Teachers in Kabardino-Balkaria are obliged to wean away children from extremism

The law enforcement agencies of Kabardino-Balkaria expand their fight with religious extremism. Now the power authorities have decided to switch over their attention to junior schoolchildren who are ostensibly permeated with ideas of Wahhabism from their senior colleagues. Additionally, the teachers of Nalchik schools are obliged to conduct talks with their pupils about attitude towards religion and observance of religious norms, as well as "to reveal and signal" cases of religious extremism among schoolchildren.

On March 10, the MIA of Kabardino-Balkaria organized a briefing during which Arsen Tishkov, chief of section on fighting religious extremism of the local department of fighting organized crime, stated that the republic's schoolchildren are more and more permeated with the ideas of Wahhabism. The militia officer thinks that the fault lies with senior pupils who force the "unhealthy" religious ideas on junior schoolchildren.

Arsen Tishkov claims, "There are frequent cases when senior pupils make juniors to place Islamic wallpaper in their mobile telephones, download them photographs and videos showing acts of sabotage and terrorism. Such scandalous conclusions have been made as a result of an "analysis made among schoolchildren of Nalchik," cites the Tishkov's words the "Versiya" newspaper.

Several schoolchildren suspected of Wahhabism have relayed that their problems with militia arose after they were caught reading a prayer, reports NEWSru.com. The pupils were hiding under a stair-case where teachers found them. Several more "Wahhabi-boys " prove to be relatives of militants killed on October 13 during the attack in Nalchik, the capital of Kabardino-Balkaria. Also, those who are called the "Islamic" name not registered in their birth certificate are under suspicion.

It has also become known that teachers of Nalchik conduct talks with their pupils about attitude towards religion and observance of religious norms. The contents of such talks become known to the law enforcement agencies and some of the pupils are talked to by people in uniform, sometimes at school, or sometimes they are brought to militia. Children are forced to sign reports on such talks, in a number of cases their fingerprints are taken. All this happens in the absence of their parents or lawyers, notes "Versiya."

Most such schoolchildren and their parents are frightened, they explain that they are afraid to be included into the so-called "Wahhabi lists." People from that list are persecuted, interrogated, tortured and forced to incriminate their colleagues. People are even afraid of any references to them because they fear revenge from militia.

For instance, lawyer Larisa Dorogova relayed that her son Khadjimurat, student of the local vocational school, was summoned by the deputy principal from the lesson and taken to the director' office. There, Khadjimurat was interrogated by militia officers. Initially, he refused to answer their questions but they threatened to take him to militia and then to talk with him "in a different way."

The teenager was asked questions whether he is a believer, whether he reads prayers and what side he is on, militia or rebels. His answers were taken down and he had to sign the report. His mother realized that, to say the least, the Russian CCP norms had been violated and demanded explanations from militia. But they told her they had serious reasons, a report from the school director, to the effect that the boy called his class-mates to annihilate the infidel. But now, after the interrogation, they have no claims to her son.

However, Dorogova managed to find out that the director had written the report not before but after the visit of militia officers. The woman connects such close attention towards her son with the fact that she "repeatedly rendered legal services to families of the Moslems killed on October 13, 2005, and now militia were exerting pressure on her by threatening her son."

In her turn, Marina Kiasova, press-secretary of the Kabardino-Balkaria MIA, claims that all stories about interrogations, minutes or fingerprints are a lie and it is useless to listen to lawyer Larisa Dorogova because she "represents no one, except herself."

On the other hand, the press-secretary could not say anything reasonable about the methods of collecting information testifying to the popularity of "Wahhabism" among schoolchildren. According to her, most likely it is the teachers who "reveal and signal."

In his turn, Ahmed Shogenov, Minister of Education of Kabardino-Balkaria, stated that he knew nothing about school Wahhabism and the scandalous briefing at the MIA. Hearing the name of Arsen Tishkov, he asked who the man was.

However, he as good as acknowledged that teachers now are obliged to know "more about what their pupils do outside the school time." In his opinion, this is facilitated by "the implementation of the national project pursuant to which the responsibility of form-masters becomes greater and they get additional remuneration for this." However, Ahmed Shogenov was sincerely convinced that no militiamen were interrogating anyone in the organizations subordinated to him.

Note that, according to some unconfirmed information, the Security Council of Kabardino-Balkaria has really issued a secret instruction under which teachers have to use such methods to prevent extremism.