“Wow, you’re beautiful,” said Yevloyev when Drama, wearing her hijab, took her place for the interview.
The non-Muslim Drama then began the interview cautiously.
“Can I look at you?” she asked.
“Yes, but I wouldn’t be able to look at you if you weren’t wearing that,” Yevloyev replied.
Yevloyev comes from the Russian republic of Ingushetia and practices a strict interpretation of Islam. The interview has made headlines, and Yevloyev explains the requirement:
“I didn’t care about the interview, but I didn’t want to say no, so I made a demand that I didn’t think she would agree to,” he says in a video clip on X.
Drama defends her decision.
“It was a respectful way to make him feel comfortable,” she writes on X.