The planned creation of a caliphate may have "negative and absolutely unacceptable implications" for Russia, such as the loss of vast territories, primarily in southern Russia, and possibly the disintegration of the entire state, President Putin said. That's a threat Russia must be ready to deal with effectively, he emphasized.
Alexander Khramchikhin, chief of the analytical department of the Moscow-based Political and Military Analysis Institute, said in a RIA interview following the President's statement that the idea of creating a pan-Islamic state in Russian territory is nothing new. "Even before the breakup of the Soviet Union, Wahhabi preachers from the Middle East began to penetrate into the country. Wahhabism is a strand of Islam untypical for Russia, but widespread in Saudi Arabia. Although it isn't a populous country-of the 800 million Arabs, only 22 million live there-Saudi Arabia has an enormous clout in the Arab world as the main Islamic shrines, Mecca and Medina, are located in its territory," the analyst said. Also, the country has huge oil reserves, which brings it as huge proceeds, he added.
"To Russia, however, that strand of Islam is absolutely untypical. Russian Islam is much more tolerant; it can coexist quite well with other faiths and denominations, and has no disposition to any extremism. Back in the Soviet era, any religious expression was oppressed in Russia and people here had a rather vague idea of what Islam is about, so when interest in religion began to reemerge, it turned out that ethnic groups traditionally advocating Islam had no immunity against Wahhabism. This was why many people, especially in the North Caucasus, fell under the influence of [Wahhabi] propaganda," our interviewee said.
"Caliphate is a pan-Islamic state that existed between the 7th and the 10th centuries, soon after the emergence of Islam. It spanned a vast territory, stretching from Spain through to the modern-day Iran. These days, the Wahhabis are trying to recreate such a state, primarily in areas traditionally inhabited by Moslems," said Khramchikhin.
Radical Islamists seek to strip Russia of all its predominantly Moslem regions-such as the North Caucasus and the republics of Tatarstan and Bashkiria. Even if the achievement of that goal will require the expulsion of non-Moslem ethnic groups or their forced conversion into Islam, the analyst said.
According to Khramchikhin, one way to avert such a grim scenario could be by taking "measures of primarily ideological nature-such as supporting traditional Russian strands of Islam and preventing young people from being sent to study at foreign madrasahs." He suggested that Russia should develop its own system of Islamic education instead, as "our Islamic clergy are quite pro-Russian and loyal to the authorities." Another important task is the integration of Islamic communities into Russian society, he said.
Wahhabism preachers, who push for the creation of a caliphate, should not be allowed to have a support base in Russia, Khramchikhin pointed out. This is not a problem that can be solved by force, he believes. "Maybe the President fears the prospect of terrorist acts ahead, possibly large-scale ones, and is therefore trying to secure support of the international community," our interviewee speculated.
