Analysts explain reasons for conflicts over land near Dagestani mosques

The territories around mosques in Dagestan are attractive for doing business; therefore, disputes around them are not uncommon, the journalists and Caucasian scholar interviewed by the "Caucasian Knot" have noted in their comments on the incident in the village of Karabudakhkent District.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that on May 12 it became known about the detention of a resident of the village of Manaskent after an incident with shooting in a mosque. The conflict was preceded by a dispute among the villagers who gathered about a land plot, local residents have informed.

Disputes over territories around mosques are not uncommon in Dagestan, said Milrad Fatullaev, the editor-in-chief of the "Derbent" News Agency. "There were many similar incidents; they broke out mainly in the 1990-2000s, when the active construction of mosques began; the Islamic renaissance was underway, and the total number of mosques in the republic reached about 1500. Various influence groups gathered around them, including those who wanted to use the territories for making money. Then, conflicts occurred," Mr Fatullaev told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

Land conflicts in Dagestan will become more acute due to the increased interest in land, including because of its recreational attractiveness, Gadjimurad Sagitov, the editor-in-chief of the "Novoye Delo" newspaper, believes.

The near-mosque territories are of a certain commercial interest, since it is possible to open shops selling Islamic goods there, Akhmet Yarlykapov, a senior researcher at the Centre for Eurasian Studies at the MGIMO (the Moscow State Institute of International Relations), told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent. "Mosques are visited quite frequently," he has explained.

This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on May 14, 2022 at 02:30 am MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.