On July 19, 2012, Russia's Tatarstan Republic, a Muslim-majority region located in the oil-rich center of the country, was shocked by two deadly attacks on the republic's leading clerics. The republic's mufti, Ildus Faizov, was hospitalized with moderate injuries after his car was blown up on a street in the capital, Kazan. One hour earlier, Faizov's powerful former deputy, Valiulla Yakupov, was shot dead outside his home in a different part of the city. These clerics' pro-Kremlin and anti-Islamist stance gave rise to suspicion that they were targeted by fundamental Islamists displeased by their cooperation with Moscow and their denunciation of Islamist activity. This suspicion was strengthened by the fact that, on the day of the attacks, Tatarstan militants issued a video in which they reiterated their allegiance to Dokka Umarov, leader of the "Caucasus Emirate," and announced that their jihad activities would expand to the entire Volga and Ural regions. Moreover, on August 4, they issued another video in which they claimed responsibility for the attacks. ...
The full text of this post is available to subscribers.
Please login or register to request subscription information from MEMRI
