On May 21, the Adyge-Khabl District Court of Karachay-Cherkessia began a trial for a cell of the At-Takfir wal-Hijra religious organization, banned in Russia. Six people are in the dock, all facing charges under Article 282.2 of the Russian Criminal Code for participating in the activities of an extremist organization.
According to the prosecution, the At-Takfir wal-Hijra cell has been active since early 2023. Its organizer is 42-year-old Khasin Kabardaev, a resident of the village of Ersakon, who has a criminal record and possesses "leadership skills and knowledge of Islam and Sharia law, as well as authority among members of the Muslim community." The organization's goal was "to propagate and disseminate the radical views and ideas of the At-Takfir wal-Hijra ideologists among the republic's Muslims, as well as to recruit new members."
Arsen Aichepshev, Murat Kabardaev, Nazir Koshev, Murat Mulazhev, and Mikhail Smadich voluntarily joined Kabardaev. In May 2024, all were detained by security forces and placed in custody. They face prison sentences ranging from two to ten years.
The At-Takfir wal-Hijra organization emerged in Egypt in the 1970s. This name, given to it by journalists, translates as "Accusation of Unbelief and Emigration." Members of this initially peaceful group called themselves "Jamaat al-Muslimin"—"Society of Muslims." The society's ideologists, based on a peculiar interpretation of sacred texts, claimed that the entire world had fallen into jahiliyyah (savagery, ignorance), that there were no "true" Muslims left, and that "incorrect" Muslims, as infidels, should be punished by death.
In 1977, members of Takfir wal-Hijra carried out a series of attacks on Cairo nightclubs and took the Minister of Religious Affairs hostage, demanding the release of their imprisoned supporters. After the minister's death, approximately 400 members of the organization were arrested, five leaders were executed, and the organization ceased to exist.
However, in the early 2000s, groups of Takfir wal-Hijra followers began to appear in some CIS countries—Russia, Ukraine, and Kazakhstan. Experts believe they have no obvious ties to the Egyptian organization; they are simply using the brand of one of the most well-known radical movements. On September 15, 2010, the Supreme Court of Russia declared the organization extremist and banned its activities in the country.
According to the SOVA Center for Information and Analysis, in 2023, five individuals were sentenced to varying terms in Dagestan, the Ivanovo Region, and the Rostov Region for involvement in the radical Islamist organization At-Takfir wal-Hijra. "Although the organization by this name has long since ceased to exist, there were, and likely still are, followers of some of its ideas in Russia; we cannot assess the degree of their radicalism or the content of their actual activities," SOVA analysts note.
The number of convictions for involvement with At-Takfir wal-Hijra is growing. In February 2025, the Karachay City Court sentenced 13 members of this organization. They were found guilty not only of organizing extremist activity but also of possessing weapons.
