officers tore off her hijab, insulted her, and then kept her in handcuffs at the police station.
At the time of the incident, Alieva was heading to work, where she had patients waiting. She did not have her original passport with her, so she showed the officers its electronic version on "Gosuslugi", reported "Caution, News". The police stated that Alieva refused to present her passport, behaved aggressively, and did not comply with the requirement to proceed to the station. The court fined Alieva 1,000 rubles for petty hooliganism and disobedience to a lawful demand of a representative of the authorities. The actions of the police could be classified as abuse of power and indicate a biased attitude towards Muslim women, analysts interviewed by "Caucasian Knot" stated.
Commentators debated the actions of the police
By 16:55 Moscow time on November 9, Facebook* users had left 564 comments under the publication of "Caucasian Knot" about the incident with Fatima Alieva.
Many commenters criticized the actions of the security forces. "Did you catch a hardened bandit? Did she have a weapon and was she shooting back? Is it safe to tear off a hijab from a woman who is innocent?" wrote, in particular, Mirkamol Mirkhanov. "They should be tried. Or better yet, let them answer like men for their actions," suggested Doshu Dosho.
"They should all be put on a lie detector, and let's see what the result will be, but brothers, do not let them escape responsibility, this case must be pursued to the end so that others do not want to do something like this," urged Abu Umar Urkahskii.
"The security forces must face appropriate punishment. The law should not work only one way," stated Ibrahim Aliev. "These [security forces] should receive a sentence for the group insult of the girl and for the group abuse of power," expressed Ludmila Galabajeva.
Other users questioned Fatima Alieva's innocence. "It is a citizen's duty to show identification when requested by a police officer!" wrote Ivan Churilov.
"What they are checking is lawful. The police must know who this person is who is hiding their face. Maybe they are looking for her or him," noted Maxim Maximov.
Hijab is clothing worn by a Muslim woman that covers the body except for the face and hands. Wearing a hijab is mandatory for a Muslim woman. In the modern world, the hijab is most often understood as just an Islamic women's headscarf.
"Hey, it’s not a veil on her face, but a hijab covering her head, and her face is open! Her face was seen. What kind of fools are you, that even before fully understanding or just knowing what a hijab is and what a veil (burqa) is, you accuse Muslim clothing. [...] Look at your icons - the Virgin Mary, peace be upon her and her son Jesus, is also covered from head to toe. Your women go to church with their heads covered, and as soon as they leave, they immediately take off their scarves," wrote Nasiba Mamadjanova.
"It is not a fact that all those who wear hijabs and those who have goat beards can be members of some radical structures. If they are indeed agents of these structures, then they would never raise suspicion with their appearance. But it is not good to offend devout people," noted Ruslan Ramazanov.
"Normal cops should treat everyone equally," expressed Labki Dias. "There is a law, there is a constitution regarding all Russians. In my opinion, the doctor did not break the law, did not violate the constitution to provoke anyone. According to Russian laws, the hijab is not prohibited, which justifies the doctor," wrote Sarvar Sani.
"For some reason, when nuns walk with covered heads and in floor-length clothing, it does not disturb anyone, but evokes tenderness. While Muslim women's clothing causes sharp rejection. I believe the reason is anti-Muslim propaganda," expressed Almaz Rustam.
"The hijab is a scarf, it covers the head, not the face. That’s the first thing, and the second thing is that the scarf is not prohibited by anyone anywhere and is not exclusively a religious cult item. Thirdly, you can try to stretch an owl on a globe as much as you want, but the basis of the attack on the woman in this case lies in personal animosity, xenophobia," wrote Asya Kerimova.
"The situation is extremely simple. Illegal actions were committed against a citizen of Russia, at least there was an abuse of power. This needs to be investigated. What they had the right to demand is fine, but on what basis did they approach her and start demanding documents, did she violate the law, did they have alerts, letters, orders indicating a woman with such features, whose documents need to be checked and detained, they can present this, or is it their initiative bordering on arbitrariness," wrote Rustam Bikmetov.
The incident with Alieva reminded of the ban on wearing hijabs in schools in Azerbaijan
Some users reminded of the ban on wearing hijabs in schools in Azerbaijan introduced in September. "In Azerbaijan, women are imprisoned for not wanting to remove their hijabs," wrote, in particular, Mur Mur.
In Azerbaijani schools, as of October 12, teachers and students who refused to remove their hijabs are not allowed to attend classes. Around several schools in Baku, students and teachers held lessons outside in protest. On October 13, the Ministry of Internal Affairs reported the detention of 37 participants in the protests, while activists counted more than 200 detained. The protests were a continuation of a long-standing dispute over religious clothing in schools, according to a report by "Caucasian Knot" "Protests over school dress code in Azerbaijan".
By October 30, mass protests had ceased, but discontent is expressed in the form of individual actions near school buildings. According to activists and human rights defenders, participants in the protests and their relatives face detentions, police summons, and other forms of pressure.
The restrictions on wearing hijabs in schools in Azerbaijan have drawn reactions from other countries. For instance, Iranian officials urged Azerbaijani girls and women facing restrictions to continue their education in Iran. In Baku, this statement was viewed as interference in the internal affairs of the country.
In Azerbaijan, there was also a negative reaction to criticism from allied Turkey regarding the restrictions on wearing hijabs in schools.
In September, the Azerbaijani government amended the rules regulating the appearance of students in public schools. Now, students are prohibited from wearing clothing elements that violate the unified dress code or do not correspond to the secular nature of education. On October 6, the cabinet approved similar requirements for the appearance of teachers. The texts of the relevant resolutions were published on "Caucasian Knot".
The Azerbaijani authorities explained that the reform aims to completely eliminate religious, ethnic, and socio-economic differences in educational institutions. Restrictions on wearing hijabs may increase tensions between the state and the religious part of society. The actions of the authorities are possibly related to political concerns - in particular, the desire to prevent the use of religious discontent by external forces, analysts interviewed by "Caucasian Knot" indicated.
News on this topic has been collected by "Caucasian Knot" on the page "Hijab as a challenge to the regime: confrontation between believers and the authorities of Azerbaijan. Who are considered radicals in Baku".