Chechen schools decrease number of collective prayers for Palestine

Chechen schoolchildren take the situation in the Gaza Strip to their hearts, school staff and parents note. The Ministry for Public Education does not monitor the conduct of prayers in schools, and the decision is made by school administrations, education officials report. Chechens pray for peace, but do not hold anti-Semitic sentiments, emphasizes Adam Machaev, the spokesperson for the Dagestani regional public organization “Aukh”.

The “Caucasian Knot” has reported that in October, it became known that schoolchildren in Chechnya were involved in prayers for Palestine.

Zalpa, a resident of Grozny and a mother of many children, is a teacher by profession. The woman believes that officials from the Ministry for Public Education are acting wisely: within the framework of the law, teachers have been asked to organize their own activities with schoolchildren in terms of participation in collective Tahajjud prayers.

The resident of Grozny also said that her son wanted to order a Palestine flag on the Internet, but didn’t find it. “Then he found a picture of the Palestinian flag on the Internet, printed it out, and hung it above his desk. He tries to avoid talking about the war and does not watch chronicles about the Chechen wars. The reason is, I think, that his uncle was bombed as a child in Grozny and lost his arm,” said the woman.

According to Marina Sagkaeva, a teacher from Chelyabinsk, children are increasingly being involved in political events. “The organizers ... not only invade their personal lives and educational process, but can also provoke mental disorders in children. The civil position of minors has not yet been determined,” emphasized the teacher.

Zura Zaurbekova says that when she was studying at the university, she lived at her uncle’s house in Grozny located in an area called Moskovskaya or Jewish Settlement.

“Mountain Jews lived amicably mixed with Chechens. My uncle, who participated in the war, said that when our family was evicted, the rabbi told his people that if even a needle disappeared from a house where Chechens lived, he would curse the whole family of a thief,” said Zura Zaurbekova. She adds that all Chechens are aware how Jews behaved in those difficult years, so they will never oppose them.