A petition to protect mothers' rights in the North Caucasus has garnered just over 80 signatures in three days.

Pyatimat Yevkurova, a seriously ill resident of Ingushetia, died without ever seeing her child grow up. In December, her sister appealed to the head of the Investigative Committee of Russia, demanding punishment for those responsible for violating Pyatimat's rights. Social media users pointed out that the way her husband's relatives treated Pyatimat contradicts the rules of Islam and the norms of humanity. Zalina Yevkurova's petition, published on Change.org on January 15, had garnered 157 signatures by 4 p.m. Moscow time, demanding justice for mothers and not separating them from their children. It should be noted that as of 4:05 a.m. Moscow time on January 16, only 82 people have supported the petition.

Post in The Caucasian Knot's Facebook post dedicated to Zalina Yevkurova's petition had garnered 280 comments by 4 p.m. Moscow time. The main topic of discussion among readers is the extent to which religion and custom should influence custody issues and family conflicts.

"She married of her own free will, had children, and then bye-bye. That's wrong. She should listen to her husband; no man will abandon an obedient wife. If not, then go as she came!" said commenter Uvais Kantaev.

"I don't think there's a huge problem with this kind of thing in the Caucasus. I'm sure these are rare cases. And this is because young divorced women later marry other men, i.e., arrange their personal lives. And the children stay with the elderly," said Ond Top.

"All the rules for divorce are prescribed by Sharia law. Elders also act fairly." "They decide, but usually parents can't agree with each other," noted Ruslan Bichuev.

"What does Sharia have to do with this? Secular laws apply in the Russian Federation," Olga Ahshunna Afanaseva countered.

"If this is happening, it's not a tradition, it's savagery! What kind of tradition is this, separating a mother from her child and not letting them see her? Who came up with this? Did any of them think about the child, what it's like for them not to see their mother? Yes, the child has no say, but they will grow up someday and have their say! Although, by that time (religious authorities) will have died, ruining a person's childhood and destiny," Tom Peterson believes.

Most of the commentators expressed solidarity with Zalina Yevkurova, calling the separation of mothers from their children a crime and medieval cruelty.

"This It's scary when children are taken away from a mother. If I hadn't run away with two children, they would have taken them away from me too! And this was in the 80s, when divorces were almost non-existent. Even if I had been granted a divorce, they wouldn't have kept the children. Why does this father need children? He'll marry another woman who won't give him the warmth of a mother, and the children will suffer," Marieta Dzeitova shared her experience.

"I completely support this girl. Children should be with their mother. No one can replace a mother for a child. And don't talk to me about grandmothers, aunts, and uncles. Those who justify this, I sincerely feel sorry for you, you have no soul, no heart, no compassion for the child," wrote Rimma Dymova.

"Okay, the children stay with the father in a divorce. I can understand that, although I myself would never leave him. But why is a mother forbidden from seeing her child? What kind of blasphemy is this and "The Middle Ages? Children should communicate with their mothers! If not for the mother's sake, then for the children's sake. Every child really needs a mother!" she expressed her position.

"Islam does not allow the humiliation and abuse of women and children. You just understand that not everyone in the Caucasus practices Islam; there are those who have apostatized," said Hasan Al-Ingush.

It should be noted that in the North Caucasus, mothers are often separated from their children after divorcing their husbands and spend years fighting to at least see their children, according to a report from the "Caucasian Knot" "Maria Smelaya is one of the mothers who was separated from her children in the Caucasus." On October 10, it was reported that the ECHR found that the rights of Muscovite Zhanetta Tukhaeva, who had sued the father of her two sons for custody in Moscow, Chechnya, and Dagestan, had been violated. Zhanetta still can't meet her eldest son, whom she hasn't seen for over ten years, despite all the court rulings in her favor. She initiated a lawsuit to terminate her ex-husband's parental rights due to a 3.5 million alimony debt.