March to Anzorov's grave shows that in Chechnya he is treated as martyr for faith

An equestrian march to the grave of Abdullakh Anzorov, who had beheaded a Paris teacher, has shown that some residents of Chechnya treat his crime as a battle for faith in the modern interpretation, the experts interviewed by the "Caucasian Knot" believe.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that on December 18, a group of horsemen from different districts of Chechnya made a horse march from Urus-Martan to Shalazhi to pray at the grave of Abdullakh Anzorov, who was killed in France; it follows from a video posted on the Instagram.

The story about the horse-riders, during which Anzorov's grave was treated as "ziyart" (the burial place of saints), has automatically equated him to gazis (the Muslims who took part in the war for the faith), believes Akhmet Yarlykapov, a senior researcher at the Centre for Caucasian Problems and Regional Security at the Moscow State Institute of Foreign Relations (known as MGIMO).

"The horsemen treated him as a martyr for on this way; and his grave was worthy of a visit," Mr Yarlykapov told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

Professor Leonid Syukiyainen, a lawyer and Islamic scholar from the Higher School of Economics, agrees with him. He has also noted that the participants of the march treat Anzorov as a person "who gave his life in defence of his values." "Some Muslims had this viewpoint from the very start of this story," Mr Syukiyainen told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent. According to his story, these people viewed Anzorov's deeds as "a battle with the one who had encroached upon the sacred."

This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on December 22, 2020 at 11:29 pm MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.