New Muslim leader of South of Dagestan rejects information about confrontation of religious communities in the region

Isamudin Saidov, also known as Sheikh Al-Derbendi, has assumed the leadership of the organization "Bab-ul-Abvab", which has high influence among Sufi Muslims of the South of Dagestan. He took the place of Sirazhudin Khurikskiy, killed in late October.

Sheikh Al-Derbendi named the work with young people one of the main directions of his work. "The fight for the youth becomes harder and harder, as we try to keep them within the framework of the morality that we inherited from our sheikhs, scholars and parents. Young people today are very active; and many of them can't get satisfactory answers to questions about Islam and different spheres of Muslim life. Our task is to give them prompt answers to their questions," said Sheikh Al-Derbendi.

According to Ruslan Gereev, an expert from the Centre for Islamic Studies of Northern Caucasus, South Dagestan is becoming an arena of theological and political conflicts.

"South Dagestan has become a zone of geopolitical interests of Turkey, Iran, Azerbaijan, Armenia and even European countries. All the processes occurring here are excessively politicized; and this tells on the lifestyle of local believers. Besides, there are processes of strengthening of Salafism among Sunni Muslims, and of Ismailism – among Shiah Muslims, since Shiah is also one of the dominant trends of Islam in the region," said the expert.

In his turn, Sheikh Isamudin Al-Derbendi believes that the information about the opposition of religious communities in South Dagestan is not true.

"I often read in media that in South Dagestan a religious confrontation is brewing between the followers of different trends in Islam, and that this time clashes are inevitable; the participants of confrontation warn in advance about possible riots, and that blood will be shed. You shouldn't believe all that stuff," said Sheikh Al-Derbendi.