Leader of Dagestan warns against “Islamization”
DAGESTAN, 25 December, Caucasus Times: “We must not go down the road of Islamization. Our republic need not be turned into an Islamic country,” Dagestani President Mukhu Aliyev has told a news conference on the results of 2006 held in Makhachkala on 22 December.
“I do not believe that it is normal when three mosques are being built in a small village. And every mullah tries to draw people to his side. There are 300 mosques in Azerbaijan, but we have 1,687! We have as many mosques as schools!” the Dagestani president said.
Responding to a questions about Wahhabi Muslims, Mukhu Aliyev said that the Dagestani Ministry of Internal Affairs has registered some 1,000 people who consider themselves to be Wahhabis.
“However, no-one will be persecuted just for being a Wahhabi,” the Dagestani president said.