On December 1, two similar events occurred — the Dagestani prisoner of conscience Abdulmumin Gadzhiev was transferred via Volgograd and Astrakhan to Rostov, where his trial is to take place, and the Bashkir prisoner of conscience Ayrat Dilmukhametov was transferred from Samara, where his trial had already taken place, to Vlasikha near Moscow for his appeal hearing.
These coincidences vividly and symbolically reflect the reality of Muslims in Russia as manifested in the fate of influential figures — the reality of arrests, transfers, and trials. And these are far from the only illustrations of this reality — last week, human rights defender Dagir Khasavov was sentenced to 6 years’ imprisonment, and Russian Muslim from Kaliningrad Arthur Rusyaev was imprisoned for his persistent attempts to build a mosque there after the authorities had prevented it for years and demolished the previously built one on his land.
Gadzhiev, Dilmukhametov, Khasavov, Rusaev — they are symbols of Muslims in Russia and their situation today, rather than festive muftis or outstanding athletes who can create an illusion of their prosperity in Putin’s Russia.
In reality, behind all the talk about protecting the rights of believers in Putin’s Russia, behind all the PR moves of the regime and its Muslim collaborators, one should not forget that this state has been waging a war to destroy the Islamic sector of civil society for years (https://golosislama.com/news.php?id=31080).
Yes, Muslims are no longer unique in this sense. After the Islamic sector of civil society, the repressive machinery has also targeted other sectors, be it political, in the form of independent liberals, leftists and nationalists, or religious, such as Protestants and Jehovah’s Witnesses. But we ourselves must understand and convey to others that we were among the first in this list and what our presence and coexistence with others in it means today.
Both Abdulmumin Gadzhiev and Ayrat Dilmukhametov are particularly valuable figures because they understand this. Abdulmumin Gadzhiev, who is behind bars, has not only been supported by prominent representatives of Russian civil society, but has also expressed his support for them in a number of cases, including protests in Khabarovsk. And Ayrat Dilmukhametov was sentenced for his program to transform the Russian Federation into a home for all its citizens, peoples, religious and other groups, instead of a prison as it is now.
Muslims in Russia must understand that their situation will not change with the success of another champion or even a businessman — their situation can only change when Gadzhiev, Dilmukhametov and others like them are released along with other political prisoners or return from emigration and become figures who determine the policies not only of their republics but also at the all-Russian level.
When Havel, Mandela and people with similar biographies were imprisoned for many years, many thought that they would never be released, let alone achieve something greater. But not only were they released, they led historic changes for their peoples. We must know and remember that our Havel and Mandela exist today, and we must hope and work for their release.