Analysts comment on Kadyrov’s dispute with ICRF’s chair Bastrykin

Statements voiced by Alexander Bastrykin regarding the migration policy and the religious overtones of the terror acts in Dagestan caused astonishment among Muslims, political analyst Ali Magamadov notes. A dispute between Ramzan Kadyrov and Alexander Bastrykin highlighted the claims of the leader of Chechnya to be the defender of all Muslims, a former teacher from Grozny believes.

The “Caucasian Knot” has reported that Alexander Bastrykin called the criminals who committed the terror acts in Rostov-on-Don and Dagestan “Islamist terrorists.” “I have said many times, and I emphasize once again that Muslims have not committed and do not commit terror acts. At the same time, I really hope that Alexander Bastrykin will not compare Islam with terrorism in the future,” the leader of Chechnya wrote in his Telegram channel.

According to the political analyst Ali Magamadov’s version, the outcry was caused by the Alexander Bastrykin’s statement about the “creeping migration” of Muslims to the Russian territories.

“The top-ranking official, one of the country’s main lawyers ... has called the criminals who committed the terror act ‘Islamist terrorists.’ In such a way, as the majority of Muslims not only in Chechnya, but also in other republics believed, Alexander Bastrykin equated Islam with terrorism,” Ali Magamadov noted.

Alexander Verkhovsky, the head of the “SOVA” Research Centre*, does not think that the chair of the Investigating Committee of the Russian Federation (ICRF) wanted to offend Muslims.

“I think the object of his hostility is not Islam or Muslims in general, but migrants. He clearly does not like them, and he talks about the seizure of territories by them. He also always talks about the increase in crime among migrants,” the human rights defender emphasized.

Former teacher Zaurbek, a resident of Grozny, believes Ramzan Kadyrov feels being limited within the framework of one republic.

“He is tempted to be a defender of Muslims not only in Russia, but also in the world. The similar situation occurred in 2017, when he spoke out in defence of the Muslims of Myanmar, who are oppressed by the government of that country,” Zaurbek emphasized.

The former teacher from Grozny noted that Ramzan Kadyrov advised Alexander Bastrykin to be “extremely careful in his statements.”

Zaurbek believes that “Muslims from other Russian regions are not eager to have Ramzan Kadyrov as the defender of their interests.”

*Included by the Russian Ministry of Justice (MoJ) into the register of foreign agents.