Half of Russians consider it necessary to lift the ban on wearing hijabs in schools; Although over the past five years, residents of the country have become more tolerant of external manifestations of religious affiliation in educational institutions, nevertheless, opinions on the admissibility of this are now divided evenly, according to the results of a survey by the All-Russian Center for the Study of Public Opinion (VTsIOM).
Earlier, the media reported that the leadership of Mordovia demanded a ban on the wearing of Muslim headscarves in educational institutions for teachers and students in the Tatar village of Belozerie. The head of the Ministry of Education and Science Olga Vasilyeva said that true believers do not try to emphasize their attitude to faith with the help of paraphernalia, and recalled the secular nature of education in Russia. The head of Chechnya, Ramzan Kadyrov, responded by expressing bewilderment at the statement by the head of the department, who opposed wearing the hijab at school.
"Russians today are more tolerant of external manifestations of religious affiliation in educational institutions than they were five years ago: already 47% of citizens believe that there is nothing reprehensible in this (from 35% in 2012)," at the disposal of RIA Novosti.
Exactly the same number (47%) of Russians, according to VTsIOM, today consider the external manifestations of confessional affiliation on the part of students and teachers unacceptable.
Sociologists clarify that the share of those who consider it permissible is noticeably higher among young people aged 18-24 (73%) and adherents of Islam (68%); the second opinion is more widespread among respondents over 45 (55-57%) and atheists (56%).
"Hijabs are not a hindrance to study: as the survey data show, Russians are more inclined to this opinion. Every second respondent (50%) supports the lifting of the ban on wearing these hats, so that children from Muslim families can study in peace. Strongly against the proposal. 37% of our fellow citizens speak out - they believe it is impossible to lift the ban on hijabs, no matter what (and even among the followers of Islam, this share is 36%), "- noted in the research materials.
13% of respondents found it difficult to answer this question.
Elena Mikhailova, director of special programs at VTsIOM, noted that one of the key factors underlying social distance, mistrust and suspicion towards representatives of different ethnic or confessional groups is a low level of awareness about them.
"However, the severity of the problem is gradually decreasing. In recent years, there has been an increase in the level of socio-psychological acceptance of representatives of other confessional groups - symbolic elements significant for professing different religions (such as hijabs) have become more understandable and familiar. At the same time, young people are much less likely to attach importance to external attributes. indicating belonging to a particular confession, which is the key to a comfortable and harmonious development of interfaith relations in the country, "Mikhailova explained, commenting on the results of the survey.
The all-Russian survey was conducted on January 28-29, 2017 among 1.2 thousand respondents using the telephone interview method. The statistical error does not exceed 3.5%.
The wearing of hijabs and other religious clothing in secular schools in Russia has repeatedly become the subject of bitter controversy in society. On this occasion, President Vladimir Putin said that there is nothing good in wearing hijabs in educational institutions: according to him, there has never been such a tradition in Russia, even in Muslim regions.
The first in the Russian Federation to ban the wearing of hijabs in schools was released by the authorities of Stavropol, in which they were supported by the Supreme Court of Russia. In February 2016, the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation also recognized the ban of the Supreme Court of Mordovia on wearing religious clothing and hats, including hijabs, in schools of the republic. Prior to this, the decision to ban headscarves was made by the regional government.