by Nina Achmatova

Over 800 thousand people, shouting "We love the Prophet" and "God is great", took to the streets led by pro- Kremlin leader Kadyrov. Orthodox bishops loyal to Putin also in support of Islam: "We too are against the West who want to sow hatred between religions."

Moscow (AsiaNews) - January 19 saw the "largest ever protest in the history of the North Caucasus" held in Chechnya, a Muslim majority area. Over 800 thousand people, according to official data, marched through the streets of downtown Grozny, led by political and religious authorities, to protest against the Muhammad cartoons, published by the French newspaper Charlie Hebdo.

The protest took place despite the January 7 massacre of the Parisian cartoonists by Islamic terrorists. About 60% of the population of this republic of the Russian Caucasus took to the streets, where the struggle for independence from Moscow has been transformed over the years into a holy war to establish an emirate in the region, which is also hemorrhaging fighters to the different fronts of jihad.

The authorities have done everything to 'encourage' people to join the initiative, promoted by the leader and the Kremlin loyalist Ramzan Kadyrov: schools and offices were closed, taxis were free all day, even businesses stopped working. It is said that many travelled from neighboring regions.

But beyond doubts surrounding the spontaneity of popular participation, the impression remains - as noted by the writer Boris Akunin - that Russia has reacted to the attacks in Paris as an Islamic country. The state media have spread the theory of a plot hatched by Western intelligence agencies; authorities have effectively banned the publication of caricatures of a religious, warning that will be regarded as 'extremist material'; the mufti weakly condemned terrorism, stressing above all that offenses against Muhammad will not be tolerated.

"This is a protest against those who insult the Muslim religion. God is great!" Kadyrov shouted to the crowd from the stands, repeatedly interrupted by the roar of the protesters "Allah Akbar!". The Chechen leader and also representatives of the Russian Orthodox clergy, such as the bishop of Makhachkala and Grozny, Varlaam, have warned that they will not be "exploited" by external forces that want to destabilize the country. "Today we are close to you and we say 'no' to the evil that the West seeks to spread, sowing discord between religions," said Varlaam.

Experts see the great protest, which ended with a collective prayer, as an act of homage by Muslim faithful towards the Kremlin which now more than ever cannot afford to be alienated. The same initiative convened in central Moscow last week "in defense of the religious feelings of believers", was banned for fear of provocations. In Ingushetia, however, also in the North Caucasus gathered 15 thousand people in Magas on January 18 under the slogan "we love Muhammad." Again, no criticism or comment from Moscow.

 

• RUSSIA
• mohammad
• cartoons
• protest
• islamic
• fundamentalism
• religious
• freedom