Posted on 08/03/2005 11:26:19 AM PDT by kingattax
MOSCOW (Reuters) - Chechnya's Moscow-backed government has banned slot machines because they break the rules of Islam, a spokesman said Wednesday.
Itar-Tass news agency reported that Chechnya had around 1,000 gambling halls, following a trend set by other Russian cities where the "one-armed bandits" are popular.
The machines offended Ramzan Kadyrov, who is one of the top pro-Moscow officials in the region and heads thousands of troops tasked with battling rebels who have fought Russia for a decade.
"Yesterday evening Ramzan Kadyrov met with religious leaders and elders, and this question was discussed. They decided that these machines go against our traditions and corrupt our youth," a spokesman for Kadyrov said.
During the brief 1996-1999 period of de facto independence, Chechnya's separatist leadership imposed elements of Islamic law but since troops returned to the region nearly six years ago it has followed Russian secular law.
Kadyrov gave a week for all the gaming halls to close, and was quoted as threatening to shut them himself if his orders were not followed.
"Gambling contradicts Islamic traditions and negatively affects the education of the growing generation," he was quoted as saying by news Web site www.kavkaz.memo.ru.
"I give these bloodsucking businessmen one week. If they don't comply, I will smash their installations myself."
Damn. I was going to go there instead of Atlantic City.
I hereby propose a government funded program to place slot machines in every mosque, and muslim school in america.
They never seem to get around to banning suicide bombs as unislamic.
Is there anything that the Muslims allow besides goat buggering?
As there is no virtue without temptation, a "religion" has to be pretty damned insecure to remove all temptation!
LOLOLOLOL!
Well I guess the Russians have reformed themselves from being atheistic Commies. They now are supporting the theocracy.
Charging interest is forbidden also, but I don't see muslims getting too worked up about it.
Their not! Homocide bombers are very Islamic.
READ THEIR BOOK
Meanwhile, slaughtering Russian children in the name of Allah remains legal.
Simply rig the machines. If no one wins how can it be called gambling?
One-armed bandits...sounds sort of islamic to me.
One can see why Islam is the "fastest growing religion in the world". Who wouldn't want to be part of such a fun-loving, tolerant, peaceful group?
Anything to bring the money to the govt's depleted coffers.
"Gambling contradicts Islamic traditions"
I don't know about that..I'd say shooting at an M1 tank with an AKM is quite a gamble...
I have, or enough of it. I also listen to what they say, today.
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