19:49, 6 October 2018

Ingush leader sees religious subtext in Magas protests

Protesters against changing the Ingush-Chechen border. Magas, October 6, 2018. Photo by Umar Yovloy for the "Caucasian Knot"

Yunus-Bek Evkurov, the head of Ingushetia, has stated that Imams call on people to go to a rally against changing the Ingush-Chechen border and put pressure on MPs. Religious implications of the situation prevent the authorities from understanding what to do, he has added.

The Caucasian Knot has reported that the round-the-clock protest action against changing the above border between the republics began on October 4.

The rally participants demand to hold a referendum on the border issue and the resignation of Yunus-Bek Evkurov, who signed the border agreement with Chechnya.

Mr Evkurov has stated that the Muslim clergy exacerbate the situation in the republic. "About 25 Imams call in mosques their believers to join the protest rally," he said.

Evkurov is not for the first year in conflict with the republic's Muftiate. In March 2016, he announced the dissolution of the Spiritual Administration of Muslims (SAM) and its liquidation as a public organization.

The pressure on the MPs was also exerted by their relatives also put, said Evkurov. According to his story, MPs are afraid to go against their clans. However, he has no intent to make concessions.

This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on October 6, 2018 at 02:07 pm MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.