Posted on 09/20/2017 10:51:06 AM PDT by Jagermonster
SEARCH FOR SOLUTIONS Strongman Ramzan Kadyrov was installed by Putin to squelch Chechnya's Islamist insurrection. But Kadyrov's adoption of sharia and political Islam in the region are challenging Russia's secular constitutional order.
MOSCOW—Russia fought two bloody wars in its Caucasus republic of Chechnya, ostensibly to crush an emerging threat of Islamist extremism on its own soil.
So it is with no small irony that the strongman Moscow installed to run a pacified Chechnya, Ramzan Kadyrov, is increasingly posing a similar challenge to Russia's secular constitutional order. Mr. Kadyrov is imposing sharia (Islamic law) on his population – and lately, even defying the Kremlin's foreign policy – with an apparent eye on a global, Islamic stage.
“Kadyrov wants to be considered a leader among world Muslims. His ambitions are very high,” says Alexei Malashenko, an Islam expert with the Moscow Carnegie Center. “He has introduced politicized Islam in Chechnya, and this is definitely a problem for the Kremlin. [President Vladimir] Putin clearly does not like it.”
Kadyrov has always been one of the most, if not the most, noteworthy of Russia's regional leaders, though often for less than positive reasons.
Sometimes his antics look simply baffling to outsiders, as when he recently ordered almost 1,000 divorced Chechen couples to reunite “for the sake of the children,” his ongoing efforts to force Chechen women to adhere to a “Muslim dress code,” or his endorsement of polygamy in Chechnya – which is strictly against Russian law.
(Excerpt) Read more at csmonitor.com ...
I’ve heard some figures about the high percentage of Muslims in Russia’s military but it hasn’t been confirmed, perhaps more than half?
I can’t with 100% certainty say that I am correct, but when al Qaeda operates in an area for years on end, and then ISIS pops up in the same exact location, it’s hard for me to think they’re not jumping between squads.
They are supposed to be different sects. Sure doesn’t look like it on game day.
It’s more about power and pay for play IMO.
It’s why they can’t seem to hold squads together too.
ISIS was pretty large at one point. It came out of nowhere and vaporized about as quickly.
This is certainly true, but both Al Quaeda and ISIS are Sunni organizations. What you don't get is fighters moving from Hizbollah (Iran-sponsored Shi'ites) to ISIS (Sunni) or vice-versa, as this would basically require a "denominational" conversion. Think of Catholic vs. Protestant during the 30 years war.
As I understand it, they are both Sunni, but ISIS was more of a Wahhabi sect. It doesn’t see other sects even in the Sunni grouping to be it’s equal.
Thus I believe the commingle argument is valid.
At length Sam stirred. 'Well, I call that neat as neat,' he said. 'If this nice friendliness would spread about in Mordor, half our trouble would be over.'- J. R. R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings.
'Quietly, Sam,' Frodo whispered. 'There may be others about. We have evidently had a very narrow escape, and the hunt was hotter on our tracks than we guessed. But that is the spirit of Mordor, Sam; and it has spread to every corner of it. Orcs have always behaved like that, or so all tales say, when they are on their own. But you can't get much hope out of it. They hate us far more, altogether and all the time. If those two had seen us, they would have dropped all their quarrel until we were dead.
That’s my thought as well.
You know, we’re somewhat like that for short periods.
After 09/11/2001, folks united for a short period.
I think it almost killed our Leftists though. Having to quit supporting the terrorists for a shot period was terrible for them.
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