Islamic prayer for Chechen soldiers in Ukraine
Civil servants obliged by the Caucasian republic's authorities to attend religious ceremonies for local soldiers engaged in Ukraine. Chechen Imam in Nice: Islam forbids wars of invasion. The subject of the fallen, and their funeral, is forbidden in Chechnya, as in the rest of Russia.
Moscow (AsiaNews) - In the central mosque of Grozny "Heart of Chechnya" special prayer meetings are being held "for the preservation of life and health" of the special forces deployed in Ukraine. Chechen President Ramzan Kadyrov has deployed them in support of the Russian 'special military operation'. Some of the participants confessed to Kavkaz.Realii that attendance had been imposed as compulsory, gathering in the place of worship many public administration workers under threat of dismissal.
The 'Tahajjud Namaz' is a voluntary night prayer, which is not part of the five obligatory daily Islamic prayers, and is believed to be more precious to Allah because of this. It is usually recited at home, and there are no large gatherings in the mosque like those in Grozny. The crowd of worshippers was summoned at 1:30 a.m. with social messages, specifying that special transport was provided and no excuses were allowed: "Those who cannot come for various reasons, write a letter of resignation and then stay at home".
In the end, there were too many people gathered, and not all of them were able to enter the mosque, joining the prayer from the street. One woman recounted that "the men prayed inside, while we women were forced to do the entire Tahajjud in the courtyard, in three degrees below zero". The prayer was also broadcast on the local Instagram channel, in which members of Kadyrov's family can be seen praying on the second floor of the mosque.
The religious administration of Chechen Muslims has announced that night prayers will be held regularly in all mosques in the republic, "if Allah permits". Kadyrov himself issued a message in the Chechen language in which he recalled that participation in the war in Ukraine 'is an obligation for all Muslims, since the adversary offends the Most High, religion and the prophet', while death in this conflict 'will be as sacred as that of the martyrs of the prophet Mohammed'. The president also added that "the news of the great prayer of the people has greatly inspired our fighters, they themselves said that thanks to it they remained alive, without wounds and under the protection of Allah".
However, the Chechen imam of the French city of Nice, Ramzan Magomadov, pointed out that Islam forbids wars of invasion of other territories, "and here we are dealing with a war of occupation by Russia, it has nothing to do with Allah". Chechens living in Ukraine, on the other hand, are standing 'together with the infidels to defend their homeland from foreign aggression', while Chechens in the Caucasus and other countries should simply remain outside this conflict. 'A Muslim living in Russia should prefer prison, rather than participating in an invasion and facing certain death.
An Islamic preacher from the Kurčaloev province in Chechnya, who preferred to remain anonymous, told Kavkaz.Realii that 'the main characteristic of a Muslim's prayer must be sincerity, so the obligation to be present in the mosque makes the prayer completely ineffective and will not be heard by Allah'. It would not even apply to asking for positive gifts such as family unity or success at work, "let alone asking for aid for the military in this way". Especially since the invocation of the Tahajjud, the 'Douâa', is not said aloud like regular prayers, 'and no one can check who you are actually praying for', the preacher explains.
Journalists have tried to ask for the reactions of the relatives of the many Chechen soldiers killed, but no one has had the courage to respond, since the subject of the dead, and their funeral, is absolutely forbidden by the local authorities, who have so far officially recognised only 199 soldiers who died in the fighting in Ukraine.
.png)
15/11/2022 09:40
21/06/2022 09:32
