From: MSN NicknameEagle_wng (Original Message) Sent: 11/6/2007 3:51 PM
November 6, 2007
Radio Marsho: On the creation of the Caucasus Emirate
SIA CHECHENPRESS November 5, 2007
Radio Marsho: «Nobody in Chechnya is fighting for freedom and those who walk around brandishing weapons are international terrorists who have set out to create a Caliphate from the Caspian to the Black Sea ». This is what the Kremlin representatives and the Russian President tell the West ‘twice on a long day’, as they say in Chechnya. Yet another proof of this arrived in our mailbox in the shape of an audio-letter.
To cut a long story short, the fifteen minutes of audio, containing the statement made by the leader of the Chechen armed resistance Dokka Umarov, spoke about the creation of the Caucasus Emirate. A lot of question arose as a result, the main of which was about who and with what intentions had decided to pursue this radical course? This is what Baudi Martanov’s programme sets out to explore.
Baudi Martanov: (Audio recording of Dokka Umarov): «I remind all the mujahadeen fighting for the cause of Allah and all the degraded and oppressed Muslims, that I, the Emir of the Caucasus mujahadeen, am the only lawful authority in all the lands where mujahadeen have sworn an allegiance to me as the leader of the jihad.»
Later Dokka Umarov who had taken such a serious responsibility upon his shoulders, told us about the borders of the Emirate. Dokka Umarov: «I declare all the Caucasus lands where there the mujahadeen, who have given me their bajat, are fighting a jihad to be the velayats of the Caucasus Emirate. The Dagestan Velayat, the Nokhchij Cho Velayat, the GIalgIaj cho Velayat, the Iriston Velayat, the Nogajskaya Step Velayat, the United Velayat of the Kabardy Bulkar va Karachaj. Our immediate task is to turn the Caucasus into a Dar-us-Salam, by establishing Sharia on its soil and by driving out Caffres. Secondly, even after Caffres have been expelled, we need to win back all the historic Muslim lands, which stretch beyond the borders of the Caucasus».
Baudi Martanov: He states that the way of jihad which they have chosen is not a new one, and that his predecessors had followed that course before him.
Dokka Umarov: « We are asking Allah to bless their gazavat, and all the brothers who came before us. This is why we, the mujahadeen, renounce any law, rule or institution which does not come from Allah. The jihad against Russian Caffres which had never ended was resumed sixteen years ago in Chechenistan when according to Allah’s will Djohar Dudaev was put forward to be the leader of the Chechen people.
Whatever political slogans have been launched since then or words used to cover up deeds - all those who went to fight Russian Caffres have only spoken about their jihad and death on the way to Allah.
Every jihadi leader has always spoken and acted in accordance with his own understanding of religion and situation. We, Insh’Allah, do not criticise or condemn them, but ask Allah to show mercy to them and over them.».
Baudi Martanov: Although Dokka Umarov did not name all the people, they are well known: Djohar Dudaev, Aslan Maskhadov, Abdul-Khalim Sadulaev. Each was a commander in chief of the Chechen Armed Forces receiving their mandate after the death of their predecessor. It is not hard to say how they understood their course. Radio Marsho’s archive contains their voices. Thirteen years ago, with only a few months remaining until the beginning of the war in Chechnya, Djohar Dudaev said this in answer to journalists’ question about why Chechnya could not agree with Russia the way Tatarstan had done: We are ready to find an agreement, if they do not demand that Chechnya forsake its independence. I do not know the contents of the agreement between Russia and Tatarstan but I can assure you that in the draft agreement proposed by us there is not a single comma the Russian Prime Minister could not subscribe to. The main [obstacle] is our independence. It is unalterable».
Baudi Martanov: Aslan Maskhadov was certain that the Russian government would try to link Chechens to terrorism and thought that nothing would come of it as Chechens have different aspirations.
Aslan Maskhadov : «Countries of the world are fighting a war against terrorism. By accusing Chechens of terrorism, Putin want to put the events in Chechnya alongside acts of terrorism. But he is failing, and I don’t think he could succeed, for the fight which is taking place today did not begin today, or yesterday, it began 300 years ago. 300 years ago, when there were no Bin Laden, Al Khaida… this is a very different war. Chechen are fighting for their freedom and their state.
