Chechens of Aukh Outraged by Opening of Dagestani Mosque in Leninaul

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Despite the assurances of the Muftiate of Dagestan about neutrality in the issue of demolition of the historical Chechen mosque in the village of Leninaul in the Aukhovsky district and promises to resolve the issue according to Sharia, the opening of the newly erected mosque nevertheless took place and was timed to coincide with the birthday of Mufti Akhmed Abdullaev.

As "Caucasian Knot, in Leninaul, Kazbekovsky District, Dagestan, despite agreements with the authorities, a Chechen mosque built in the 19th century was demolished, village residents said in a video message. The plot of land in Leninaul, where, according to representatives of the Chechen community, the 19th century mosque was located, was sold at auction to a representative of the Avar community, who handed it over for the construction of a mosque. The authorities did not find documents in the archives indicating that this plot of land belongs to Chechens, the Kazbekovsky district administration stated. The Muftiate and the Council of Chechens of Dagestan agreed to resolve the issue of demolishing the mosque in Leninaul in accordance with Sharia law. Islamic scholars called the requirement to build a mosque on the site of the demolished one not a norm of Islam, but simply a local tradition. The demolition itself brought to the forefront the question of ownership of the Aukhovsky District..

The Chechen community of Aukh insists on recognizing the demolition of the historic Chechen quarter mosque as an act of vandalism, a Chechen activist of the "Restoration of Aukh" movement told a "Caucasian Knot" correspondent Ibrahim.

“We can already see that the opening of this result of an act of vandalism was timed to coincide with the birthday of the Mufti of Dagestan Abdullaev. It was built two months ago, but the official opening took place on September 15 as a gift to the Mufti, who, in words, when our delegation goes there, does not agree with these actions, but in fact this opening is timed to coincide with his birthday,” the source said.

This decision, made secretly and contrary to promises, became an act of insult and betrayal for the Chechen community

According to him, the demolished mosque in Leninaul had deep historical significance. "Built in 1883, it was mentioned in the 1886 census as one of the four quarter mosques of the Chechen village of Aktash-Aukh. For local residents, it symbolized the continuity and presence of the Chechens of Aukh on this land. Despite the agreements reached with the muftiate and the authorities to preserve the site until a final decision on its status, the mosque was dismantled on the night of May 7-8, 2024. This decision, made secretly and contrary to promises, became an act of insult and betrayal for the Chechen community," Ibrahim said.

He noted that the demolition of the old mosque is perceived by the residents of Aukh not as a one-time conflict, but as part of a systemic process of "erasing" the Chechen heritage in the Aukh district, which began after the deportation of 1944. “Today, about 40% of Leninaul residents are Chechens, but many still face difficulties with registration and are forced to buy their own homes from new owners. Against this backdrop, the demolition of the historic mosque has become a painful symbol of displacement and has caused the strongest outrage in the community,” the source concluded.

A representative of the Chechen community has declared ownership of the disputed land

At the end of August, a video message from the owner of the land on which the new mosque was built appeared on the Internet. He expressed outrage at the demolition and declared his rights to the land.

The man in the video introduced himself as Temirsoltanov Ismail Ibragimovich. He stands against the backdrop of a new mosque in the village of Leninaul in the Kazbekovsky district and says that “the mosque was built on a plot of land that belongs to him by right of inheritance from his father, who was deported in 1944 year."

He emphasized that his great-grandfather Temirsolt acquired this plot of land in the center of the village and provided the site for the construction of a neighborhood mosque, which stood from the end of the 19th century until the spring of 2025, when it was "treacherously demolished under the cover of night."

Temirsoltanov noted that numerous attempts to return the plot have been unsuccessful. "I, as the legal heir to this plot of land, make it HARAM for anyone to do anything on it. And I declare everything that has been done to be illegal and unlawful from the point of view of Islam," he said, adding that he asks the Almighty to punish those who use the unlawful.

Messages about sending a large number of Russian National Guard troops and special equipment to Lenin-Aul have also been circulated online. The video with the relevant footage was distributed, in particular, by the Instagram* public page "ЧП_Грозьный_95".

"In Dagestan, it seems that a new conflict is brewing between the Chechen Akkintsy residents and the local authorities," the description of the video says.

The commentary to the video reports that in the Chechen village of Aktash-Aukh (Leninaul), a festive event related to the opening of a new mosque turned into a conflict and increased tension. Citing "eyewitness accounts," it is reported that a group of Chechen Aukh residents planned to come to the ceremony to express disagreement with how the project was implemented, but their attempt encountered resistance from security forces. Military equipment was pulled up to the mosque, people were not allowed to go to the scene of the event, which effectively deprived them of the opportunity to legally express their position, the publication says.

The demolition and construction of a new mosque in Aktash-Aukh caused a discussion in the comments. Some users reported a land grab, others cited religious arguments and even left links to documents.

The land on which the mosque was built belongs to a Chechen, and he made what is being done on it haram without giving consent

“The land on which the mosque was built belongs to a Chechen, and he made what is being done on it haram without giving consent,” wrote xoxo_borz.  “Why drag this issue out for years? There are land issues in every republic, and for some reason they are not being resolved. "It's not that simple," sssseeebbbbnnn believes.

"You can't take away land or a house by force... They destroyed the mosque at night and dumped it in the trash, then made a new house of Allah for themselves on someone else's land... This is a 100% occupation with the aim of destroying true history," ibrohim_hadjam said sharply.

"There was a mosque built by my ancestors in the 19th century... they carefully and vilely destroyed it at night," shirch_yurtar_vaharho reported.

At the same time, dunya_ahirat_00 claims that the current owner had legal documents for the site. "His great-grandfather gave the land for a mosque... Later there was a pub, then a store, then the Avars made a prayer room... When they built the new mosque, everyone was silent. And when they demolished the old one, a million owners appeared, although the documents are available," the user wrote.

Sami_ra0220 noted that "the infringement of the rights of even one Muslim during the construction of a mosque makes it forbidden to pray in this mosque." "There was already a mosque there! Why was it necessary to destroy it!?" - zarina_id asked.

The Chechen community of Aukha denied the information about the conflict during the opening of the mosque

A representative of the Chechen community of Aukha denied the reports circulated on the Internet about the conflict that took place during the opening of the mosque.

There were no conflicts, there were no tense situations either

“It’s all a lie that the opening turned into a conflict and caused tension. This did not happen. On September 14, Sunday night, we in our initiative group and in parallel in the public council group began to discuss this topic. On the day of the opening of the mosque, September 15, concerned guys decided to go there in the morning and, without conflicts, without tension, express their disagreement in front of all the invited imams, theologians of the Dagestani muftiate and hold a peaceful protest. But our elders called, asked everyone to return home, leave it for September 16. They said that the mufti of Chechnya was supposed to meet with his Dagestani colleague. The guys listened to their elders, everyone returned home, dispersed. There were no conflicts, no tense situations either. It's just that, as usual, timid people called for reinforcements. Some military units were pulled in there. “The video shows that there is no tension,” a representative of the public council of Chechens-Aukhs told a “Caucasian Knot” correspondent.

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