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September 28, 2006

Russia: Imam Murder - One Man Arrested

We wrote two days ago that an imam had been shot dead outside his apartment in the city of Kislovodsk, in the federal republic of Stavropol Krai, which adjoins the mostly Muslim federal republics of the North Caucasus. The imam, Abubakir Kurbijiyev (also spelled Abubakir Kudzhiyev) had been attacked, apparently, by two men at 11 pm on Monday, September 25. He had been imam of the city mosque. Shortly after this event, when police tried to check identification of two individuals, shots were fired and one policeman was injured.

Today, according to Interfax-Religion, a man has been arrested in connection with the murder. A source in the department of interior affairs in Mineralny Vody said: "A resident of the Predgorny district, born in 1983 in Russia's internal republic of Komi, who is suspected of murdering the imam of a Kislovodsk mosque, was detained."

Whether the man is a Muslim or non-Muslim has not been revealed. Pravda announced earlier that a following imam Kudzhiyev's killing, a statement was sent to reporters, claiming to come from the Jamaat of Karachayevo-Cherkessiya. Karachayevo-Cherkessiya adjoins Stavropol Krai, and we wrote in August that an imam had been shot in the small republic for committing the heresy of using plant medicine for healing. Six other "healers" had earlier been shot in this republic.

The statement from the Jamaat of Karachayevo-Cherkessiya read: "There is a list of traitors who under the guise of Islam commit dirty crimes and hamper the victory of true Islam - these are people who sold out and they are the ones we target."

The killing of Imam Kudzhiyev, whether carried out by Muslims or kaffirs, has been seen by many commenters as a sign of the resurgence of Russian nationalism.

Yesterday, the Orthodox church voiced its concern about the killing, and noted the increase in attacks recently upon mosques, synagogues and chapels. Interfax-Religion said that Vsevolod Chaplin, spokesman for the Moscow Patriarchate said that these attacks were undermining inter-faith relationships.

He said: "Peaceful co-existence between believers has again been subjected to trials. This can be beneficial only to Russia's enemies, only to those who hate inter-religious harmony, which is this country's strong point...Vandals have attacked synagogues in Khabarovsk and Astrakhan, a mosque in Yaroslavl, and an Orthodox chapel in Novokuibyshevsk. After that, a religious leader in Kislovodsk who firmly adhered to the positions of Islam traditional to Russia was killed."

Father Vsevolod said that the incidents happened "as if at someone's command, within several days, in the run-up to a Muslim fast and Orthodox and Jewish holidays....It is especially important for adherents of different religions in these circumstances to support each other in these common tribulations."

An article in RIA Novosti discusses the outbreak of nationalism in Russia adding in the context of racial murders, which have increased.

Human rights activists have noted that attacks in St Petersburg on citizens of India and Sudan are motivated by racial hatred. Galina Kozhevnikova of the Sova analytical center, linked the racial attacks with an increase in the activities of radical and nationalist groups. She said: "This is no surprise - starting from late September we always witness a burst of ethnic hatred."

The St Petersburg murders have been listed by authorities as "hooligan-motivated manslaughter" and "robbery", and human rights activists believe that such labeling misleads society and creates the impression that xenophobia in Russia is not as serious an issue as it really is.

Posted by Giraldus Cambrensis at September 28, 2006 7:29 AM

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