Baudi Martanov: Sadulaev Abdul-Khalim insisted that Chechens need a free state with good neighbourly relations. Not just another president, but a scholar of Islam he told us about the religious foundations of such a state.
Sadulaev Abdul-Khalim: I am hoping to continue the work of my predecessors to achieve freedom. It is a great honour for me to continue together with the Chechen people and on its behalf the work of those who have left us, Sheikh Mansur, Imam Shamil as well as recently deceased Djokhar Dudaev, Yandarbiev Zelimkhan, Aslan Maskhadov. Chechens need a free Islamic state, which has good relations with its neighbours. The Chechen people has sacrificed the lives of many of its sons and daughters and today mujahadeen are also ready to give their lives to achieve this goal. The purpose of the struggle which has been going on for hundreds of years is always the same – to build a free state. It has not changed, it is a constant. The entire Chechen nation are Muslims, so Islam pervades our whole lives, our traditions, our etiquette, our Chechen culture, all areas of our life. Islamic religion will play a very important part in the construction of the Chechen state. People of other faiths would have their freedom determined by Allah in the Koran, in the Bakara sura, where it says that according to Islam there can be no coercion in religion. In this ayat Allah answered that no-one living in an Islamic state and adhering to other faiths should not be forced to convert to Islam. The fact that our Chechen state is an Islamic state and it strives for its religion and its traditions does not in any way mean that the rights of other nationalities, professing other religions are or will be infringed.
Baudi Martanov: Although it might appear odd, while Dokka Umarov was a vice-president he also considered freedom the most important element. In an exclusive telephone interview he had given to our correspondent Aslan Ayubov he said the following: «We cannot be Muslim and free if we do not win our freedom. A person who is not free cannot be a Muslim. We are building a free Muslim state and Insh’Allah we shall build it. What Russians say today abroad about America with the so-called anti-terrorist operation is said in order to become part of it. ..This is what Russians and hypocrites who follow them do. In order to avoid this we have made some changes in the cabinet of ministers and in other bodies.».
Aslan Ayubov: If I have understood you right, you are talking about the construction of the Chechen state?
Dokka Umarov: Insh’Allah.
Aslan Ayubov: This is what I wanted to clarify.
Dokka Umarov: Yes, Nokhchi cho. (Chechnya, Checheniya - ChP)
Baudi Martanov: The fact that the Chechen nation does not aim to create an Emirate but an independent state based on Islam and the international law and that now there is a danger of this course being abandoned was first brought to our attention by Ichkeriya’s Foreign Minister Akhmed Zakaev. This is what he said to my question on why they would not make public the names of the authors of the Caucasus Emirates project when in fact they know them: «I have made this statement as the Foreign Minister because on the one hand, the idea of declaring an Islamic state has not been agreed with the aspirations of our people, nor with the international situation, no with the considerations of real value for our fighters. On the other hand, this could turn out to be a great evil for our cause. The information about the planned provocation to create the Caucasus Emirate was received 7-8 months ago, and we had established the individuals involved in this task. After we had received the information we learned that the author of a similar idea bearing the same name – the Caucasus Emirate – was Movladi Udugov. His brother Isa Umarov, having concocted this idea, was working hard to get Dokka to voice it. Three people were involved in creating the Emirate situation – Isa Umarov, Movladi Udugov and one more representative of Dokka. Dokka made his statement under pressure from those three. It must not be implemented first and foremost because it would be disloyal to those who are still fighting.
Baudi Martanov: Akhmed Zakaev said that he was well aware of the intentions of those people.
Akhmed Zakaev: This begs the question: why none of the actions by these people whatever nice things they might say about Islam, do not benefit Muslims? Their fifteen years of experimenting on their people have benefited those who had dreamt of destroying the Chechen state. This must not go on, it is unacceptable.
Morevoer, I know that what is done in the name of religion should not serve evil or be a mockery. What they have done today would first of all, give grounds for mockery to our enemies, and secondly, be harmful to all Muslims of the Caucasus. For it gives our enemies a pretext to implement their tough plans of violent repressions in the Caucasus and gives our enemies justification for their violence against peoples.
