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| Chechen cleric denies Kadyrov apologized to Saudis over fatwa |
| 2016-12-04 |
| [RFE/RL] Chechnya's leading Islamic cleric has formally rejected suggestions that Chechen chief Ramzan Kadyrov was made to visit Saudi Arabia to apologize for a religious edict that was seen as a snub of Salafism. Mufti Salakh-hadzhi Mezhiyev called "untrue and an outright lie" reports that Kadyrov went to Jiddah to offer apologies for the fatwa, adopted at a conference in Grozny three months ago, that designated Salafism as "an aberrant sect." Several media outlets in both Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates had reported that Kadyrov did indeed present his apologies. Whether the remarks attributed to him constitute a genuine apology is a matter of interpretation, however. The August conference of Islamic scholars was tied to the 65th birthday of Kadyrov's late father, Akhmed-hadzhi Kadyrov. Its stated purpose was to discuss the abuse of Islamic ideas to propagate "extremism." Regardless of the motives for Kadyrov's reported apology or the terms in which it was possibly couched, two separate Russian scholars of Islam commentators have already concluded that he has irrevocably sabotaged any chances he may have had to secure for himself recognition in the Arab world as the leader of Russia's Muslims. |
| Posted by:ryuge |