13.03.2008 - Source: Austrian Centre for Country of Origin and Asylum Research and Documentation

Persecution of Muslims in the Russsian Federation by police, especially in Bashkortostan ("a-5924 (ACC-RUS-5924)") [ID 22885]

Document(s): Open document

11.03.2008 - Source: US Department of State

Government officials and journalists often labeled Muslim organizations "Wahhabi”; term has become associated with extremism; reports of mosques, community centers and cemeteries vandalized in 2007 ("Country Report on Human Rights Practices 2007") [ID 22620]

"Government officials and journalists often labeled Muslim organizations "Wahhabi," a term that has become associated with extremism. The republics of Dagestan and Kabardino-Balkariya formally banned Wahhabism.

There were reports of mosques, Muslim community centers, and cemeteries being vandalized. For example, on March 3, a Muslim cemetery was vandalized in Kazantsevo village, Chelyabinsk region, by juveniles who tore crescent emblems from the grave markers. The boys were referred to juvenile inspectors. In another example, on April 19, a Muslim cemetery was desecrated in Kurgan.

In December 2006 a Yaroslavl court gave two teenage skinheads suspended sentences for inciting ethnic hatred after they threw molotov cocktails at a Yaroslavl mosque and a nearby parked car, and painted neo-Nazi graffiti on the mosque. (…)"

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14.09.2007 - Source: US Department of State

Numerous cases of Muslims being prosecuted for extremism or terrorism even when they had no clear relation to such activities ("International Religious Freedom Report 2007") [ID 21217]

"The Government also used counter-terrorism to commit serious violations of religious freedom against the Muslim population. There were numerous cases of Muslims being prosecuted for extremism or terrorism even when they have no clear relation to such activities. These included individuals detained for possessing religious literature such as the Qur'an, or on the basis of evidence allegedly planted by the police. Some people suspected by local police of Islamic extremism allegedly were subjected to torture and ill-treatment. According to human rights groups, a Supreme Court decision to ban 15 Muslim groups for alleged ties to international terrorism made it easier for officials to arbitrarily detain Muslims for alleged connections to these groups. Muslims continued to encounter societal discrimination and antagonism in some regions. After terrorists associated with Chechen, Ingush, and Islamic extremists seized a school in 2004 in Beslan, North Ossetia, interethnic and interreligious tensions resulting in discrimination persisted in the region without the authorities' intervention, according to NGOs. Muslims claimed that citizens in certain regions feared Muslims, citing cases such as a dispute in Kolomna, approximately 60 miles southeast of Moscow, over the proposed construction of a mosque. Government officials, journalists, and the public have liberally labeled Muslim organizations "Wahhabi," a term that has become equivalent with "extremist." Numerous press reports documented anti-Islamic sentiment."

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06.03.2007 - Source: US Department of State

Popular attitudes toward traditionally Muslim ethnic groups remained negative in many regions; anti-Chechen and anti-“Wahhabist” sentiment increased after each terrorist attack; government officials, journalists, and public were quick to label Muslim organizations "Wahhabi," a term that has become associated with extremism ("Country Report on Human Rights Practices 2006") [ID 19310]

For more detailed information please see the report

"Popular attitudes toward traditionally Muslim ethnic groups remained negative in many regions, and there were manifestations of anti-Semitism as well as societal hostility toward Roman Catholics and adherents of newer, non-Orthodox, religions. Racially or ethnically motivated attacks increased significantly in recent years, although it has often been difficult to determine whether xenophobia, religion, or ethnic prejudices were the primary motivation. Ethnic tensions ran high in the predominantly Muslim Northern Caucasus, and there were problems in some cities outside that region. Anti-Chechen and anti-"Wahhabist" sentiment increased after each terrorist attack tied to Chechen rebels and spiked in some regions after the 2004 seizure of a school in Beslan, North Ossetia, in which hundreds of persons, including many children, died at the hands of terrorists. Government officials, journalists, and the public were quick to label Muslim organizations "Wahhabi," a term that has become associated with extremism. Such sentiment led to a formal ban on Wahhabism in Dagestan and Kabardino-Balkariya. (…) Muslim cemeteries and buildings were vandalized in Moscow and other regions."

