Peter Lukimson, Israel. Exclusively to Vestnik Kavkaza
A mosque named after Akhmat Kadyrov designed for 3,000 worshippers was unveiled on March 23rd in the Israeli village of Abu Gosh with the participation of the president of Chechnya, Ramzan Kadyrov.
The mosque is a high building with a golden dome and four 50-meter prayer towers.
Residents of Abu Gosh told Vestnik Kavkaza that the event was joyful. Streets of the village were decorated with banners in Russian, Arab, and Hebrew, which says “We stand for peace! We are against terrorism!” Ramzan Kadyrov made a moving speech about the link between generations and the devotedness of the Chechens to their history and traditions.
At the same time, residents of Abu Gosh don’t hide their complaints towards the Israeli authorities and MPs. None of the 10 MPs from the Arab parties of Israel came to the unveiling of the mosque. They are also indignant about the behavior of MPs from other parties and the government. According to residents of Abu Gosh, at least some of them should have come to the ceremony and welcomed the Russian guest.
The unveiling of the mosque in Abu Gosh and Ramzan Kadyrov’s visit appeared to go unnoticed by the political and diplomatic circles of the country. This is explained by the growth of military and political tension and the continued strike of the Israeli Foreign Ministry’s employees, which paralyzed almost all diplomatic structures in Israel and abroad.
At the same time, the few workers of the Foreign Ministry who try to save the image of the structure deny accusations of ignoring the Chechen culture by residents of Abu Gosh. On March 18-19 the Days of the Chechen Culture took place in Jerusalem.
