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| Kyrgyzstan President Almazbek Atambayev |
The president of Kyrgyzstan claims women can become radicalised by wearing Islamic dress
When speaking about a government-backed campaign aimed at getting women out of veils, Almazbek Atambayev said the country's women had been 'wearing
miniskirts since the 1950s, and they never thought about wearing an explosive belt'.
'You can wear even tarpaulin boots on your head, but do not organise bombings.
This is not religion. Let them wear even miniskirts but there must not be any blasts,' he said, according to the BBC.
Mr Atambayev, who is the leader of a country where 80 per cent of the population identify as Muslim, also said donning Islamic dress was not in line with traditional Kyrgyz culture and was a possibly a sign of danger.
He said terrorists were 'insane people' and clothes had the potential to 'change one's thoughts'.
'When we were searching for prisoners who had escaped a detention centre, [former interior minister] Melis Turganbayev... said that they had been eavesdropping on
'Their wives and mistresses wore sacks on their heads and they wanted to organise bombings.'
Mr Atambayev's government has been met with criticism recently over controversial banners that have been erected across the country which are encouraging women not to wear Islamic clothing.
The advertisement features photos of women wearing the traditional dress of Kyrgyzstan and women covered with burkas and niqabs.
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