Advocate Murad Musaev treats ban on hijabs in schools of Stavropol Territory as unlawful; Lev Levinson reminds about ECtHR's position

The advocate Murad Musaev believes that the decision of the Supreme Court (SC) of the Russian Federation to ban wearing hijabs in schools of the Stavropol Territory contradicts to the provisions of the Constitution regarding the right to the freedom of religion. In his turn, human rights activist Lev Levinson, while recognizing that "the school dress code in fact has become a step against Muslims," points out to the formal compliance of the court verdict with the law.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that today the Collegium of the Russian SC has refused to grant the appeal against the decision of the Stavropol Regional Court on the lawsuit against the territorial government in connection with the ban on wearing hijabs in schools.

The experts have disagreed on whether it is possible to overturn by judicial means the decision about school uniform on the basis of its conflict with the Constitution.

Thus, Murad Musaev has emphasized that at present schools in the Stavropol Territory prefer to obey to the decision of the regional government and not the federal law and the Russian Constitution.

At the same time, Lev Levinson believes that "if the majority of schoolchildren at a school is made up of Muslims, the principal will likely turn a blind eye to the schoolchildren's non-compliance with the requirements to prevent conflict and not to uphold the principles at any cost."