Russia’s Putin backs ban on headscarves at schoolsOctober 18, 2012 - 22:02 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday, Oct 18, that he is opposed to allowing students to wear Muslim headscarves at schools, but welcomed the idea of returning to school uniforms. Several Muslim families in the city of Stavropol in southern Russia have recently complained to the muftiat saying that their daughters were not allowed to attend school wearing headscarves. “We should always respect people's religious feelings but we must proceed from the fact that we live in a secular state,” Putin said at a meeting with People’s Front activists. “We need to see how our neighbors in European countries are dealing with this problem, then everything will become clear,” he said. The Russian president insisted that attempts to stand out in multi-religious communities will sooner or later make representatives of other religions feel deprived of their freedoms and rights. “It is better if everybody feels equal,” Putin stressed. He also proposed that regional and municipal authorities should consider re-introducing a single school uniform at schools across Russia, as it used to be in the Soviet Union. Putin pointed at the positive experience of some European countries which have a "good tradition" of introducing uniforms not only in schools but also in universities. Top stories Authorities said a total of 192 Azerbaijani troops were killed and 511 were wounded during Azerbaijan’s offensive. In 2023, the Azerbaijani government will increase the country’s defense budget by more than 1.1 billion manats ($650 million). The bill, published on Monday, is designed to "eliminate the shortcomings of an unreasonably broad interpretation of the key concept of "compatriot". The earthquake caused a temporary blackout, damaged many buildings and closed a number of rural roads. Partner news | The Power of One Dram to benefit Road of Life charity The companies inform that the May beneficiary of The Power of One Dram is the “Road of Life” charitable organization. Ucom General Director gives lecture at French University in Armenia The General Director of Ucom Ralph Yirikian delivered a lecture at the French University of Armenia. Kazakhstan welcomes Yerevan, Baku’s agreement to meet in Almaty Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has welcomed the agreement of Baku and Yerevan to hold negotiations in Almaty. Armenia offers to temporarily host, preserve Gaza manuscripts The Armenian Foreign Minister has said Yerevan is ready to help preserve manuscripts from the conflict zone in Gaza. |