published: Материалы Международной научно-практической
Конференции, «НАУКА И ОБРАЗОВАНИЕ В СОВРЕМЕННОМ
МИРЕ», ТОМ 7, Қарағанды, Болашақ-Баспа, 2012
Tengiz Simashvili
Corruption as a Reason to Radicalization of Islam in North Caucasus
Nowadays
Radical Islamic Movement for Caucasus – Wahhabis, as acting under “Al-Qaida”,
ideology of International Islamic Terrorist Organizations’ link is sufficiently
problematic for the whole world.[1,
267-271] Islam Radicalization processes, taking place in North Caucasus
are especially very dangerous for Caucasus region. Sunni Islam is mainly
popular in North Caucasus Islamic Republics, belong to Russian state –
Karachaevo-Cherkezia, Kabardino-Balkaria, Ingushetia, Chechnya, Dagestan, only
in the south of Dagestan there are few Shiite communities. That’s why Wahhabis -
the Sunni Islam fundamental direction was spread mainly in North Caucasus with
the form of Radical Islam.[2]
At
the beginning of 1990, Russian State structures considered, that Wahhabis
in North Caucasus weren’t dangerous, as they revealed negative attitude towards
the representatives of Traditional Islam. In their opinion, Traditional Islam
was the ideology of newly appeared “People Front”, other parties which were
appearing with national sovereignty getting slogans and were opposing to
central Russian authorities. That’s why from one side, they thought that Wahhabis
will make the local, Traditional Islam followers weak. From another side, they
supposed that with the help of this policy they’ll be able to weaken the local
population separatist attitude, as they’ll be included in religious opposition,
began between Traditional and Fundamental Islamic directions. Various Muslims population
of North Caucasus actively began mastering the Wahhabis ideas. Traditional
Islam representatives opposed to Wahhabi followers. And then
the result turned out to be deplorable for Russia. From the end of 1990,
exactly Wahhabis
turned into main motive power of Terroristic War against Russian State in North
Caucasus.[11]
At
present, Central authority of Russia changed its tactic and began to support
the local, Traditional Islam representatives in North Caucasus. It tries to use
them in the struggle against Radical Islamic movements. In this situation,
Wahhabis adjusted to the North Caucasus specification from the other side. For
example, in Dagestan twelve nations and more than thirty ethnic groups are
inhabited. Other republics are of more or less variety too. Central Authority
of Russia take orientation on the tradition, characteristic for the Soviet
Period – on supporting separate nations, ethnic groups, on giving more
political power to them in compare with others.[3]
For
example, Russians chose Kabardians as the basis in the Republic of Kabardo-Balkaria.
Generally, Balkarian regions of Kabardo-Balkarian republic are the poorest and
socially badly organized. This and the above mentioned discrimination treatment
– oppression of the population to take part in the social-political life of the
republic, played the role of catalyst for consolidating in radical Islamic
Organizations of the local youth. That’s why, in this republic, which was
selected with its calmness in North Caucasus, Vahabits began to be active
enough during the last years. Mainly the ethnical Balkarians are united in
local Wahhabis “Jamaats”.
There
exist also reasons, in spite of above mentioned measures of central government
of Russia; followers of Tradition Islamic trends are extremely activated in
North Caucasus.
Traditionally,
since SSSR period, republics of North Caucasus are subsidy republics. Their
budget was filling and even today fills from central budget of Russian
Federation. According to the data of Ministry of Regional Development of
Russian Federation 2006 percentage amount of subsidy in the republics of North
Caucasus was as follows: Adige - 60,68%; Karachevo-Cherkasia – 67,16%; Kabardino-Balkaria
– 67,38%; Dagestan – 78,82%; Chechnya – 84,21%; Ingushetia – 89,24%.[4]
It
means that they have no their own income, and accordingly they can’t provide
population with working places, that causes mass unemployment. It is added by
the general problem of Russian Federation and generally Post-Soviet countries –
heavy corruption. Just corruption plays one of the main roles in radicalization
of believer Muslim youth in Caucasus.
