Controversy still rages
in Russia following a statement by Vsevolod Chaplin, head of the Moscow
Patriarchate Department for External Church Relations, who called on
Russian women to dress more modestly to avoid becoming victims of sexual
violence.
Online and in print, comments and condemnations have
multiplied against the so-called “Orthodox dress code”.
Editorial
writers and public opinion have slammed the Moscow Patriarchate for
interfering in people’s private lives, with many people noting that
Russia is a secular state.
Controversial Chechen President Ramzan Kadyrov, a
Muslim, raised even more eyebrows by publicly endorsing the Orthodox
clergyman’s appeal, something unhelpful for the Orthodox Church’s
crusade in favour of a “dignified dress”.
In Chechnya, Kadyrov set up a
“morality police” that stops women not dressed according to Muslim
rules.
Local witnesses said police punish unveiled women by throwing
paint at them.
Appeal for a national dress code
According to Chaplin, Russian women dress like
strippers, wear makeup like clowns, and sometimes show an attitude that
is so enticing that it can lead to sexual violence.
By describing
women’s clothing as “too uninhibited”, the representative of the
Patriarchate said he hoped for the introduction of a national dress code
in schools, public buildings and companies.
“Some people confuse the street for a strip club,” the
clergyman said. “A woman who is underdressed or made up like a clown
will not find a man to share her life, a man with an ounce of
intelligence and self-respect,” he added.
Human rights organisations reacted immediately to the
statement.
In a letter against Chaplin’s remarks signed by 700 people
and addressed to the Moscow Patriarch Kirill, Liudmilla Alekseyeva, head
of the Moscow chapter of the Helsinki group, described the clergyman’s
words as a breach of people’s right to privacy, which is banned by the
federal constitution.
The issue went viral on websites and blogs with people
asking whether the Scriptures include a dress code or wondering if
Russia would become as rigid and intransigent as Muslim countries in
matters that touch the private sphere.
“An appeal to be modest and wear a dignified dress is
not an attempt to infringe upon women’s rights,” said President Kadyrov,
who also criticised Russian television for showing “naked women
everywhere” in lieu of “concerts of folk music”.
“Once upon a time, the world admired Russian culture
for people like Tolstoy; now we have opened the doors to a soulless
Western lifestyle,” he added.
Women’s dress is not the only issue recently raised by
the Orthodox Church.
Last week, proposals were presented in parliament
to exclude abortion from insurance coverage and increase the cost and
red tape for women seeking an abortion
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