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| Chechen officials deny targeting ads with bareheaded women |
| 2011-11-04 |
| Businesses in Chechnya have been targeted for displaying advertisements of bareheaded women. A spokesman for President Ramzan Kadyrov denies any government ban on such advertisements. Chechen businesses that display advertisements featuring bareheaded women have been subject to attack and ordered to remove any images of women not wearing a headscarf. Kadyrov's spokesman has denied any government orders to target businesses in this manner. However an anonymous source in the regional government was reported by Alarabyia to have stated that the attacks actually were ordered by the local government. Islamic law is increasingly being forced on the women of Chechnya. Four years ago, Kadyrov introduced a law stating women must cover their hair before entering public buildings. There are reports of armed men threatening women if they don't cover up. A Chechen who participated in paint ball attacks against women who failed to cover their hair defended his actions by saying, "We are trying to warn women of their possible sins before God. We do this through force, fighting and battles." The latest attacks have targeted businesses including hair salons. The men who have forced advertisements to be removed or covered have not gone as far as demanding the salon's customers cover their hair while in the salons. |
| Posted by:ryuge |