Rostov Imam Accused of Extremism

The FSB has opened a criminal case against Rostov Imam Akhmed Abusupyanov. He is accused of organizing the work of an extremist religious organization.

The investigation claims that Abusupyanov participated in the activities of an extremist international religious association banned in Russia. We are talking about cooperation with At-Takfir Wal-Hijra. Allegedly, the imam also "promoted an intolerant attitude towards representatives of other faiths, as well as Muslims of other movements, and provoked conflicts with the official Muslim clergy."

Abusupyanov heads the "Main Spiritual Directorate of Muslims of the Rostov Region", registered in 2022. According to media reports, it was he who negotiated with the prisoners who seized Rostov Pretrial Detention Center No. 1 in June 2024.

Human rights activists have previously noted that there is currently no convincing evidence to support the existence of At-Takfir Wal-Hijdra in Russia or other countries around the world. This is an Egyptian organization, the last mention of which was in the 1970s. According to historians, it has not existed in practice for a long time, but the Russian Federation is convinced of the opposite.

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