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01.02.2007 - Source: Institute for War and Peace Reporting

Dagestan: People converting to Islam in Russia's most traditional Islamic society report hostility from traditional Muslims and police persecution ("Dagestan: Converts Face Harassment") [ID 18584]

"To be a convert to Islam in the most traditional Islamic society in Russia, Dagestan, is not easy. New Muslims face hostility both from the authorities, who frequently suspect that they are Islamic extremists, and from traditional Muslims. (...)

Dagestan is generally regarded as the most devout Muslim republic in Russian and has Islamic roots going back more than a thousand years. It has undergone a big religious revival in the last 15 years. Since 1990, more than 2,000 mosques and several thousand prayer houses have opened. Around twelve thousand people make the pilgrimage to Mecca every year. In Russia as a whole, there are estimated to be 10,000 converts to Islam, around three quarters of whom are women who converted after marriage. In Dagestan, there are believed to be more than 400 converts. (...)

A source in the counter-intelligence service, the FSB, in Dagestan says that they have information about more than 100 converts who have turned to extremism in Russia as a whole. Ali Aliev, a human rights activist with the Glasnost fund in Dagestan, warned that dangerous assumptions were being made.“If an adherent of another faith accepts Islam we can say that that automatically makes this person an object of interest for the police and the religious authorities,” said Aliev.“They explain their interest on the grounds that a new convert has definitely been recruited by the terrorist underground in the republic for money. But we can’t base our actions just on guesses and assumptions.”"

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01.2007 - Source: Schweizerische Flüchtlingshilfe

Kabardino-Balkaria: Confessing muslims are repeatedly treated as extremists by Interior Ministry in fight against terrorism; the wearing of traditional muslim clothing is often sufficient reason for an arrest ("Nordkaukasus; Entwicklungen in Tschetschenien sowie in Dagestan, Kabardino-Balkarien, Inguschetien und Nordossetien") [ID 18703]

"Ausserdem stehen sich in Kabardino-Balkarien seit den 1990er Jahren die offizielle muslimische Priesterschaft (Clerical Department of Moslems, CDM) und die Gemeinschaften der Dschamaats feindselig gegenüber. Seit die CDM dem Innenministerium eine Liste «vertrauensunwürdiger Muslime» übergeben hat, haben sich die Dschamaats radikalisiert. Im Kampf gegen den Terrorismus hat das Innenministerium wiederholt bekennende Muslime mit Extremisten gleichgesetzt; das Tragen traditioneller muslimischer Kleidung ist oft Grund genug für eine Verhaftung."

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23.05.2006 - Source: Amnesty International

Raid in Nalchik on 13 October 2005 reportedly in response to months of persecution of Muslims and closure of mosques; raid followed by detention of dozens, involving torture ("Annual Report 2006") [ID 15380]

"On 13 October a group of up to 300 gunmen launched attacks on government installations in and near Nalchik, the capital of Kabardino-Balkaria, including the building of the Federal Security Service (FSB), police stations, the TV centre and the airport. There were reports that gunmen took at least two civilians hostage. More than 100 people, including at least 12 civilians, were reported to have been killed during the ensuing shooting between law enforcement officials and the gunmen; many were wounded. The raid was reportedly in response to months of persecution of practising Muslims in the region, including arbitrary detention and torture by law enforcement officials, and wholesale closure of mosques. Following the raid, law enforcement officials detained dozens of people; many of the detainees were reportedly tortured. At least one person was reported to have “disappeared” following the raid."

Document(s): Open document

04.05.2006 - Source: Amnesty International

Following large scale abuses attributed to Chechen armed opposition groups, there have been violent backlashes against Chechens, individuals from other North Caucasian ethnic groups and practising Muslims ("Violent racism out of control [EUR 46/022/2006]") [ID 20129]

