The new religious leader of Muslims in Chechnya has vowed to fight the Wahhabism ideology within Islam, the Novosti news agency reports.
Mufti Sultan Mirzayev, 40, said his key task would be an "ideological fight against Wahhabism and active promotion of traditional Islam."
| "Mahmoud, kill this apostate." |
The mufti said religious leaders like him should explain "the danger of the Wahhabite ideology, give balanced arguments and refer to the Koran."
He said work with young people is a priority because Chechnya has many other problems like drugs in addition to radical Islamic trends. The cleric said clergymen should work with people who "joined illegal armed units by mistake or ignorance and were not involved in serious crimes."
Mirzayev was elected Chechen mufti by a unanimous decision of the Majlis comprising 22 representatives of local Moslem communities.
| 22 loyal representatives. |
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