MOSCOW: Russia’s southern Dagestan region on Wednesday issued a temporary ban against wearing the niqab in the Muslim-majority republic, citing security reasons after a recent attack against churches and synagogues.
This veil — which hides the entirety of a woman’s face with the exception of the eyes — is “temporarily prohibited until the elimination of existing threats,” said Dagestan’s highest religious body.
Last month, gunmen simultaneously attacked two churches, two synagogues and a police checkpoint in two cities in Dagestan, killing 22 people.
The attacks came just three months after Daesh fighters killed more than 140 in an assault on a Moscow concert hall, the deadliest terror attack in Russia for almost two decades.
Few details have surfaced about the identities and motivations of the attackers in Dagestan.
The incidents had echoes of the kind of insurgent violence that struck the North Caucasus during the 1990s and 2000s, however, the Kremlin has dismissed fears of a renewed wave of violent unrest.
In the 1990s, Moscow fought two wars for control of the neighboring Chechnya region, with President Vladimir Putin touted his success in quashing the insurgency at the start of his presidency.
Militants from Dagestan are known to have traveled to join Daesh in Syria.
Russia’s Dagestan bans niqab over ‘threats’ after attacks
https://arab.news/pb669
Russia’s Dagestan bans niqab over ‘threats’ after attacks
- This veil is “temporarily prohibited until the elimination of existing threats,” said Dagestan’s highest religious body
- Few details have surfaced about the identities and motivations of the attackers in Dagestan
Pull him off TV: Steve Bannon shuts down Sen. Lindsey Graham
- Trump’s former chief strategist called for the senator to be registered as a foreign agent
DUBAI: Former White House chief strategist Steve Bannon called on Tuesday for US Sen. Lindsey Graham to be registered as a foreign agent of the Israeli government, escalating a growing conservative backlash against the senator’s vocal support for Israel.
Speaking on his podcast “War Room,” Bannon said Graham should be “pulled off of television.”
“This is dangerous … because you have guys like Lindsey Graham and dozens more that are doing the wrong thing,” said Bannon.
In a Fox News interview on Monday, Graham said: “To all the antisemites, to all the isolationists … I’m not with you, I’m with Israel, I will be with Israel to our dying day.”
Graham also urged Gulf Arab states to join military action against Iran. “What I want you to do in the Middle East, to our friends in Saudi Arabia and other places, (is) step forward and say ‘this is my fight too, I join America, I’m publicly involved in bringing this regime down,’” he said.
In a post on X, Graham questioned the value of a US defense agreement with Saudi Arabia following the evacuation of the American Embassy in Riyadh, writing: “Why should America do a defense agreement with a country like the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia that is unwilling to join a fight of mutual interest?”
Faisal J. Abbas, editor-in-chief of Arab News, responded to Graham’s comments in a Sky News interview, saying: “He flip flops so much, it’s actually entertaining.”
“On one hand, he says he will never set foot in Saudi Arabia. The next day, he’s here signing multimillion-dollar deals.”
“I don’t think anyone here takes him seriously,” Abbas added.
He warned Graham to be careful what he wished for: “Do you really want Saudi Arabia involved in this war putting our oil facilities at risk or do you want us stabilizing the energy markets?”
Graham pressed further, warning that inaction would carry a price. “Hopefully Gulf Cooperation Council countries will get more involved as this fight is in their backyard. If you are not willing to use your military now, when are you willing to use it?”
“Hopefully this changes soon. If not, consequences will follow.”
The American Embassy is being evacuated in Riyadh because of sustained attacks by Iran against the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
— Lindsey Graham (@LindseyGrahamSC) March 9, 2026
It is my understanding the Kingdom refuses to use their capable military as a part of an effort to end the barbaric and terrorist Iranian regime who has…
Graham’s remarks drew sharp criticism from Bannon and others including podcast host Megyn Kelly.
She questioned on X whether Graham was overstepping his authority as a senator, writing: “When did Lindsey Graham become our president?”
Kelly also said Graham had threatened Lebanon, Cuba, Saudi Arabia, the wider Arab region, and Spain within a 24-hour period.
When did Lindsay Graham become our president? In the past 24 hours he’s threatened Lebanon, Cuba, the Saudis, the wider Arab region and now - checks notes - Spain https://t.co/h53EuFJRyQ
— Megyn Kelly (@megynkelly) March 10, 2026
The problem with Graham “isn’t (just) that he’s a homicidal maniac, it’s that Trump likes and is listening to him,” she said in another post.
Let’s get real. The problem with Lindsay Graham isn’t (just) that he’s a homicidal maniac, it’s that Trump likes and is listening to him, and Trump’s favorite channel is parading him around like a Hefner bunny in stockings on every show.
— Megyn Kelly (@megynkelly) March 10, 2026
