Duisi Muslims state their non-involvement in setting Culture House on fire

The Muslims of the Salafi mosque in the village of Duisi have treated the arson of the Culture House as a provocation against them. Duisi Muslims have nothing to do with the arson, Mamuka Areshidze, the Director of the Institute of Strategic Studies of the Caucasus, believes.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that the fact of the arson fire at the Culture House in the village of Duisi, Pankisi Gorge, became known on January 3.

The "Caucasian Knot" correspondent was told at the press service of the MIA of Georgia that a criminal case was opened on the arson of the Culture House.

In the opinion of Mr Areshidze, in the Pankisi Gorge "there are no units of the 'Islamic State' (IS) or 'Imarat Kavkaz' (both organization were recognized as terrorist and banned by Russian courts)."

According to his story, the Muslims living in Pankisi "create no problems to law enforcement bodies."

In his turn, Bekkhan Pareulidze, Imam of the Salafi mosque in Duisi, believes that "the setting Culture House on fire was carried out with the aim to discredit Pankisi Muslims." "As a result of the arson in Duisi, not only the 'Kakheti Regional Development Foundation' has suffered. The entire population of the Pankisi Gorge has been affected by this crime," said Bekkhan Pareulidze.

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