According
to a Russian journalist working on Caucasus themes, U. Snegiriov main core of
local Wahhabis warriors in modern Dagestan is young, 17-25 years old
representatives of less provided families, which were keeping themselves with
accidental jobs or they were generally unemployed until entering Islamic Terrorist
organizations. He thinks, that except of hard social conditions, injustice and
very heavy corruption revealed from local government plays a great role as well.[5]
His
consideration is confirmed by the words of R. Gereev, head of “Youth
Monitoring” group of the Republic of Dagestan of Russian Federation and Islamic
Research Center of North Caucasus – it is the fault of the heaviest corruption
existed in modern Dagestan, that believer Muslim young people become members of
Terrorist Organizations created on “Wahhabis” ideological base.[6]
According
him, corruption reached its maximum limit in the republics of North Caucasus;
it penetrate into absolutely all local legislative executive bodies; posts
moves hereditary; there exists clan-based governance; business is produced
only by persons with close relations with low and upper units of the government
and other.
According
to local population, middle and high units of not only government structures,
but also educational system, mass media and non-governmental structures are
wholly recruited with people having close relations with government.
Appointment on posts happens through bribe, acquaintances or relatives.
Accordingly, because of these factors, Radical Islam in North Caucasus appears
as “Wahhabis” as just one of the kinds of social protest.
As
I’ve mentioned above, in 1990-ies central government of Russia couldn’t realize
what danger “Wahhabis” doctrine had. And at present time it is already
powerless to take any effective measures. The point is that central government
of Russia is based on the highest representatives of the governments of the
republics of North Caucasus, officials and politicians, who were and are even
today deeply indebted in corruption.
Although
leadership of Russian Federation declares aloud starting so called anti-corruption
campaigns, but battle with corruption has no result at all. According to above
mentioned R. Gereev – persons, who battle with corruption, are corrupt
themselves in real.[6]
It
is necessary to mention here the circumstance, that paradoxical situation is created
in the republics of North Caucasus today – local Wahhabis mainly are armed, buy
food and other necessary things by the money, which is “paid” by local
businessmen and officials for personal safety. The main source of their
financing is taxed so called “black” business. More specifically, they extort
money mainly people who earn money with illegal industrial activity, hiding
taxes from the state, who abuse their posts and are indebted into corruption
and other.
According
to the information of Ministry of Internal Affairs of Dagestan, at the
beginning of 2011 year they revealed the scheme of money paying to Wahhabis
terrorists as it follows: officially registered firm in in Dagestan, which had
no industrial activity, formed contracts with different enterprises and money
transfers realized from their account to its account. Or by this way they
extort money from owners of different enterprises and these sums were used by
the owner of the above mentioned firm for buying warriors’ gun, clothes,
product and others. From 2006 to 2011 about 167 million(!) Russian rubles were
on the account of the firm.[7]
Such
kind of situation is not only in Dagestan. According to the President of
Ingushetia, I. Evkurov, during last six years Ingushetia state officials and businessmen
have been paying tribute to terrorists for their own safety.[8]
Financing
of North Caucasus Wahhabis terrorists by local businessmen is confirmed also by
representative of the President of Russia in North Caucasus Federal Region, A.
Khloponin.[12]
It is obvious that financing
terrorists acting under radical Islamic ideology is well known for force
structures of local government. Even more, reviewer of “Nezavisimaya Gazeta” M.
Famullaev in his article “Money for Terror and from Terror” directly indicates
that every second citizen of North Caucasus republic can entirely or partly
name who and how much pays to terrorists.[12]
To his opinion, it is already
several years that Wahhabis warriors (Mujahidin)
methodologically
treated extorting money from businessmen. Business of North Caucasus republics
is completely or at least partially taxed from them. Not only businessmen, but very often even
state officials have to transfer them from their incomes, 20 percent of the
total sum for producing “Jihad”. From the sums extorted under death threat half
of the money is divided by Wahhabis warriors, 20% of rest of the sum is
delivered to “Amir” or head of the Jamaat and 30% for producing “Jihad” or
buying weapons, equipments, product and other necessary things for Wahhabis
warriors.