"Attacks on ethnic minority Russian nationals are just as prevalent as attacks on foreign nationals. Following large scale abuses attributed to Chechen armed opposition groups, there have been violent backlashes against Chechens, individuals from other North Caucasian ethnic groups and practising Muslims. For example, following the hostage-taking of men, women and children by an armed group in a school in Beslan, North Ossetia, in September 2004, there were reports of increased attacks across Russia on Chechens and individuals from other North Caucasian ethnic groups by so-called "skinheads" and other members of extremist groups. There have been repeated attacks by "skinheads" on Caucasian-looking people on the Moscow metro. Caucasian shops have been burned down in Moscow and Yekaterinburg; one of the shop’s owners was killed. A woman wearing a veil was attacked in Vladivostok by someone shouting, "this is for Beslan". Roma citizens are also frequently victims of racist attacks; most recently on 13 April 2006 a group of 20 youths armed with metal bars and spades attacked a Roma family and a visiting ethnic Russian woman as the group were sitting round a fire talking, in the Volgograd region of Russia. A Romani man and the ethnic Russian woman were killed; others were seriously injured.(2) [...]"

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29.03.2006 - Source: Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty

Since the start of this year, 19 members of banned Islamic group Hizb ut-Tahrir, wanted on terrorism charges, deported to Uzbekistan ("Russia Deports 19 Suspected Terrorists To Uzbekistan In 2006") [#47829],  [ID 11478]

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08.03.2006 - Source: US Department of State

Operations against Hizb ut-Tahrir ("Country Report on Human Rights Practices 2005") [#46144],  [ID 11479]

"Authorities in a number of regions continued operations against Hizb ut-Tahrir, which had been banned by the Supreme Court in 2003 as a terrorist organization, despite the organization's denials that it supported terrorism. For example, in Bashkortostan Republic, Tyumen and Chelyabinsk Oblasts, there were arrests and trials of alleged Hizb ut-Tahrir members. In August eight Hizb ut-Tahrir defendants were sentenced in Ufa, Bashkortostan to prison terms ranging from 3 1/2 to 8 1/2 years on charges of terrorism, forming a criminal group, involving others in terrorist crimes, illegal possession of arms, and sabotage. A ninth defendant was given a suspended sentence. The court hearings started in April."

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08.03.2006 - Source: US Department of State

Increasing numbers of Muslims were charged with extremism ("Country Report on Human Rights Practices 2005") [#46144],  [ID 11480]

"Human rights groups reported that following the 2004 hostage-taking in Beslan, police activity was stepped up in the northern Caucasus. Increasing numbers of Muslims, both Russian citizens and citizens of the predominately Muslim states bordering Russia, were charged with extremism. Memorial described 23 cases involving more than 80 individuals charged with extremism as "trumped-up." Of these, Memorial reported, 18 resulted in verdicts, only one of which was an acquittal. Some observers said that police harassment of Muslim clerics and alleged militants in the Republic of Kabardino Balkariya, including torture and the closure of all but one of Nalchik's mosques, were part of the government's reaction to the October 13 rebel attack on Nalchik (see section 1.g.).
Nine female Muslim students at the Kabardino-Balkariya State University were reportedly detained in June and interrogated because they were wearing hijab and practicing group study of the Koran, which are against University statutes. The students were subsequently released. On October 22, in Maykop, Adygea Republic, police officers allegedly assaulted and apprehended a group of young Muslims, including the Maykop mosque's imam, as they were leaving a mosque. The imam told a journalist that masked policemen dragged the group to minibuses and took them to the Interior Ministry's Anti-Organized Crime Department where they were beaten and questioned about why there were wearing beards and why they were observing Islamic norms of hygiene. After a night in prison they were taken before a judge who ordered their immediate release."

Document(s): Open document

08.03.2006 - Source: US Department of State

Muslim organizations are often labelled as "Wahhabi," a term that has become associated with extremism; Anti "Wahhabist" sentiment increased ("Country Report on Human Rights Practices 2005") [#46144],  [ID 11481]