What we are talking about is not the creation of the Emirate, or Caliphate. It is first and foremost an attempt to abolish the foundations of an independent state, secondly, by using Islamic banners and by declaring our affinity with the most rejected group of people in the world it is a creation of favourable conditions for Russia and those who conduct its policies in the Caucasus to continue their violence against the peoples of the North Caucasus who have chosen freedom. Moreover, this is an attempt to strip the participants of military resistance who suffer greatest hardships and privations of their armed struggle, to strip them of their future and to separate them from the rest of the world and from other peoples of the Caucasus by presenting them as some sort of abreks.
I think this is a betrayal of our fighters and so it is my duty as well as the duty of all of those who are part of our common cause to speak out against it. These circumstances are the reason for my statement.
Baudi Martanov: According to its tradition Radio Marsho has tried to contact Movladi Udugov, accused by Zakaev, through his entourage. We wanted to invite him to talk on air but he had obviously decided not to publicise his opinions.
Akhyad Idigov is a veteran MP and Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Chechen Parliament. He said that there had been no official announcement on the creation of the Emirate and all was happening at the level of gossip which he did not want to go into at the moment. But in view of the fact that many of his compatriots had expressed concern he agreed to put forward his point of view.
Akhyad Idigov : There might be some group which has been set up to create the Caucasus Emirate or some other thing, but this does not agree with our Constitution or with the goals of our nation. We have no right to deviate from our chosen course for fear of creating favourable conditions for our enemies on all fronts. They can then make allegations that we do not respect the rule of law, that we are savages who have no understanding of statehood or the world, that we must be destroyed or at least instructed in the correct thinking – by force or by some other means. We follow closely all the events, we make our own conclusions, we draft documents which we are planning to make public. One should not fear different group – there are many of them. What we must do is to defend the will of our people. Nothing good comes of blurting out everything that comes to mind and there is no one more significant in this world than the People. It is the most important thing. Our President Dokka and all the rest of us should continue along the path we have all been following until now, otherwise we would not succeed. There are huge enemy forces amassed against us. We have a state which adheres to international norms according to the wish of our people and our own wish. Insh’Allah, both sides would realise this and come back to the fold.
Baudi Martanov: The scholar Said-Khasan Abumuslimov, an expert in the history of the Caucasus and of the Chechen law considers it a very negative development that the creators of the Emirate reject the international law, so advantageous to the Chechen people.
Said-Khasan Abumuslimov : Those who speak of the international law saying that all who recognise it have lost Allah’s ways.. What is the international law? It is an agreement between states to stick to certain norms. It contains many useful provisions for our people and for other small nations, provisions which regulate many problems, from a war to assistance. If we reject one part of the law, then people who are supposed to help us but who have been greatly unjust towards us, would only increase their injustice.
Let us take, for example, Hamas. What did they say in Russia when asked about Chechnya? They said that it was Russia’s internal affair. They were looking after their own interests and nothing else. If we recognise the international law, if we do not antagonise those who support us in the world, the public in the US or in Europe could exert pressure on their governments who have to take on board their electorate’s wishes. The international law is not against religion, moreover, in many ways it agrees with religion. For example, banning ethnic persecution and oppression, standing up for ethnic equality, equal rights for all people. If we play by these rules, other nations might put pressure on their governments. We should not knock out the foundations we have created ourselves from under our own feet. They [our enemies] talked about it here,but no-one believed them. But after the rejection of the international law you don’t need anything any more, after this no-one would demand that we should be given help. We would be left to our own devices, all alone.
Baudi Martanov : Because of the shortage of air time a lot of our listeners’ideas cannot be represented here. The Chechen academic Apti Tepsaev speaks for many of them.
Apti Tepsaev: We know how many efforts have been exerted in order to radicalise everything. Moreover, Russia did not leave us any option to do anything or to say anything in the North Caucasus, they left us no option other than radicalisation. Our young people are destroyed en masse. Western leaders receive Russian rulers as though nothing is amiss, making friends of them, looking at them with admiring eyes. Western and Russian leaders together with the own hands have directed the events along the radical route.
Radio Marsho 4 November 2007
(translated from Chechen)
http://www.chechenpress.co.uk/english/news/2007/11/06/02.shtml