In
that way, with different kinds of reasons participation in “Jihad” for young
people is attracting because they get careless monthly income from the sums
extorted in such way.
Thus,
heavy corruption existed in North Caucasus, which on the one hand supports
young’s radicalization, on the other hand is transformed by them as supportive
factor for continuing terrorist activity.
Related
with this, consideration of simple population is interesting, that local
regional force structures, from its side, are interested in preserving hard
criminal situation. For them it is a mean demanding sums central budget of
Russian Federation and then spending it uncontrollably. That’s why they are not
battle effectively consciously as with terrorism revealing, as solving
different social problems and including corruption.[9]
This
opinion is shared by representatives of force structures of Russia. According
to Russian military expert colonel V. Popov, although Russian special services
gained successes with battle of warriors in North Caucasus, positive changes in
social and economic spheres are not realizing, and in result of it rows of
“Wahhabis” warriors are filling with young.[10]
According
to the opinion of the President of Kabardino-Balkaria, A. Kanakov – without
right state policy in Caucasus it is impossible to destroy young people’s wish
joining in radical Islamic organizations, as Wahhabis terrorists give them
money on the one hand and belief on the other hand, and we do not give them
neither money nor belief.[13]
Accordingly,
in future in the republics of North Caucasus of Russian Federation what more
abysses between rich and poor becomes deeper, unemployment and corruption level
will increase and Islamic Terror will get danger scales. It is possible to
strengthen and turn into a guerrilla war, which will create a danger not
for only Russia’s stability, but safety of the whole region.
In
the republics of South Caucasus, where Muslims live with a great amount, I
imply Georgia and Azerbaijan, prevention measures should be taken against Islam
Radicalization.
Nowadays,
analysis of above mentioned current processes in North Caucasus directly
indicates that one of the inevitable measures should be eradication of
aggravating circumstances for corruption, nepotism and other social
background; Muslim youth’s mass enrolment in different kinds of educational
projects; creating profitable conditions for entering state universities,
getting high education and other.
References:
1.
T. Simasvili,
,”Terrorist Wars and Wahhabis”; Collection of works of political science
Institute, “Tselitsdeuli”, Tbilisi, 2005, pg.: 267-271(on Georgian)
2. Caucasian
Regional Studies (1999), “ Islamic fundamentalism on northern Caucasus: to problem statement"; http://www.izvestia.ru/articles/article828314/
3.
M. Shevchenko, (17.05.1997), “Wahhabites are ready
to fight" (Opposition in mountain Dagestan threatens to pass in a stage of
religious war): ”Novaia Gazeta", http://www.uni-potsdam.de/u/slavistik/zarchiv/0597m/k089-11.htm
(Is searched 07.III.1999)
4.
http://newsland.ru/News/Detail/id/381333/5.
J. Snegiryov, “Dagestan: militiamen to destroy, not
to touch simple people who tries to blow up republic from within”;
http://www.izvestia.ru/special/article3132817/
6. “The
expert: Without cardinal measures in the religious policy Russia the sad future
waits”;
http://muslem.ru/?p=3657
7. The
Dagestan businessman has financed insurgents; http://newsland.ru/news/detail/id/667841/cat/48/
8.
“Ali Taziev on a nickname of Magas
can’t live to court”;
9. I.
Suhov, “Struggle against terrorism: the North Caucasian federal district”; http://www.agentura.ru/dossier/russia/people/sukhov/counterterrorism/
10. Vl. Mukhin ,”New
intensity focuses on Caucasus Goes not declared guerrilla war, and its scales
expand more and more”; http://www.ng.ru/regions/2011-03-30/1_kavkaz.html
11. J. Rybina,”To
Kill incorrect _ it how to make a Mohammedan prayer”, “Kommersant”; http://www.kommersant.ru/doc.aspx?DocsID=353925
12. M.A. Famullaev, “Many for Terror and from
Terror”; http://www.ng.ru/politics/2011-04-06/3_kartblansh.html
13. “Results
of 2010: statistics of losses of agents of national security in the North Caucasus”;
http://www.memo.ru/hr/hotpoints/caucas1/index.htm
