• Ramzan Kadyrov’s son has been videoed recently beating a Russian man accused of burning the Quran.
• Kadyrov’s defence of traditional values may be overshadowed by his crackdown of other Muslims that don’t follow “traditional Chechen Islam”.
Ramzan Kadyrov is the controversial head of the Chechen republic and a colonel general in the Russian army. His controversy can be traced back to the actions of his father, Akhmat Kadyrov, who switched sides during the second Chechen war and sided with Putin. Many Chechens consider Akhmat Kadyrov a sellout and he was eventually assassinated in 2004 after being made the Chechen president in 2003. As soon as Ramzan Kadyrov had reached the age of 30 he was made the head of the Chechen republic in 2007. Ramzan Kadyrov’s defence of Chechen culture and Islam with regards to LGBT has been heavily criticised in the west.
He replied to an interviewer who asked him about homosexuality that “no such people exist here” and if they do, they should be taken away to “purify our blood”. This of course causes the west to critisise him heavily and accuses him of an anti-homosexual purge. This should be taken with a pinch of salt as it is coming from western media who will criticise or support people whenever it is beneficial to them.
In a recent incident, he reposted a video on Telegram featuring his then 15-year-old son, Adam, physically assaulting a Russian prisoner accused of burning the Quran. Many have accused Kadyrov of utilizing them as a tool to divert attention from reports of his rumoured ill health and potential successors. In addition, many have claimed that this has been a move aimed at elevating their political stature and discouraging potential challengers within Chechnya.
Despite allegations of intimidation, torture, and human rights abuses under Kadyrov’s leadership since 2007, the recent campaign of awards for his children is seen as a strategic move. Critics argue that this is an investment in the future, an attempt to create a new generation of leaders who could eventually replace the 47-year-old Kadyrov. The timing of these efforts coincides with persistent rumors about Kadyrov’s health, with some speculating that he is grappling with kidney problems.
The awards and accolades, including Adam being appointed as the head of his father’s security detail at the age of 15, may seem ostentatious, but observers believe they serve a dual purpose. Not only do they present a united front against rumors of Kadyrov’s ill health, but they also signal to powerful clans surrounding Kadyrov that none of them will inherit leadership, emphasizing the potential role of Kadyrov’s children in the future.
With regards to retaining some of these values, this can be commendable given the near requirement for many European countries for their Muslim officials or MPs to accept certain values such as LGBT or Feminism. However, there are some criticisms made of Kadyrov on top of the accusation that he sold-out his people and betrayed the prospect of Chechen independence by siding with Putin. One criticism of him and his administration in Chechnya would be the crackdown on other Muslims that don’t follow “traditional Chechen Islam”. In 2005, the- then Chechen Republic head Alu Alkhanov initiated a campaign aimed at endorsing a modified version of “traditional Chechen Islam” to counteract the influence of Salafism.
Upon assuming the role of the republic head three years ago, Kadyrov took steps to amplify this campaign by incorporating specific elements of Chechen Sufism into the fabric of traditional Sunni Islam. This could possibly be done by the order of the Russian state as many of resistance in the Chechen wars were done and supported by fighters who were branded as “Wahabis”. This may have caused the Russian state to support Kadyrov to suppress any prospects of resistance or jihad.
An example of this is when a state-run broadcast on Grozny TV aired, an ostensibly ‘educational meeting’ between Chechnya’s Mufti, Salakha Mezhiyev, and the head of Grozny’s Interior Ministry took an unexpected turn as they scolded women for wearing the niqab, a face-covering garment except for the eyes.
Mufti Mezhiyev, the traditional Muslim religious leader of the region, expressed disapproval of niqab-wearing, stating that ‘the face and hands are not awrah,’ referring to body parts that must be covered in Islam. He emphasized that the niqab is a tradition of specific people and has no relevance to Chechen customs.
Aslan Iraskhanov, the head of the Internal Affairs Department in Grozny, went further by suggesting that those inclined to wear the niqab should consider leaving Chechnya. Iraskhanov implied that such a choice might be influenced by exposure to ‘Wahhabist movements’ on the internet and asserted that niqabs would not be tolerated in the region.
While Kadyrov has been adamant in retaining traditional values, there are many areas where he can be criticised. He calls himself Putin’s “foot soldier” and has told Chechens that wanted to go to fight in Palestine, to go and “fight in Ukraine”. A mix of nationalism and putting culture ahead of Islam has lead to a mix of feelings about him in the Muslim community. As with the majority of Muslim leaders today there are positives and negatives however public mistakes require public criticism.
