COURT CASES STIR MUSLIM COMMUNITY IN ASTRAKHAN

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 MOSCOW 002447 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/10/2016 TAGS: PGOV PINR PHUM KDEM RS SUBJECT: COURT CASES STIR MUSLIM COMMUNITY IN ASTRAKHAN Classified By: Minister-Counselor for Political Affairs Kirk Augustine. For reasons 1.4 (b and d). ¶1. (C) SUMMARY. Two ongoing court cases in the southern Russian city of Astrakhan have stirred part of the local Muslim community to protest against perceived discrimination. On a February 28 - March 1 trip to Astrakhan, we found that some in its Muslim community suspect that a city order to destroy a recently built mosque, as well as a criminal case against a Muslim businessman accused of inciting religious hatred, were both instigated by authorities to exert control over the Muslim population in Russia's south. The merits of the two cases remain unclear, but such perceptions in the local Muslim community could produce tension, in the long term possibly influencing the moderate nature of Astrakhan's Muslim community. END SUMMARY. BACKGROUND -------------- ¶2. (C) The city of Astrakhan, located on the Caspian Sea, has an ethnically and religiously diverse population of just over 500,000. Originally a crossroads of trading routes, Astrakhan has reportedly developed into a tolerant community where people of different backgrounds live together peacefully. While the majority of the population (around 70 percent, according to oblast authorities) consider themselves Christian, a significant Muslim population exists. The Muslim community is largely Volga Tatar and considered moderate, despite the influence of a more radical Dagestani diaspora. There are over 40 mosques in Astrakhan Oblast, and with an Islamic Institute headed by an Algerian-born rector, two Islamic centers, and several independent Islamic foundations, the Muslim community appears vibrant. ¶3. (C) The Muslim community has reportedly maintained good relations with other religious communities within the city. Father Mikhail of Astrakhan's Russian Orthodox Church told us that he considered Oblast Mufti Nazambek Ilyasov (who works in conjunction with the Central Spiritual Directorate of Muslims) a good friend, although he noted that new mosques remained empty, implying that mosque construction may be outpacing the growth of the Muslim population. Rabbi Shlomo Goldenberg, the Astrakhan rabbi of the Federation of Jewish Communities, also claimed to us that he enjoys good relations with the Muslim leadership and commented that they often jointly attend oblast celebrations and holiday functions. MOSQUE NUMBER 34 -------------- ¶4. (C) The Astrakhan city administration issued an order in January for the destruction of recently built Mosque Number 34, located at the entrance to the city on the airport road. The order gave the Muslim community two months to tear down the mosque before the city would step in and do so. Astrakhan Vice-Mayor Yevgeniy Aptekar and Oblast Deputy Minister for International Cooperation Oleg Kolominov both claimed to us that the order is related to construction regulation violations that make the mosque structurally unsound and therefore unsafe. Both denied that the order was a violation of religious freedom. ¶5. (C) The Council of Mosque Number 34, represented by Chairman Asya Makhmudova, reacted strongly to the order, appealing it to the oblast court and applying for permission to hold a protest rally. Permission for a planned February protest was denied, and on March 1 the oblast court denied the appeal. The Council now has until May 1 to tear down the mosque. Makhmudova believes the order was issued after an August 2005 visit by President Putin. She told us she believed that Putin was dissatisfied that a mosque would be the first image to greet visitors upon entry into the city from the airport. Seeking to compromise, the Council told the city administration that it would not be opposed to the construction of an Orthodox Church next to the mosque, if that would resolve the situation. The city did not respond. Veronica Karpycheva-Petrova, the Council's attorney, indicated to us that the Council would take its case to Moscow, both through the courts and through a public relations campaign. ¶6. (C) The reaction from the rest of the Astrakhan community has been mixed. Karpycheva-Petrova told us that local media refused to write about the case because of their loyalty to the administration. A local journalist was quick to echo to us the administration's position about construction violations. Although the eleven councils of Astrakhan city's Muslim community signed on to a letter to Astrakhan Governor Aleksandr Zhilkin protesting the case, other religious communities have reportedly remained silent. MOSCOW 00002447 002 OF 002 SHANGAREYEV CASE -------------- ¶7. (C) In addition, federal authorities have been prosecuting a local Muslim businessman and activist, Mansur Shangareyev, on charges of fraud and incitement to religious hatred. Already sentenced to three years on the fraud charges, Shangareyev is currently being tried on the second charge. Shangareyev was arrested in March 2005, after authorities searched his home and claimed to have found leaflets and other material used to spread radical Islamic ideas. His attorney, Vladimir Ryakhovskiy of the Slavic Center for Law and Religion, told us that the charges were unfounded and that the evidence was planted by security services during the search. Human rights activists in Moscow, including the GOR's former human rights ombudsman, Oleg Mironov, have signed a letter to Astrakhan Oblast officials protesting this "state discrimination." MUSLIM COMMUNITY -------------- ¶8. (C) For Astrakhan's Muslim community, the two cases run counter to a history of support from local, regional, and federal authorities. Makhmudova, noting that the previous city administration was supportive of Mosque 34, passed us a copy of a letter signed by the previous mayor asking the local construction board to facilitate permission for its construction. Former Governor Anatoliy Guzhvin reportedly set aside funds from the oblast budget to work on restoring another local mosque and urged the business community to contribute. Makhmudova said the turnaround in authorities' attitudes toward the Muslim community was hard to understand. ¶9. (C) The role of Mufti Ilyasov is similarly confusing. As the two cases have proceeded, it appears that Ilyasov has struggled between supporting his community and maintaining his good relationship with the federal and oblast governments. Makhumudova referred to Ilyasov's stance on the mosque as two-sided, mentioning that "he tells the Muslim community that he supports it, and then tells the authorities that he supports them." Ilyasov has met several times with Putin to discuss support of Russian Muslims. Some observers believe that Ilyasov may have been behind the case against Shangareyev due to a split in the Astrakhan Muslim community that may have endangered his position as mufti. GEOGRAPHICAL PROXIMITY -------------- ¶10. (C) Meanwhile, Astrakhan State University representatives told us that increasing numbers of students are studying Farsi and participating in student exchanges and information technology training in Iran. Local officials also told us that business ties with Iran are on the rise, as Iranians look to use Astrakhan as a point of entry for their goods. During a meeting with Astrakhan Oblast Minister of International Cooperation Askar Kabikeyev, he explained that he was meeting later the same day with an Iranian official. COMMENT -------------- ¶11. (C) As in Tatarstan and other areas of Russia with a significant Muslim population - with the possible exception of the North Caucasus - Muslims in Astrakhan have practiced a moderate form of Islam since the collapse of the Soviet Union and lived peacefully with their non-Muslim neighbors. There is, however, some cause for concern as younger Muslims now have greater access to more radical thinking from abroad. Friction can be compounded by stronger nationalism among ethnic Russians and an increasingly close relationship between Russian Orthodoxy and the Russian government. For the present, however, Astrakhan remains a city where specific grievances have not yet boiled over to feed violence of the sort now regularly seen in Dagestan and elsewhere in the North Caucasus. BURNS