Militia in Adygea confiscates religious literature from Moslems

Thanks to the coordinated joint work of the prosecutor's office, FSB and MIA of Adygea, the developments, similar to the scenario tried by extremists in Nalchik, have been precluded. This has been stated by Mikhail Prikhlenko, prosecutor of Adugea, on February 21 during the expanded coordination meeting of law enforcement agencies on the results of joint activity in 2005 and targets for 2006. As an example confirming the above statement, the prosecutor sited the dismissal of Nedzhmedin Abazii, imam of Adygeisk mosque.

For reference, Adygeisk is a municipal entity in the republic, it is located 12 kilometres from Krasnodar.

Bibolet Khadagatl, resident of Adygeisk, a Moslem believer born in 1982, has agreed to give the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent his own vision of the events around the case. Incidentally, he is one of the persons involved in the case.

The young Moslem showed the decision of the Teuchezh inter-district prosecutor's office on conducting seizure of published matter in his house, dated December 29 of last year. It runs that the seizure is conducted in connection with initiation of a criminal case against Nedzhmedin Abazii, former imam of Adygeisk mosque, under Article 282, part 1 of the RF CC - "propaganda of inferiority of persons on the basis of their relation to Judaism, Christianity, or non-Wahhabite Islam."

According to Khadagatl, 6 books were confiscated, all of them published in Russia by well-known Moslem publishing houses. He was personally interrogated at the prosecutor's office twice. While during the first time everything was normal, during the second time the investigating officer tried to include extra statements into the minutes. As regards mufti Abazii, he had never heard from imam any statements incriminated him. He simply taught to prey.

According to Khadagatl, about ten persons were interrogated in Adygeisk. All of them expect further actions from the law enforcement agencies.

Khadagatl could not explain the reasons for dismissing imam Abazii. He said, maybe old effendis complained about him. The young man noted that many of them did not do prayers, did not know even the simplest prayers, and failed to abide by the basic norms of the Moslem hygiene. He used to rebuke them and they did not like him.

Khadagatl is not inclined to connect the dismissal of the imam with the return to power in the town of Kim Mamiyek last summer, after which persecution of Moslems started. Members of the Moslem community had really been in the headquarters of Mamiyek's rivals but they were never engaged in the political activity.

Now, notes Khadagatl, the Adygeisk mosque is only open on Fridays. Young members of the community rarely visit it. They go to the mosque of the neighbouring town Pchegatlukai located approximately 5 kilometres from the town.