Why Are There Salafi Attacks In Russia?
By Hasan Kanbolat
06 January 2014
Russia is in shock after bombs exploded in the city of Volgograd. It is assumed that the main target of the attacks in Pyatigorsk and Dagestan is the Sochi Winter Olympics that are scheduled to start Feb 7.
Volgograd was picked as a target of the attacks for several reasons. It was an important city in the history of the Soviet Union. Formerly known as Stalingrad, the city became popular because of its resistance against Nazi forces. It is located in the north of the North Caucasus region and the city is close to Dagestan as well as the Chechen and Kabardino-Balkar Republics, where Salafis are influential. It's a place where Tatars, Central Asian people and Caucasians live. Volgograd girls born out of marriages between Caucasians and Russians are known for their beauty. It is thought to be a city where the Salafi attackers were able to find a place to hide and security measures were relatively lax.
It is expected that additional attacks will take place in cities close to Sochi. Rostov-on-Don, located in the north of Caucasia, as well as Krasnodar and Stavropol are the cities now in danger.
The contemporary interpretation of Salafism, which basically means “return to the origins,” enables the association of Islam with terrorism. Moscow is trying to deal with the situation by introducing new laws and bans. President Vladimir Putin has asked Head of the Chechen Republic Ramzan Kadyrov to take measures against any possible attacks in Sochi. (Kadyrov may pay a visit to Turkey after the Sochi Winter Olympics. He already sends thousands of Chechen kids to Antalya for summer vacations and is eager for his visit.)
Moscow wants to introduce life sentence for terror crimes. The Putin administration has also taken action to shut down radical Islamist websites. This is a very important step because many young people are influenced by the content and propaganda presented online and through Facebook accounts. For example, I would like to tell you of my own experience in this matter. The son of a wealthy Kabarday family involved in politics in Nalchik, capital of the Kabardino-Balkar Republic, ran away from home. He moved to Syria, passing through Turkey, to join the al-Nusra Front. The family was devastated. The father moved to Gaziantep to find his son. The Syrian war has created a new type of network that finds young people fighting in the country. The father made a deal with this network, which then found his son and brought him from Syria to Gaziantep. Al-Nusra has its own principles. They do not accept men who are the only sons in their family and those who do not have their father's blessing. And the father used this principle to get his son back to Nalchik.
Russia can deal with Salafi terror through Sufism and traditional Islam. It should pay more attention to Islam. Departments of Middle Eastern affairs, Islamic studies and Arabic language and literature as well as translation services remain closed to Muslims in Russia. If measures are taken to deal with this problem and Muslims in Russia become more influential, a moderate climate could be created. In addition, Russia should abandon the paranoia that Turkey is provoking Russian Muslims against Russia and should benefit from Turkey's experience. Likewise, Ankara may use Russia's experience in the Balkans and the Middle East. To this end, the cooperation mechanism between Russia and Turkey should involve religious matters as well.
Source: http://www.todayszaman.com/columnist/hasan-kanbolat_335915_why-are-there-salafi-attacks-in-russia.html
URL: https://newageislam.com/islam-terrorism-jihad/there-salafi-attacks-russia/d/35212