Residents of Chechnya associate change of Qadi in Shali with attacks on law enforcers

A new Islamic judge (Qadi) has been appointed in the Shali District of Chechnya; the teens who committed a series of attacks on policemen are natives of this district. Local residents believe that this appointment is associated with the tightening of authorities' control over the youth and preparation for the deportation of attackers' relatives from Chechnya.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that on August 20, in the Shali District of Chechnya and in Grozny there were attacks on law enforcers. According to the police, four attackers were killed, and one more died in hospital after self-explosion. The "Islamic State" (IS), a terrorist organization banned in Russia by the court, claimed responsibility for these attacks.

Magomed Akhmatov, a new Qadi of the Shali District, was appointed on August 31 at a sitting of the district leadership, the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent was told at the district prefecture today.

Local observers told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent that they treat this rotation of the clergy as a consequence of the series of attacks on law enforcers.

"A district Qadi has much more opportunities for direct work with the population, including the youth, making some decisions and so on, than the assistant for religious issues has. Akhmatov is younger than the former Qadi; his views on certain events may differ from those that Nettiev had as a representative of the older generation. Probably, in the near future we'll see something new in terms of clergy's work with teens and young people," Arbi, a local resident, believes.

The new Qadi will have to organize a gathering in Shali, which has already caused a wide discussion, Khavazhi, a resident of the Shali District, has suggested.

Authorities in Chechnya are preparing this gathering in Shali for public condemnation and deportation of families of the teenagers who had attacked law enforcers, local residents said.

This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on September 1, 2018 at 10:50 am MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.