Not even Kadyrov's Islamised Chechnya wants women with their faces covered with the niqab
The Chechen leader has imposed a strong Islamization of public life, but rejects the niqab because he considers it an imported fashion alien to local tradition.
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Ramzan Kadyrov has once again set the limits of the Islamisation that he himself has promoted in Chechnya. According to the Russian media outlet Islam News, The leader of the republic criticised women who cover their faces completely.. He also advocated that young people observe religious precepts. without adopting “external elements of Arab culture”. According to Kadyrov, this type of clothing is not part of Chechen tradition and women can dress in accordance with Islam without covering their faces.
The position is particularly surprising because Kadyrov is no defender of secularisation. On the contrary, Under its government, Chechnya has experienced a strong Islamisation of public life.. Human Rights Watch documented the existence of a de facto Islamic dress code for women years ago., with the obligation to cover their hair in public institutions, schools and other spaces. Kadyrov himself has repeatedly argued that Chechen women should dress modestly and follow Islamic precepts.
Islam yes, face covered no
The distinction that Kadyrov establishes is, therefore, very concrete. It does not question the headscarf nor the requirement for women to dress according to Islamic standards, other than the wearing of items that completely conceal the face. For the Chechen leader, these forms of dress would not be native to the local culture, but rather an import associated with other Muslim societies.
This defence of local tradition also affects men. During the same meeting, Kadriov criticised young men who grow their beards excessively. or they wear shorts imitating certain religious models. According to him, Many adopt an outwardly Islamic appearance without this translating into genuine religious practice.. His message is that Chechens should follow the religion, but without copying an aesthetic imported from the Arab world.
A regime that imposes Islamic morality
Kadyrov's rejection of the niqab is particularly significant because his government has for years imposed strict religious criteria on dress and public morality. In July 2025, Chechen authorities even went so far as to shut down women's clothing shops for publishing promotional videos considered “indecent”.” and contrary to the values of Islam. The Chechen Muftiate denounced that those adverts “showed bodies, not clothes” and demanded they be withdrawn before allowing the establishments to reopen.
Control went so far as to create a WhatsApp group with representatives of the administration and the muftiate so that traders could send promotional content to it in advance. Showing women without a headscarf or in a way considered too body-focused could result in sanctions or the closure of the business. It is in this context that Kadyrov's new stance gains momentum: It does not call for less Islamic dress, but rather rejects the adoption of forms of Islamisation that it considers to be imported. and alien to Chechen tradition.
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