We should not lose the future of Dagestan

When I was a student, I wrote a letter in defense of the freedom of belief. I could have been expelled for my free-thinking, but the wisdom and courage of unforgettable Rector of Dagestan Medical Institute, Professor Mahomed Maksudov, saved me. And in the first years of perestroika, I managed to hold the conference with the agenda "Islam, Quran and Morality" at the Moscow House of Political Education, inviting scientists, students and even the ambassadors of Muslim countries. We had a very serious conversation, for the young guys coming to Moscow from the North Caucasus republics had already begun to show their nature discrediting Caucasus and Islam. I continued the dialogue with the ambassadors at home and in their embassies. They were ready to economic cooperation with Dagestan. After the opening of new mosques, complete freedom of pilgrimage and beliefs, emergence of open opportunities to teach Islam to the young it was assumed that peace, kindness, benevolence, enlightenment and charity will prevail in the republic. However, the opposite effect took place: Dagestan was filled with enmity and confrontation, hatred and destruction, blood and suffering, killings and bombings, ignorance and injustice. We did not understand freedom, lost our dignity and streamed into the Middle Ages. Stealing clans, warring classes and deceived generations appeared. Will we throw off our illness?

In this regard, I have several judgments.

When I worked in the University of Trabzon (Turkey), I have held a number of meetings with the representatives of different classes, including the Imams of mosques of the university. The following points were clarified:

-Great Ataturk established the cult of secular education and the principle of non interference of religion in state affairs, but provided care to religion, and Islam in Turkey became enlightening, uplifting, attractive and creative, but not destructive. Nothing and no one should hinder the greatness of Turkey – this is the motto, oath and activity of every Turk! The cult of secular education, science, technology and culture turned Turkey into a country with a strong economy. There are monuments and portraits of Ataturk in abundance there. Turkey has an abundance of museums. In one of them there is a portrait of Mehmed II by Bellini, a guest from Italy. Nobody blew monuments (in Dagestan, the monument of the statesman and military leader, Imam Shamil, was blown up), no one destroys the great paintings by the citizens of Turkey. The biggest punishment in Turkey is the attack on a woman's honor and the state treasury. We have a lot to learn.

One detail is the most interesting thing.

 In the sermons of Turkish imams even a single word against the state, its structure, traditions, politics, army, police and officials is not allowed. Imams must submit their sermons in advance to the special commission of theologians and lay representatives. Moreover, the mosque still prepare centrally issued sermons. The reason for it is that the Turkish authorities have realized that mosque is a place of moral education and spiritual unity of the Turks, not of split by the difference of opinion. Why in Russia is this experience that can save the world from strife not used?

Turkish government officially provides imams with wages and influences the election of imams; in secular universities there are departments of Islam, Islamic centers and training courses preparing theologians. A special committee of the secular and religious leaders approves their programs.

freedom of choice of faith, freedom of dress and traditions without coercion or threats are guaranteed to every citizen; no one in Turkey threatens no one; no one send a USB flash drive with threats and demands of millions to anyone (I'm talking about gangsters who send these "messages" to the entrepreneurs of Dagestan).

There is also respect for Christians and Christian monuments in Turkey: the state restores Christian centers, provides training in them, let the tourists visit them, and no one dares to offend other faiths.

What would also be useful for us?

We have a long-felt need for peaceful and open public dialogue on all the acute problems of our time, including on the issue of teaching (who, how and what?) in Islamic educational institutions of the republic and in foreign universities where Dagestani study.

It would be necessary to create workshops and training courses of imams in Pedagogical University financed by the state with the assistance of highly educated theologians, physicians, psychologists, writers, philosophers, physicists, and other scientists.

In our society hatred and intolerance are growing, our ideals are lost, intelligence is eroded, conscientiousness is choking, responsibility disappears, and there is no demand for wisdom. The signs of withdrawal of the younger generation from secular life become visible, for adults do not pay attention to them, and the main ideologists of them are imams and their Friday sermons, where there are often a lot of postulates against the “infidels” clearly associated as anti-Russian, hough all Muslims around the world use products, equipment, vehicles, telephones, appliances, and even weapons and other goods produced in Christian countries, and80 percent of Islamic Dagestan’s funds is Russian grants. In each city of the republic there are its own Islamic TV shows that do not appeal to get secular education, whereas in VII century there was a prophetic call to the Muslims to look for knowledge even in China, if it was necessary. Dagestan has no secular TV channel, where the young themselves could perform with their thoughts, successes, failures, requests and suggestions. The cult of dishonest enrichment, destroying everything sacred in the young generation, is imposed on the society by the ruling elite. Ignorance pervades to all social strata. I met a graduate (2012) of the Technical University of Dagestan, who knows nothing about Tolstoy, and, in general, did not read any fiction in his life. Large quantities of Afghan heroin are brought to the republic, which is greatly more destructive than vodka. The ideology of armed extremism descended on Russia to destroy the country by bribing Russians, including Dagestani. The struggle for the preservation of the Russian state, conservation of culture, dignity and brotherhood of the peoples of the Russian Federation is timid and chaotic.

