In an interview on a Chechen television channel, the Mufti of Chechnya, Salah Mezhiyev, called Jews "enemies of Allah" and "the founders of atheism." The comment was made on the program "Chechen History. War and Peace," where Mezhiyev, who is also the head of the Coordination Center for Muslims of the North Caucasus, discussed apostasy.
"The enemies of Allah have long existed—the Jews and the movements they spawned, such as atheism. And no matter where this occurs—in the Arab world or in Europe—there are always pseudo-Orientalists spreading lies. If you listen to the topics they raise and the questions they ask, it becomes clear: the source of their ideas is Satanism," said Salah-Khadzhi Mezhiyev.
Chief Rabbi of the Russian Federation Berel Lazar called these words offensive to the entire Jewish people and emphasized that the Chechen mufti's position "runs counter to the officially stated position of the Muslim community."
"I sincerely hope that in the near future, statements will follow from leading representatives of Islam in Russia officially disassociating themselves from Mezhiyev's anti-Semitic statements and reaffirming the Russian Muslim community's commitment to peace and solidarity among believers in the one God," the rabbi said in a statement.
According to him, these statements are directed not so much against Jews as against the principles underlying development. Berel Lazar also expressed regret that such statements came from Chechnya, a region where peaceful relations between Muslim and Jewish populations have historically developed, and where Jews even spoke out in defense of Chechens during Stalin's purges.
