Experts explain muted reaction of North-Caucasian Muslims on terror act in Paris by their fatigue over conflicts

In Northern Caucasus, muted reaction of Muslims to the terror act in Paris, anti-Islamic rhetoric, and in general to the problem of publication of cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad can be explained by their fatigue over the conflict in their region. This was told to the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent by Akhmet Yarlykapov and Alexei Malashenko, scholars of Islam.

Residents of Northern Caucasus and Russia as a whole are "tired of the phenomenon of terrorism." This opinion was expressed by Akhmet Yarlykapov, the Senior Researcher of the Department of Caucasian Studies of the Institute of Ethnology and Anthropology of the Russian Academy of Sciences (RAS). The expert also believes that the "open public protest has moved to the virtual sphere" and he associates that fact with "disappointment in the effectiveness of protest actions."

However, Akhmet Yarlykapov has noted that residents of Northern Caucasus carry out protest actions in case when they face personal problems.

According to Alexei Malashenko, a member of the Research Board of the Moscow Carnegie Centre, the muted reaction of Muslims of Northern Caucasus to the cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad can be explained by their "fatigue over the two Chechen wars."

However, the expert believes the clash of civilizations is inevitable, and "at present, it cannot be resolved". According to Alexei Malashenko, the theme of religious ideology "will become more and more urgent both in Russia and in Europe."

Amir Sagitov, a resident of Dagestan, associates relatively muted reaction of Muslims of Northern Caucasus to the cartoon scandal with "the lack of a culture of protests in the society and religious taboos."

Full text of the article is available on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’.