Chechnya's Kadyrov calls for shorter beards, rejects burqas and Arab style clothing

Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov had critical words for a particular style that he has seen being worn by men in the republic, calling upon male citizens to refrain from keeping long beards for the bad example it sets for the youth.

He made the remarks during a meeting with officials overseeing the region’s security agencies, as Caliber.Az reports, citing Russian media outlets.

Kadyrov said he had noticed men wearing particularly long beards despite, in his words, not attending Friday congregational prayers or regularly visiting mosques. He accused some of them of spending their time walking around the city and described their appearance as an emerging trend that young people were beginning to imitate.

“We have men walking around with very long beards. At the same time, they do not attend the collective Friday prayer, do not go to mosques, walk around the avenues around the clock, and do nothing. They have turned long beards and rolled-up trousers into some kind of strange fashion, and the younger generation is beginning to imitate them. I appeal to them: shorten your beards and wear them in accordance with religion,” Kadyrov criticized.

The Chechen leader also addressed changes in women’s clothing, claiming that some women had begun completely covering themselves with veils in a style he said was not traditionally associated with the republic.

“They should also be urged to dress in accordance with Islam without adopting the Arab style of clothing. The burqa has never been worn here,” Kadyrov added.

By Nazrin Sadigova