Islamic Cultural Centre to challenge court's ruling to liquidate it

The All-Russia Islamic Cultural Centre will appeal to the supreme Russia's, and then - to European justice. This was stated by Abdul-Vakhed Niyazov, head of the Islamic Cultural Centre (ICC), who gave his comments on satisfaction by the Russian Supreme Court of the lawsuit of the Russian Ministry of Justice asking to close the Centre. According to Anvar Khadjiev, the Centre's representative in Kabardino-Balkaria, the work of the ICC was helpful for the Muslims of Northern Caucasus, as the Centre was explaining the essence of Islam as the religion of peace.

On May 26, the Russian Supreme Court ruled to liquidate the ICC. The claim to liquidate it was lodged by the Russian Ministry of Justice, which revealed, in the course of its checks, violations in financial, economic and statutory activities of the Centre. According to the Ministry, the ICC also failed to fit well the status of an all-Russian organization, which under its statute should have its branches in most Russia's regions.

Besides, Moscow authorities have their claims to the ICC. In May 2010, the Moscow Arbitration Court ruled that the ICC should abandon its non-residential premises in the Victory Park on the banks of the Setun River in a temporary two-storey building. According to Prefecture of the Western District and District Council Ramenki, the building was erected illegally and is subject to demolition.

Currently, the litigation around the building continues. Abdul-Vakhed Niyazov said: "Claims to the ICC are far-fetched and ridiculous. In any organization you can find some clue to close it if necessary. It's just a bureaucratic approach, or we can say - lawlessness. In the Kremlin, in the presidential administration, there is some Islamophobic lobby, some people who dislike our civil position and our quite active defence of the interests of the Spiritual Administration of Muslims (SAM), headed by Mufti Ravil Gainutdin.

Meanwhile, not everyone in the SAM as such is ready to comment on the situation with the closing of the ICC. One of the members of the Mufti Council told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent that he would not comment on the situation with the closure of the ICC and asked not to name him. Another figure of the Muslim clergy, Damir Gizatullin, Deputy Chairman of the Mufti Council, said that the SAM has no conflict with the Administration of Russian President.

"The Administration is friendly to our holidays, when we open the Ramadan Tent and hold cultural events. It's a pity the ICC was closed; it performs a very important job in the society, among the Muslim Ummah. But if there are deficiencies is any defect in work or in documentation, they need to be addressed," said Damir Gizatullin.

However, the closing of the ICC has caused sometimes diametrically opposed opinions in the Muslim community as such. Muhamedgali Khuzin, the head of the executive committee of the newly created All-Russian Muftiate, positioned as an alternative to the SAM headed by Ravil Gainutdin, welcomed the closure of the ICC. According to his story, as the "Interfax" reports, "the ICC had brought real damage both to the Muslim community of Russia and to the inter-religious peace in the country. Instead of reaching the declared goals of 'Islamic education', the ICC held dances with known extremists and terrorists, such as brothers Khachilaev, Dudaev, Maskhadov and so on."

In his turn, Damir Gizatullin told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent in connection with this statement that should the ICC have had anything - over these 20 years - illegal, or have shown any support for extremists or association with them, law enforcement bodies would have behaved differently.

Orkhan Djemal, an observer of the TV Company "Dozhd" (Rain), is also sceptical to the hints of DUM opponents about the opposition nature of the ICC and its support of extremists.

"Abdul-Vakhed was always loyal to the authorities and able to meet their needs. His oppositionist nature is just nonsense. The background of the situation is the conflict of the presidential administration with the Mufti Council headed by Ravil Gainutdin. The blow is aimed at the ICC because Niyazov had actively supported Gainutdin in his confrontation with the Kremlin's new project - the Russian Muftiate. This conflict was strengthened by good relations of the SAM leadership with the former Mayor of Moscow Yuri Luzhkov. The authorities are punishing people who had supported Luzhkov, including the ICC," says Orkhan Djemal.

The fact that the conflict lies in the plane far away from religion and culture is supported by Enver Kisriev, a well-known Islamic expert, a specialist on the Caucasus and the Caucasian sector head of the Centre for Civilization and Regional Studies.

"I'm not going to talk about the pretext; it's not my sphere. But for Muslims, especially in Northern Caucasus, the words that the Islamic Centre was somehow connected with extremists sound like rubbish. The ICC had no authority there and no weight. Northern Caucasus has its own autonomous Muftiates and its centres of influence, that they don't need such support," said Kisriev.

However, Anvar Khadjiev, the ICC representative in Kabardino-Balkaria, believes that the work of the ICC was helpful, first of all, for Muslims of Northern Caucasus.

"The decision of the court to liquidate the ICC is wrong. The charges of having links with extremists, which were sounded by someone, are ridiculous. On the contrary, we explain the essence of Islam, that Islam is a religion of peace; we explain the goals and problem of self-improvement for the benefit of the society," said Khadjiev.

See earlier reports: "Evkurov: Islamic complex in Magas should consolidate Ingush society," "Dzagurov: only one out of 18 detained Muslims released in North Ossetia," "North-Ossetian Muftiate states detention of Muslim activists in Vladikavkaz."