2016 international conference on Sunni Islam in Grozny

The 2016 conference on Sunni Islam in Grozny was convened to define the term "Ahl al-Sunnah wa al-Jama'ah",[8] i.e. who are "the people of Sunnah and majority Muslim community",[9][Note 1] and oppose Takfiri groups.[11] The conference was held in the Chechen Republic capital of Grozny[12] from 25–27 August 2016, sponsored by the president of Chechnya, Ramzan Kadyrov, and attended by approximately 200 Muslim scholars from 30 countries, especially from Russia, Egypt, Syria, Libya, Kuwait, Sudan, Jordan, etc. at the invitation of Yemeni Sufi preacher, Ali al-Jifri.[8][13][14]

Chechnya Conference International Conference Who are the Ahl al-Sunna?
Date25 August 2016 (2016-08-25)–
27 August 2016 (2016-08-27)
LocationGrozny, Chechnya, Russia
Also known asGrozny Conference
Chechnya Conference
The World Islamic Сonference 'Who are Ahl al-Sunnah wa al-Jama'ah?'
Organized byThe conference was convened by the Shaykh Ahmad Kadyrov Regional Charitable Fund.
Foundation for Chechen Islamic Culture and Education.
Tabah Foundation, a non-profit organization based in Abu Dhabi.
Muslim Council of Elders, a transnational network of Islamic scholars established in 2014.[1][2]
ParticipantsOver 200 Muslim scholars-theologians and religious leaders from various Islamic schools of thought from 30 countries all over the world, including Egypt, Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, Yemen, Morocco, Kuwait, Sudan, Qatar, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Britain, Russia, South Africa, Uzbekistan, and Azerbaijan[3][4][5][6]
Previous eventSufism: Personal Security and State Stability[7]
Websitechechnyaconference.org

The conference was dedicated to the 65th anniversary of the birth of Kadyrov's father, Akhmad Kadyrov, the first President of Chechnya.[15][16]

The conference was notable for excluding representatives of Wahhabi and Salafi movements, and for its definition of Sunni Muslims in the final communiqué of the conference that included Sufis, Ash’arites and Maturidis, but not Wahhabis or Salafis.[8][9] It identified Salafism/Wahhabism as a dangerous and misguided sect, along with the extremist groups, such as ISIS, Hizb ut-Tahrir, the Muslim Brotherhood and others.[17][18]

The conference definition stated:

“Ahl al-Sunnah wa al-Jama'ah are the Ash’arites and Maturidis (adherents of the theological systems of Imam Abu Mansur al-Maturidi and Imam Abu al-Hasan al-Ash'ari). In matters of belief, they are followers of any of the four schools of thought (Hanafi, Maliki, Shafi’i or Hanbali) and are also the followers of the Sufism of Imam Junaid al-Baghdadi in doctrines, manners and [spiritual] purification."[19]

Participants

Over 200 Muslim scholars-theologians and religious leaders from various Islamic schools of thought from 30 countries all over the world, including Egypt, Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, Yemen, Morocco, Libya, Kuwait, Sudan, Qatar, Iraq, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Britain, Russia, South Africa, Uzbekistan, and Azerbaijan.[20][21][22][23][24][25][26]

Among the notable scholars and preachers in attendance were:[27][28][29]

Recommendations of the Conference

Some suggestions came out of the conference, including recommendations to:[33]

  • The establishment of "a scientific centre in Chechnya to monitor and study contemporary groups... and refute and scientifically criticise extremist thought." The proposed name for the centre is Tabsir (clairvoyance).
  • Scholarships would be provided for those who are interested in studying sharia to counter Saudi funding in this field.

Criticism

The conference evoked a torrent of condemnation and criticism followed from the Saudi Council of Senior Scholars—as well as Salafis/Wahhabis, and the Muslim Brotherhood—for what they perceived as Russian meddling in regional politics via religion, and the implied condemnation of Salafis as Kharijites, Karramiyya, or deviants.[34][35]

The International Association of Muslim Scholars, an organisation led by Muslim Brotherhood-linked theologian Yusuf al-Qaradawi, reportedly criticized the conference as "a shameful attempt to sow dissent within the Muslim community."[36]

See also

References

Notes
  1. Sunni Muslims constituted about 85–90% of the world's Muslim population.[10]

