Muslim migrants pray in the streets of Russia

The debate among Russians over Islamic rituals in public spaces in the absence of sufficient places of worship is becoming increasingly heated. Muslim religious authorities reiterate their recommendation to choose places where other people are not disturbed. But in the growing climate of hostility towards communities from Central Asia, there is no shortage of violent raids against Muslims at prayer.

Moscow (AsiaNews) - Investigations are underway in Russia against bus drivers, mostly migrants from Central Asia, accused by passengers of stopping at bus stops to perform Islamic prayer practices, leaving everyone waiting. These incidents are sparking a heated debate on the public prayer rituals of Muslim migrants, which are blocking traffic in several locations. This is a problem that exists in many European countries, but in Russia it is becoming increasingly worrying.

In Khabarovsk, one of the main cities in the Russian Far East, one of these drivers was cited for violating the rules for stopping to pray at a bus station while passengers remained in the waiting room, waiting for their public transport to arrive. The man was then let go without a fine, having proven that he was taking his official work break, but the video showing him kneeling sparked furious reactions on Russian social media.

Many Muslim believers stop to pray on the pavements of Russian cities, and this practice also provokes angry reactions from the population, against a backdrop of growing hostility towards migrant workers, which even leads to acts of violence against them. There are millions of Central Asians in Russia, including those who have obtained citizenship and those who come for the working season, and they are subject to increasingly strict controls by the police after the tragic terrorist attack at Krokus City Hall in March 2024, for which several Tajik citizens were arrested.

For many Russians, praying in public places, parks or on public transport is considered disrespectful and provocative, but Muslim worshippers complain about the lack of mosques in many regions of Russia, including the capitals Moscow and St Petersburg. The authorities at the ocean port of Vladivostok have taken disciplinary measures against drivers who pray in front of their buses or taxis during working hours, recommending that they “seek alternative, more secluded places to perform religious rites, without causing inconvenience to those around them”.

The issue is now also being addressed by the central authorities in Russia, as in the statements by Valery Fadeev, head of the Human Rights Council under the Presidency of the Federation, who during a visit to Uzbekistan said that ‘when a person spreads out a prayer mat in the metro, or a driver stops to perform namaz, all this appears rather uncivilised’.

These practices also raise concerns within the Muslim world itself, considering that according to Islamic canons, the faithful can pray in parks, airports or workplaces ‘if the space is clean’, but must choose another place if this may disturb those around them. An important religious authority in Tajikistan, Adkham Khajdarzoda, assures that Islam recommends believers to ‘avoid praying in the streets and in crowded places’.

According to Russian activist Valentina Čupik, growing hostility towards Islamic religious practices is further exacerbating discrimination against migrants from Central Asia, and angry comments on the internet are increasingly turning into violent actions, especially by the increasingly widespread groups of far-right nationalists. Some taxi drivers, fearing reactions, stop to pray while hiding behind rubbish bins, demonstrating how Russia today is reducing the integration of peoples to the most shameful and inhumane levels.