"Racially or ethnically motivated attacks have increased significantly in recent years, although it has often been difficult to determine whether xenophobia, religion, or ethnic prejudices were the primary motivation. Ethnic tensions ran high in the predominantly Muslim northern Caucasus, and there were problems in some cities outside that region. Anti Chechen and anti "Wahhabist" sentiment increased after each terrorist attack tied to Chechen rebels and spiked in some regions after the September 2004 seizure of a school in Beslan, North Ossetia, in which hundreds of persons, including many children, died at the hands of terrorists (see section 1.g.). Government officials, journalists, and the public were quick to label Muslim organizations "Wahhabi," a term that has become associated with extremism. Such sentiment led to a formal ban on Wahhabism in Dagestan and Kabardino-Balkariya.
Muslim cemeteries and buildings were vandalized in Moscow and other regions. In January and February tombs in Muslim cemeteries in Moscow and Yoshkar-Oly, Mari-El Republic were desecrated. Although several teenagers were detained in the January incident, the suspects were not charged due to their age. Vandals continued to attack the Tauba mosque in Nizhniy Novgorod. In January swastikas were painted on the mosque walls. The local prosecutor's office did not find grounds to initiate a criminal case. The local Muslim Spiritual Administration appealed to local authorities to guard the mosque. A mosque in Penza was reportedly vandalized on August 22. Anti-Muslim slogans were painted on the wall and a brick was thrown through the window."

Document(s): Open document

07.09.2005 - Source: Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty

Since tragedy in Beslan some members of historically Islamic nationalities converted to Orthodox Christians as consequence of North Ossetian security officials closing down all independent Muslim organisations ("Russia: Authorities Seek To Convert Beslan's Muslims") [#36368],  [ID 11483]

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19.05.2005 - Source: Institute for War and Peace Reporting

Kabardino-Balkaria: Women wearing head covering (hijab), and publicly showing their adherence to the Muslim faith face social rejection and discrimination at all levels ("Hijab Discrimination in North Caucasus") [#32084],  [ID 11482]

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06.05.2005 - Source: Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty

Bashkortostan: Trial of nine Muslims accused of links with banned Hizb-ut-Tahrir Islamic organisation started last week; it is part of campaign caused by fear of expansion of radical Islam in Russia ("Russia: Muslims, Rights Groups Denounce Repression") [#31851],  [ID 11484]

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29.04.2005 - Source: BBC News

Kabardino-Balkaria: 4 members of the Islamic militant group Yarmuk, and a policeman killed in shootout in Nalchik ("Five die in N Caucasus shootout") [#31733],  [ID 11485]

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28.02.2005 - Source: US Department of State

Anti Islamic sentiment documented in numerous press reports in 2004 ("Country Report on Human Rights Practices 2004") [#29515],  [ID 11486]

"Numerous press reports documented anti Islamic sentiment. Officials from a mosque in Bratsk, Irkutsk region, continued to complain of harassment and non responsiveness by local authorities to their reports of anti Muslim behavior. The Muslim community in Bratsk is large there are 18,000 Muslims in Bratsk out of a population of 450,000 and one mosque official stated that the local Muslim population was being blamed for problems in Chechnya. The Chairman of the Council of Muftis of Russia, Ravil Gaynutdin, head of the Central Spiritual Board of Russia's Muslims, Talgat Tadzhuddin, and head of the Coordinating Center of Muslims of the North Caucasus, Ismail Berdiyev, issued a joint statement denouncing terrorism. The leaders of the country's Muslims declared that it was necessary to resist extremists and terrorists who make use of religious slogans."

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28.02.2005 - Source: US Department of State

Most Muslim religious organizations that wanted to register were able to do so; leadership of some minority religious groups, particularly Muslims and non traditional religions, regarded as security threats ("Country Report on Human Rights Practices 2004") [#29515],  [ID 11487]

"Although many local Muslim religious organizations had been unable to reregister under the initial provisions of the 1997 law, spokespersons for the country's two most prominent muftis stated that most Muslim religious organizations that wanted to register were able to do so. As of May 1, there were 3,537 Muslim organizations registered with the Ministry of Justice, with 121 Muslim organizations registering within the last year. Disagreement between the heads of the country's two main Muslim spiritual boards continued although the Government largely supported the Moscow based Council of Muftis, led by Ravil Gaynutdin. Allegations persisted that Islamic extremism, popularly called "Wahabism," was to blame for terrorist attacks linked to the conflict in Chechnya and the North Caucasus.
[...]
There were continuing indications that the security services were treating the leadership of some minority religious groups, particularly Muslims and non traditional religions, as security threats. Officials have particularly focused on Islamic groups, such as Hizb ut Tahrir, and foreign Muslims living in the North Caucasus, as potentially linked to terrorist activity in the country."

