Russia to Ban Islamic Books in Crimea Adding to their woes as a result of the Russian restrictions on Islamic faith, Crimean Muslims have been asked to destroy Islamic books and materials included on the Russian blacklist, including copies of the Noble Qur’an and biography of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). “The Religious Administration of Muslims of Crimea informs Muslim religious organizations, and society that Russia’s federal list of banned extremist materials extends over Crimea,” the Religious Administration of Muslims of Crimea said in a statement cited by the Qirim News Agency. “Therefore distribution, production or storage of materials mentioned in the list is forbidden and will entail responsibility,” said a statement released on the Religious Administration’s website. “Please study the list and take measures to eliminate prohibited materials if they exist,” the statement advised. The Federal List of Extremist Materials was compiled by the Russian Ministry of Justice on July 14, 2007 and contained 1,058 items as of December 25, 2011. According to the ban, producing, storing or distributing the materials on the list is an offense in Russia. Some Islamic books that have been banned include the work of popular 20th century Turkish scholar Said Nursi and the famous “Fortress of the Muslim” book of supplications of Prophet Muhammad, which was collected by ancient Muslim scholar Saeed Bin Ali Bin Wahf Al-Qahtani. A certain biography of the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) is also banned. The list also includes texts and books such as Adolf Hitler’s Mein Kampf, Jehovahs Witness publications. The 300,000-strong Muslim minority makes up less than 15 percent of Crimeas population of 2 million and has so far been overwhelmingly opposed to Russias annexation of the peninsula. The Russian move to annex Crimea followed an earlier vote in March on the peninsula’s future. The referendum, approved by 96 percent, was followed by several steps from pro-Moscow Crimean parliament, issuing a law that allows Russia’s annexation of the disputed peninsula. The hastily organized March 16 referendum was boycotted by Tatars who rejected as held at gunpoint under the gaze of Russian soldiers. After Russian annexation of Crimea, fears of Muslim Tatars were doubled, voicing concerns over losing freedom and reviving the memories of exile and prosecution they faced in 1944. Over the past months, hundreds of terrified Muslim Tatars families have decided to leave their homes in Crimea, fleeing an ambiguous future under the Russian regime after annexation. The Tatars, who have inhabited Crimea for centuries, were deported in May 1944 by Stalin, who accused them of collaborating with the Nazis. The entire Tatar population, more than 200,000 people, was transported in brutal conditions thousands of miles away to Uzbekistan and other locations. Many died along the way or soon after arriving. The Soviets confiscated their homes, destroying their mosques and turning them into warehouses. One was converted into a Museum of Atheism. It was not until perestroika in the late 1980s that most of the Tatars were allowed back, a migration that continued after Ukraine became independent with the Soviet collapse in 1991.
Posted on: Thu, 07 Aug 2014 14:00:29 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015