Last week reminded Muslims in Russia of two sad dates. One of them, the most recent wound, was the murder of our brother Orkhan Dzhemal a year ago, which received a lot of attention, including in connection with its comprehensive investigation (https://dossier.center/car/). The second, against this background, remained somewhat overshadowed — five years ago, on August 1, 2014, another brother was killed — also a journalist, public figure, human rights defender, Timur Kuashev. Technically, they were probably killed by different people, but there is no doubt that the collective killer who sent them as executioners, or gave them permission to kill, was the same in both cases. The same person who subsequently closed these cases, turning their official investigation not only into a farce, but also into a blatant mockery — of their families, of other people who cared about the victims, and ultimately of common sense.
Both Orkhan and Timur, despite the difference in age and fame, were people of the same kind. Devout, sincere Muslims, they were also able to influence the surrounding society, which at its core is non-Muslim, and achieve deserved recognition for their professional and personal qualities.
Of course, in Putin’s Russia, such people are not randomly killed one by one. In principle, ordinary Russians with independent positions, personal dignity and civic courage are not needed there, regardless of their religious beliefs, nationality or political views. But when it comes to the Muslim community of the country, as far as its best representatives are concerned, as we have already demonstrated a long time ago (https://golosislama.com/news.php?id=31080), there is a special plan — to kill them, to exile them, to arrest them and to discredit them. Ordinary people often do not understand — why do they kill, imprison, exile or poison not drug addicts, thieves or murderers whom anti-Islamic media try to present as the embodiment of Muslims, but on the contrary, the most intelligent, reasonable and useful Muslims for society? In fact, it is logical — because drug addicts, criminals, and lunatics pose no threat to them, they can be easily neutralized when necessary and successfully used in corrupt schemes and to create desired public sentiments.
People like Orkhan, Timur, or those Muslims against whom criminal cases are now being falsified are dangerous precisely because they bring and can bring benefits not only to Muslims who vividly and effectively defend their interests, but also to society as a whole, thereby shaping a completely different, dangerous perception of Islam and Muslims among others.
These are the people we should focus on. But we must learn to do this not only after they are gone, remembering their strengths and evaluating our losses in retrospect, but also to value, protect, and support them during their lifetimes and, equally important, to prepare their successors in advance, to educate and cultivate new generations of Muslim authorities and leaders.
Today, Russian society is entering a period of maturation of a new historical transformation, the results of which will directly affect the fate and position of Muslim peoples and communities. In order for these results to be favorable to them, we must learn how to find, promote, and support individuals like Orkhan and Timur, who could be followed not only by conscious believers, but also by other fellow citizens.