Document(s): Open document

28.02.2005 - Source: US Department of State

The Government continued to ban the Islamic organization, Hizb ut Tahrir, which it regarded as having terrorist connections and as seeking to overthrow the Government ("Country Report on Human Rights Practices 2004") [#29515],  [ID 11488]

"The Government continued to ban the Islamic organization, Hizb ut Tahrir, which it regarded as having terrorist connections and as seeking to overthrow the Government. Authorities in a number of regions stepped up operations against Hizb ut Tahrir despite the organization's denials that it supported terrorism."

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03.02.2005 - Source: Institute for War and Peace Reporting

Kabardino-Balkaria: 7 suspected Islamists, including the leader of Yarmuk group, killed by security forces in Nalchik ("Islamist Group Destroyed in Kabardino-Balkaria") [#28746],  [ID 11489]

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24.01.2005 - Source: Forum 18

Greek Orthodox, Muslims and Jews lose battle to regain their former places of worship that had been confiscated in the Communist era ("RUSSIA: Church, mosque and synagogue kept by southern authorities") [#29306],  [ID 11490]

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31.12.2004 - Source: International Relations and Security Network

Members of outlawed Hizb-ut-Tahrir party arrested in Bashkortostan in November 2004 ("Russian Regional Report (Vol. 9, No. 26, 31 December 2004)") [#31361],  [ID 11491]

"Thus, on 14 November on the Muslim holiday of Uraza-bairam, which is officially observed in Bashkortostan, the authorities simultaneously arrested 16 individuals in various cities throughout the republic. All are Russian citizens. They are accused of distributing in mosques material publicizing the international Islamic organization Hizb ut-Tahrir (the Party of Islamic Freedom), which advocates the establishment of an international caliphate. In Russia, the activity of this organization has been banned, as it has been in Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, and Kazakhstan.

In the beginning of December, an even larger operation captured 30 alleged supporters of this organization in several locations across Bashkortostan. Searches of the suspects' apartments found literature for Hizb ut-Tahrir as well as military weapons, including hand grenades, homemade explosive devices, and maps showing where large numbers of people gather. The FSB claims that the detained individuals were preparing to carry out terrorist acts. Nine have been accused of being involved in carrying out terrorist-related crimes. The rest are being held as witnesses. The authorities have conducted raids against Hizb ut-Takhrir organizations in Tatarstan and other Ural-Volga regions in coordination with those in Bashkortostan."

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09.10.2003 - Source: Institute for War and Peace Reporting

Kabardino-Balkaria: dozens of young people arrested, ill-treated, several mosques closed down as the authorities cracked down on Muslims ("Kabardino-Balkaria Cracks down on Islamists") [#16679],  [ID 11492]

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04.2002 - Source: UK Home Office

UK Home Office: Muslims continue to encounter prejudice and societal discrimination ("Country Assessment - April 2002") [#7107],  [ID 11493]

"Muslims continue to encounter prejudice and societal discrimination. Like other religious communities, Muslims were persecuted during the Soviet period, when half of all Muslim places of worship were destroyed. However, Islam is currently the second largest faith in Russia and, like the Russian Orthodox Church, is accepted as one of the country's traditional religions. In 1997, there were estimated to be between 15 and 22 million Muslims in Russia. Although 90% of Russian Muslims are Sunni, there is a Shi'a minority in the northern Caucasus, especially in Dagestan.The main concentrations of Muslims in the Russian Federation are among Volga Tatars, Chuvash and Bashkirs, and the peoples of northern Caucasus, including the Chechen, Ingush, Ossetians, Kabardinians, and the peoples of Dagestan. Discriminatory attitudes have become stronger since the onset of the conflict in the predominantly Muslim region of Chechnya and since the 1999 Moscow apartment bombings, for which the mayor and others quickly blamed Chechen separatists. Authorities, journalists in the press, and the public have been quick to label Muslims or Muslim organisations "Wahhabists," a term that has become synonymous with "extremists." Such sentiment has led to a formal ban on "Wahhabism" in Dagestan and to overtures in the Duma to explore the possibility of a similar national law. Several prominent human rights activists have expressed concern about the rise of anti-Islamic attitudes following the September 11 terrorist attacks in the US. Meanwhile, groups associated with the Wahhabi Muslim community have been refused registration because they were perceived to be too radical."

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