Citations
  1. "Who Is Sunni?: Chechnya Islamic Conference Opens Window on Intra-Faith Rivalry". The Arab Gulf States Institute.
  2. "The Concluding Statement of the Chechnya Conference" (PDF). chechnyaconference.org.
  3. "The Concluding Statement of the Chechnya Conference" (PDF). chechnyaconference.org.
  4. "Chechnya Hosts International Islamic Conference". Jamestown Foundation.
  5. "Grozny conference challenges the Saudis". Institute of Contemporary Islamic Thought.
  6. "Muktamar Ahlussunnah Wal-Jama'ah (Aswaja) Di Chechnya". Kanglatif.com.
  7. "Islamic State Part Of Western Plot Against Islam, Says Chechen Leader". Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty.
  8. Kadhim, Abbas (2 November 2016). "The SUNNI CONFERENCE IN GROZNY: A MUSLIM INTRA-SECTARIAN STRUGGLE FOR LEGITIMACY". HuffPost. Retrieved 16 November 2017.
  9. Cervellera, Bernardo (9 June 2016). "Conference in Grozny: Wahhabism exclusion from the Sunni community provokes Riyadh's wrath". AsiaNews.it. Retrieved 16 November 2017.
  10. "Mapping the Global Muslim Population". Retrieved 10 December 2014.
  11. Dehlvi, Ghulam Rasool (9 September 2016). "Islamic conference in Chechnya: Why Sunnis are disassociating themselves from Salafists". First Post. Retrieved 16 November 2017.
  12. "مؤتمر الشيشان 2016". tabahfoundation.org. Archived from the original on 13 September 2017. Retrieved 16 November 2017.
  13. "Chechen leader slams Wahhabism as anti-Islamic". Press TV.
  14. "The Grozny Conference in Chechnya – Is the Salafi Movement a Rotten Fruit of Sunni Islam?". International Institute for Counter-Terrorism.
  15. "Analysis: Grozny Fatwa On 'True Believers' Triggers Major Controversy". Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty.
  16. "At Ramzan's: what is the reason for the Chechnya head gathering Islamic establishment of Russia in Grozny?". RealnoeVremya.com.
  17. "Chechnya Hosts International Islamic Conference". Jamestown Foundation.
  18. "The Conference of Ulama in Grozny: the Reaction of the Islamic World". islam.in.ua.
  19. Ghaffari, Talib (11 September 2016). "Over 100 Sunni scholars declare Wahhabis to be outside mainstream Sunni Islam – Chechnya". Retrieved 16 November 2017.
  20. "The Concluding Statement of the Chechnya Conference" (PDF). chechnyaconference.org.
  21. "Conference in Grozny: Wahhabism exclusion from the Sunni community provokes Riyadh's wrath". AsiaNews.
  22. "Chechnya Hosts International Islamic Conference". Jamestown Foundation.
  23. "The Conference of Ulama in Grozny: the Reaction of the Islamic World". islam.in.ua.
  24. "Grozny conference challenges the Saudis". Institute of Contemporary Islamic Thought.
  25. "Muktamar Ahlussunnah Wal-Jama'ah (Aswaja) Di Chechnya". Kanglatif.com.
  26. "کنفرانس چچن خشم وهابیت را برانگیخت + تصاویر". AhlulBayt News Agency (ABNA).
  27. "Over 100 Sunni scholars declare Wahhabis to be outside mainstream Sunni Islam – Chechnya". maktabah.org.
  28. "Muktamar Ahlussunnah Wal-Jama'ah (Aswaja) Di Chechnya". Kanglatif.com.
  29. "The Grozny Conference in Chechnya – Is the Salafi Movement a Rotten Fruit of Sunni Islam?". International Institute for Counter-Terrorism.
  30. "Chechnya Hosts International Islamic Conference". Jamestown Foundation.
  31. "40 عالما أزهريا يلحقون بالطيب للمشاركة في مؤتمر "أهل السنة" في الشيشان". Alghad TV.
  32. "CMO head joins international conference in Chechnya [ PHOTO]". AzerNews.az.
  33. "Conference in Grozny: Wahhabism exclusion from the Sunni community provokes Riyadh's wrath". AsiaNews.
  34. "Saudi Arabia's Struggle for Sunni Leadership". The Cairo Review of Global Affairs.
  35. "Who Is Sunni?: Chechnya Islamic Conference Opens Window on Intra-Faith Rivalry". The Arab Gulf States Institute.
  36. "Analysis: Grozny Fatwa On 'True Believers' Triggers Major Controversy". Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty.
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