15 November 2019, 20:57
In Chechnya, people bewildered by awards to families of boys on Muhammad's birthday
The Kadyrov Foundation allocated awards of 50,000 roubles to each of 134 families in which boys were born on the birthday of the Prophet Muhammad. Such attention to the births of boys has caused criticism among local residents. In the Chechen society, the attitude to the births of sons in families has already changed, experts confirm.
"According to our information, parents gave the name of Muhammad to all the newborn boys," the Spiritual Administration of Muslims (SAM) of Chechnya notes.
Residents of the Chechen republic interviewed by the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent considered the distinction of children by their gender and date of birth as inappropriate. "Allah Almighty gives children to a family, and it does not matter a boy or a girl is born in a family, it should be accepted," believes Sovman, a resident of Grozny.
On the birthday of the Prophet Muhammad, boys born on this day and named after the Prophet Muhammad are usually especially honoured, notes Akhmet Yarlykapov, a researcher engaged in the oriental studies.
He has noted that in the modern Chechen society, the desire to have only a boy does not prevail.
Earlier, in the Chechen society, the birth of a boy was given priority, says Lilia Yusupova, the head of the social organization for social support of citizens "Creation".
"If there was no son in a family, it was necessary to adopt a boy or take a relative to be raised. Men also often parted with their wives if no sons were born," Lilia Yusupova explained.
This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on November 14, 2019 at 12:58 pm MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.
Source: CK correspondents
