Kadyrov tries to stop critics by using Islamic morality

Ramzan Kadyrov, the head of Chechnya, has called on his ill-wishers and critics to weigh up their words before writing anything. A video with his statement and a comment thereon were posted on his Instagram page by Djambulat Umarov, the Chechen Press Minister.

"Prior to sending a poisonous arrow of insulting word at anyone, think a thousand times and measure the need for this ... Think and measure a thousand times," Ramzan Kadyrov said in his video message.

The residents of Chechnya, interviewed by the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent, believe that the Kadyrov's appeal may be connected not only with the recent scandal with the former Mayor of Grozny, Islam Kadyrov, but also with the harsh criticism of the head of Chechnya by the grandson of the former Saudi Arabian Mufti, Salekh Ibn Baz.

"The Ramzan's appeal to his critics or ill-wishers is no coincidence. The authorities suffered quite serious image losses, both internal and external. In the first case, this is the story of exposing the atrocities committed by the former Mayor of Grozny; in the second – the very harsh pressure from the Saudi theologian and the Arabic-speaking audience on the topic of religion. Here, he (Kadyrov) has reacted in his usual manner," said Said-Khussein, a resident of Grozny.

The Ramzan Kadyrov's appeal is similar to a politically flexible appeal of a religious leader, the drawbacks of whose retinue force him to increasingly often recall the Islamic traditional values, said Andrei Serenko, a political analyst and the coordinator of the "Experts' Club of Lower Volga Region".

This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on November 5, 2019 at 05:07 am MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.