Experts on Caucasus compare tactics of combating extremism in NCFD

Dagestan, Chechnya, and Ingushetia apply very different methods to prevent extremism due to the specific characteristics of the peoples who live in those republics. This was announced by participants of a scientific conference held in Moscow.

The conference "Religion in the Modern World: Culture and Practice", organized by the International Islamic Mission, was held in Moscow on November 16.

The situation with the spread of radicalism in Northern Caucasus has been recently improved, reported Shafig Pshikhachev, the chairman of the International Islamic Mission, the general representative of the Coordination Centre for Muslims of Northern Caucasus in Moscow.

A habit to associate the prevention of terrorism only with Muslims "has long been a source of discontent," said Magomed Gitinov, an assistant to the representative of the Dagestani Spiritual Administration of Muslims (SAM) in Moscow. According to him, the media do not write much about "other types of extremism."

Caucasian Muslims have to emphasize they condemn extremism, noted Sultan Togonidze, Deputy Permanent Representative of Karachay-Cherkessia in Moscow.

Radical thinking should not be confused with terrorist activities, the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent was told by Orkhan Djemal, a Forbes journalist.

According to Alikber Alikberov, the deputy director for science at the Institute of Oriental Studies from the Russian Academy of Sciences (RAS), in Dagestan, the multi-ethnicity of society and the different living conditions of people suggest different approaches to the prevention of extremism.

Ingushetia used a "rather mild version to stop terrorist activities," noted Alikber Alikberov.

There are almost no militants in Kabardino-Balkaria, Orkhan Djemal believes.

Full text of the article is available on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’.