AKRAM MURTAZAEV, MOSCOW
AFFECTED MIND
Now, any crime is taken as something like “pleasing to God” - a blasphemy as it may seem. Anyway, terrorism, as a rule, is considered to be Islamic and the terrorists are to be Allah’s warriors. Not all confessions arouse such a mistrust, and this only confirms that the war of adjectives exists and it is skillfully instigated either by stupidity or improvidence.
Last week the FSB officers arrested Maksim Panarin, a member of the secret terrorist group that was involved in many terrorist acts in Russia including explosions in the Moscow underground. It was carefully noted that the man had adopted Islam so that citizens were not misled by his Russian name. On TV there were demonstrated usual terrorist’s things - wires, trotyl and others. And the Koran was among them. You’ve got right!.. After reading a surah they are willing to explode someone of another faith.
The most familiar phrases today are “Islamic terrorism” and “Allah’s warriors”. (Have you ever heard about the “Orthodox terrorism” or “Christ’s warriors”?). Now in Russia young and old know that bandits shout: “Allah Akbar!” after their cruel deeds. The witticism “Not all of Muslims are terrorists but all of terrorists are Muslims” is quite in place here. The logic of this phrase is so firm that we believe not so much in words as in a wrong idea hidden behind the letter-play. If to continue this odd idea we can conclude that not all of women are prostitutes but all of prostitutes are women. And there is no denying that logic for men!
By the way, according to the logic it is quite possible to consider each atheist to be an anti-Semite only because Jesus was Jew.
Funny as it may seem but any mention about close bonds between terrorism and Islam wins an objective easily, for example, in the case of catching the terrorist in the city of Voronezh (Russia) who kept the Koran in a cache in forest. Who believes that a real pious man is not able to dig a Sacred Book into earth?! Or, that a real shakhid (not pseudo shakhid using the Koran as a cover) cannot die for faith, for example, with “Henessi” bottle.
But as soon as Andizhan events began, the familiar words have appeared in the press again.
“For several years Islam extremist groups have arranged terrorist acts in Uzbekistan. The process of Karimov’s regime undermining supported by drug mafia is long-standing. Before, it was possible to suppress this process by force. It appears that in this case the rebellion was suppressed severely (if it is really so, and later on there will be no other riots). IslomKarimovhadnootherwaystoact”.
“It is no secret that now the heroin mafia and Islamic extremism are almost inseparable in the region, and the terrorist acts are related either to money or to the drug mafia interests. Pursuing their own ends the Islamic extremists closely cooperate with the drug kingpins”.
“If President Karimov is deposed the Afghan heroin will go to Europe very rapidly”.
Professional political analysts said that! Those highbrows covered the Kyrgyz events – they accuse drug kingpins of the organization of rebellion. The last quotation is senseless. It is necessary to bear in mind that the drug traffic is managed not only by mafia but also by the state institutions. Can you imagine that in Moscow the prostitution market is controlled only by criminals? Who allows them to take billion dollars from this profitable business?
It is obvious why the Uzbek leadership speaks about the Islamic extremism threat. This is an excellent way to keep power and a deep argument to demonstrate force. But is not clear why the Russian politicians follow the logic backing up shooting of people who are unpleased with the despotism of the Uzbek authorities. (By the way, thus the Kremlin approved rough exclusion of Russian journalists from the events spot.)
The answer is Islom Karimov’s regime is anti-Islamic and only for this reason the Uzbek leadership can do everything. But what to do if a secular regime is much more terrible than the Islamic one? Why is an “advertisement” more important than the real situation?
If to dwell on the Caucasus events we can see the local kinglets using the Islamic extremism threat to fight against the opposition. “Anyone who is against me is a Wahhabite” is the principle of politics of President of Ingushetia Murat Zyazikov (Ingushetia is a North Caucasian republic of the Russian Federation). In business accusing people of aiding terrorists came to be an effective way of the competitive struggle.
As for Uzbekistan, Andizhan events occurred because of extreme impoverishment of population and general corruption among the authorities. In the Ferghana Valley (the cities of Andizhan and Osh are situated there) the population density is the highest in the world. The region is short of both land and jobs. Uzbek women have to go to Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan to earn their living. But the region is indeed the most religious traditionally.
As a matter of fact, in Andizhan the election of the future took place. The future of President Karimov and the whole country was elected. This “secular” regime virtually destroyed itself.
Unfortunately, people who were in the square and appealed to Moscow and President Putin saw the explicit support for shooting.
The author is a laureate of The Russian Journalist Award “Zolotoye Pero” ("The Golden Pen").
The article is written specially for "Eurasian Home".
May 17, 2005
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