Tyumen is split by disputes over hijabs in schools

In Tyumen, there is another round of scandal surrounding the hijab on schoolgirls. It differs from the previous ones in the more decisive attitude of the Tyumen residents and, although not advertised, their support from local ministers of Orthodoxy. We found out what gave rise to the “anti-hijab” aggravation this time, among the Tyumen residents themselves.

The first wave of scandals on the topic of whether schoolgirls from Muslim families can wear a headscarf to school in Tyumen (this is what is meant in Tyumen by the word “hijab,” which broadly means any clothing that meets the requirements of Sharia law) swept through the Siberian city back in early September last year. of the year. Then, at school No. 88, a girl from a Muslim family who came to school in a headscarf that completely hid her hair was not allowed to attend classes. Or rather, the schoolgirl was given a choice – take off her scarf or leave the class.

The young Muslim woman chose the latter. But instead, her parents came to the director, warning that the conversation would be filmed. And they asked a simple question: is it true that it is forbidden to go to school with your head covered?

The answer turned out to be incomprehensible, and the scandal reached the federal level, as a result of which the authorities of not only the city, but also the region met with the student’s father to discuss what happened. Result: the girl was allowed to attend classes wearing a hijab. A little more than a year has passed since then, and again Tyumen rebelled against Islamic headdresses.

“It started with a discussion on a blog about the hijab as a “symbol of propagating Islamist movements,” but it’s just the tip of the iceberg,” says Tyumen resident Valeria, who lives near the local market. – Here, newcomers live in large diasporas, according to their own rules, not only supporting, but also covering each other. Sometimes we feel that we are their guests, and not them ours. And there are more and more of them.

– Do they say that migrants are leaving because of the fall of the ruble?

– Those who arrived 10-15 years ago are no longer migrant workers, they are citizens of Russia. And they already have children and even grandchildren born here. The third generation went to school, and the first considers itself native Tyumen.

According to Valeria, the rapid growth of Muslim diasporas is the main reason that just a year ago the residents of Tyumen were divided approximately equally: half sided with the Muslim family, believing that the child has the right to observe the commandments of his religion everywhere, including at school. The other half of Tyumen residents declared: let them observe it everywhere, but not in the children’s group. But just a year later, the picture has changed dramatically: now 98% of Tyumen residents (an approximate calculation was made by volunteers by assessing opinions in social networks and thematic public pages. – Auto.) against the hijab as an “imposition of religion.”

“If in a class of 30 people there is only one girl wearing a headscarf, then yes, she becomes a black sheep,” says Tamara Alekseevna, a junior school teacher at one of the Tyumen schools. – And children react to everyone who is not “like everyone else”, this is inevitable. And they ask questions: why is Aina wearing a headscarf and Anya not?

The teacher must know how to answer such questions so that the child understands, but without going too deep. But now the situation is different: in a class of 30 people, where half are girls, half of them are in hijabs. And the closer the school is to the market, the more “covered” girls there are in the class.

– Is that why parents demand a ban on hijabs?

– At our school they don’t require it. A year ago, the deputy governor explained that each school at its own level has the right to allow or prohibit any “religious paraphernalia.” We allowed it because we have the majority of such students. But in general there is an anti-hijab mood in the city. Because diasporas demonstratively live according to their own rules, regardless of ours.

This is roughly what Tyumen parents say in city public pages: “A school is a state institution where children are given a unified education that is independent of religion. There are rules and requirements for the appearance of students. If every representative of a nation demands at school that the traditions and attire of their nation be observed, it will be a mess.”

Today, many Tyumen parents are demanding that the ban on hijab in schools be enshrined in law.

“One local art critic wrote on her blog that the hijab is propaganda,” says Malakhat, who moved with her family to Tyumen from Tajikistan. – Next, there were immediately those who did not like the saleswoman in a hijab and the conductor on the bus with his head covered.

One woman wrote about “hijab propaganda” on the official page of the governor of the Tyumen region, and it was not erased. And the man left a message on the social media page of the Tyumen Orthodox Cathedral (Znamensky Cathedral. – Auto.), demanding that migrants from Central Asia be expelled from Tyumen altogether. They say that we do not respect Russian traditions and law. And they didn’t delete it there either. On the contrary, higher-ranking clergy also commented. And our imam said: if you can’t go to school wearing a hijab, then you have to give up – but not the hijab, but school.

– Maybe you really are imposing your rules too much in a Russian city?

– Are we imposing? We were told at school that the basics of world religions in the 4th grade will be a choice – you can choose any, including Buddhism, as well as atheism and simply the history of the emergence of different faiths. But in fact, the whole class is studying Orthodoxy. And my children are Muslim too.

– But at the same time, it’s so impossible to remove the hijab that it’s easier not to go to school?!

– Our girl at the age of 9 decides for herself whether to wear a hijab or not. If she lives in Russia, where there are secular laws, she may not want to, and the family will not put pressure. Why create problems for a child if he grows up in a different environment?! But there is one thing: if a girl herself decides and once puts on a hijab, she can no longer take it off – this is a sin.

Meanwhile, the Tobolsk-Tyumen diocese called for a “careful” approach to the hijab issue, reminding parishioners that “every person is a human being, even if he is not a citizen of our country.”