I love contacts with modern youth. It is very instructive. Being a professor, I love it. Young people keenly perceive every breach of justice. Royal palaces, super expensive cars, armed guards and rudeness of clans or eternal leaders who seize profitable industries cause their absolute outrage. The so-called "elite" has transformed the republic not only in the area of ​​strife and corruption, but also provokedthe outflow of Dagestani people from their homeland. Our leaders (primarily) and the overseas structures, actively contributing to the destruction of Russia, are responsible for all the dark happening in the country. It was quite predictable that young, out of work care, will seek out those who will understand them and stretch them their hands. Alas, secular leaders and the leaders of the spiritual control do not become their moral authority, and the other held out their hand, making sure that radicalism, blood and explosions are inevitable.

Amongst the youth, the greed and irresponsibility of capitalized elite of the republic and the country are severely despised. They not only know exactly where and how the children, nephews, brothers-in-law of the elite work, but also how they are working for personal gain. For an entire generation of young people their own poor life is not a value, and another life is even less. Here the sad drama and bloody tragedy of our time lies. There are no signs of improvement, because the tops do not know anything about the creation of diabolical society, and the bottoms try to find justice in social hell, and they not always use righteous ways.

Political and public figures, writers, scientists, heads and MPs of villages, districts, and cities of the republic do not attend school student classes for a direct dialogue with the young generation about the meaning and value of life, destiny and image of the republic, about the orphans and the tears of mothers, about yesterday , present and future of Dagestan. The state itself is aloof from the activities of imams, although the imams actively intervene in all aspects of social life, often it is an aggressive intervention with negative consequences; using the infantilism of heads of village and district administration, imams banned not only concerts in rural clubs, but even such an ancient folk festival as a celebration of the first furrow. Young people unceremoniously squeeze reputable imams. Perhaps they are more educated, but now the wisdom and experience of life of imams are far more important and significant for the welfare and peace of Dagestan.

Pupils are outside the field of the state during the holidays, because there are not any activities in literature, math, music, culture, tourism, local history, or sports for them in villages, districts and cities.

In the name of peace and mutual understanding in Dagestan we need constant analysis and active dialogue of all secular leaders horizontally and vertically with all religious leaders, regardless of their religious orientation. Constant monitoring of critical thoughts, anxieties, difficulties, deeds and aspirations of young people in Dagestan is extremely important, for today there is the worldwide struggle for their hearts and minds. To help them choose targets in this complicated world is the sacred task of all adults, and, above all, leaders at all levels. The control over them has to be tough, regular, public, administrative and legal.

We should frankly help everyone, and most importantly, to ourselves resolve our main moral issues. Who we, Dagestani, are: are we the creators of evil under the slogans of overseas ideology or descendants, who in 1999 defended Dagestan? And what is our Dagestani feature - intelligence or ignorance? What can we do: take something from Dagestan or give it something? Do we enrich from Dagestan or enrich it? Do we cause pain and suffering to Dagestan or take any responsibility for all its suffering and anguish? Do we take too much from Dagestan, and do we give it enough? Who is our authority: strangers or our parents and grandparents? What is our value: our history or a foreign, hostile one? Are we people with gangster leanings or single Russian people with great dignity?

And there is the last thing. It is well known that Saudi Arabia is a long-standing strategic outpost of the U.S. "democratization" of the Islamic world, an apologist for the policy of "Muslims kill Muslims, and oil goes to America". Saudi oligarchs keep their billions in U.S. banks. No wonder that the security services organize leisure for sheikhs with Hollywood stars. It seems to me that Muslims all over the world through Saudi Arabia, without realizing it, enrich the U.S., cause scientific and technological backwardness of Muslim countries, internal confrontations and sectarian conflicts. Is not this the planetary anti-Islamic practice of "setting Muslims at variance" and insidious policy, implemented with passion by arms, money, life and hostility of the Muslims? Yesterday, Iraq, Afghanistan, Tunisia, Egypt and Libya, Syria became the vitims, today, tomorrow there will be "democratization" of Iran, the Central Asian republics, the Volga region and the North Caucasus. What will be the fate of Dagestan in this ruthless "democratization”?

 http://www.sknews.ru/main/58006-ne-poteryat-by-nam-segodnya-budushhee-dagestana.html

"North Caucasus", Dr. Magomed Abdulhabirov, a member of the Public Chamber of the Republic of Dagestan