Draft Law Would Ban Religious Services in Russian Apartment Houses, Hitting Muslims Hardest

Paul Goble

            Staunton, Feb. 13 – Members of all four parliamentary parties in the Russian Duma have proposed a law that would ban religious services in Russian apartment houses in the name of blocking the spread of extremism and preventing residents from being disturbed by gatherings in such places.

            The bill is likely to pass (rbc.ru/politics/13/02/2026/698ca7b89a79470b563a34be), primarily because, despite provisions potentially affecting all religious groups, it would hit Muslims hardest because given a shortage of mosques in major cities, Islamic communities have more often than others set up prayer rooms to provide services to the faithful.

            Talgat Tajuddin, the head of the Central Muslim Spiritual Directorate (MSD) who styles himself the Supreme Mufti of Russia, has proposed a compromise. He agrees that such prayer rooms should not be used for religious services but should exist in apartment blocks and other places to allow individuals to pray.

            The mufti’s proposal is unlikely to gain traction in the Duma or to be realized in practice whatever the law says because many Russians see Muslim prayer rooms as offensive and dangerous and would likely continue to do so even if collective services in them were banned (akcent.site/novosti/44044).

            And many of Russia’s Muslims are likely to be upset with Tajuddin’s proposal, viewing it providing the Russian authorities with yet another reason for refusing to allow more mosques to be built in Russian cities while preventing them from organizing services in prayer rooms. 

            In Moscow, for example, where there are more than two million Muslims, there are only six mosques, something that has forced Muslims who want to gather for prayer to set up their own prayer rooms.