While the world’s attention has been focused on the protests in Lebanon and Belarus (more on that later), the most important thing for Russia’s Muslim community right now is what is happening in Bashkir Kushnau. It’s important to note that we are not talking about religious or purely national protests. Although the natural reserve — Shihan (mountain) Kushnau — has historical value for the Bashkirs, citizens of Bashkortostan of all nationalities, religions and political convictions have joined the struggle for its preservation. Among them, often in the forefront, are our conscious and observant Muslim brothers. And this is an important example for us, because the future of the Muslim struggle for their rights lies in their active participation in the civil movement. In this way, they will be able to present themselves as fighters for the interests of their compatriots against anti-Islamic propaganda, and thus gain their support when it comes to the legitimate interests of Muslims.
Yesterday 3-5 thousand people gathered in Kushnau and formed a human chain holding a huge flag of the Republic of Bashkortostan.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=evxp-ohiIzs
Without resorting to the open dispersal of the people protesting against the destruction of the reserve of the Bashkir Soda Company, the authorities covering it sent several hundred athletes to disperse the crowd at night.
As a result of the aggressive actions of the «bulls» many people were injured, including Ruslan Gabbasov, one of the leaders of the «Bashkort» movement, who had previously been banned for protesting against the destruction of Kushnau, had his eyebrow cut off with a knuckle duster or some other heavy object.
The resistance is broadcast on the following Telegram channel:
Equally dramatic events are taking place in Belarus, where Alexander Lukashenko, once a popular national leader, has turned into an ordinary post-Soviet autocrat determined to stay in power at all costs. Yesterday’s so-called «presidential elections» turned out to be a distorted reflection — although according to all independent polls he received only about 15% of the votes, compared to about 80% for the united opposition candidate Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, the Belarusian authorities produced completely opposite results.
Thousands of Belarusians took to the streets in response to these falsifications, to which the authorities responded with boundless police violence — crashing police vans into crowds, brutally beating demonstrators, using rubber bullets and stun grenades.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MGujl0KzC-I
It would seem that there is nothing connecting the events in Belarus and Kushnau except the timing. But that’s not the case — they are of the same nature. They are protests against the prevailing post-Soviet system of new absolutism, awakening and tired of enduring the lawlessness of the authorities.
It’s no wonder that in Khabarovsk people shouted «Belarus!» and in Belarus there were slogans «Khabarovsk, we are with you». Yesterday the defenders of Kushnau loudly shouted the same slogan.
From Minsk to Khabarovsk, there is now an arc of civil protest and resistance, and the future of Muslims will largely depend on the role they play in this evolving political geography.