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| Crimean Tatars (Image: Al-Jazeera) |
One of the most
numerous Islamist radical organizations operating in Crimea is Hizb ut-Tahrir
al-Islami (Party of Liberation of Islam), which was originally founded in 1953
in Jerusalem, by the local Islamic judge Taki ud-Deen an-Nabahani. His ideas
spread rapidly in Arabic, Middle Eastern, Central Asian and even Western
European countries, and the group itself was branded as a terrorist
organization and banned in many countries, including the Muslim countries as
well. This group started its work in Crimea in 2003. In Ukraine though Hizb
ut-Tahrir isn’t banned as its members never engaged in any criminal, violent
and terrorist activities in Ukraine and operate rather as a political party
with the religious background.
Hizb ut-Tahrir
is a well organized group with the strict hierarchy, but there are no specific
requirements for the potential new members. But the process of their further
learning and training could take years. Hizb ut-Tahrir has nearly 30-35
thousand followers in Crimea and their number grows rapidly. The group’s ideas
and ideology are especially popular among the young people who seek for more
active and decisive steps and resolving of their problems. Hizb ut-Tahrir gives
them these decisions, as it operates with the classical Wahhabist ideology.
The main gains
of Hizb ut-Tahrir are restoring of the true and “pure” Islamic lifestyle and
creation of a unified Islamic state – Caliphate, – based on Islamic Law. Hizb ut-Tahrir
ideology is actually Wahhabi ideology, with the calls of preserving Islam in
its initial form, like it existed in times of Prophet Mohammed. They also
reject state borders and any forms of national and cultural identity, as it all
should be sacrificed for the sake of an Islamic State, where people are united
only with their religious identity. Thus, members and ideologists of Hizb
ut-Tahrir call for creation of a unified Islamic state and for imposing Sharia
Law and for the further spread of Islam all over the world and global jihad. As
for the current work, the group divides it into several stages. The first stage
is about creation of network and its structure, the second stage includes
spread of these ideas, the next stage includes creation of an Islamic state,
and then, after the Caliphate will be created, Islam and its ideas should be
spread all over the world. The group’s ideology is a traditional Wahhabi and
Salafist ideology, which includes also elements of jihad. It’s worth mentioning
though that Crimean members and representatives of Hizb ut-Tahrir don’t justify
violence against the innocent people and prefer to use ideological means of
struggle rather than radical and violent ones.
Hizb ut-Tahrir
is one of the most powerful and numerous jihadist organizations in Crimea and
it has a wide and well organized network of activists and many institutions as
well, including schools, cultural and religious centers and mosques. Actually,
one of the most important problems of Muslims in Crimea is seizure of many
mosques by the activists and members of Hizb ut-Tahrir, where they spread their
ideology and recruit new members. One of their practices is also replacing the
liberal and moderate imams and mullahs with more radical and fundamentalist
preachers, most of whom are either foreigners (predominantly Arabs) or received
their religious education in Middle Eastern religious institutions. Thus, Hizb
ut-Tahrir actually uses the Caucasian model in its activities, when the ideas
are being exported to the region by the foreigners and spread all over the
peninsula.
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| Mustafa Dzhemilev, leader of of Crimean Tatars (Image: Kyiv Post) |
But, despite the
fact that Hizb ut-Tahrir never engaged in the violent activities in Ukraine
(unlike in Tatartstan, for example), its militants were among the fighters with
Bashar Al-Assad’s regime in Syria, and many of them returned home with the new
ideas and influences. Prominent political expert Vladimir Djaralla indicates
that Crimean Islamists and especially members of Hizb ut-Tahrir are of course a
part of the global Islamism, as they have the same ideas and the same goals and
close ties with the foreign jihadist and extremist and fundamentalist
organizations. The current events also opened the doors for the possibility of
increasing of their activities and their further radicalization.
Among the other
radical Islamist organizations are some Salafi movements, for example, NGO
Sebat, headed by the prominent local Islamist preacher Arsen Abu Akhiya. It’s a
group of Crimean Salafi Muslims, promoting ideas of conservative Islam. But
unlike other radical Islamist groups in Crimea, who denounce the authority and
role of the official and moderate Islamist institutions, Sebat is more loyal to
them, as its members want to cooperate the members of government as long as the
problematic issues, including the painful land issue, will be resolved. But
Sebat also opposes Mejlis and was among the groups engaged in the anti-Mejlis
protests held in Crimea in 2011.
There is also
Crimean Tatar Popular Front, operating in the peninsula and gaining also more
support. It’s actually an umbrella group uniting several Islamist radical
groups and forces, most of them oppose Mejlis and protest against its
activities. This Front though is more a political organization rather than a
religious one, and most of the groups of it are known for their calls for
Russian interference and assistance and anti-Ukrainian position. For example,
Crimean marginal radical Islamist political party Milli Firqa has an obvious
pro-Russian stance and even called for Russian intervention in Crimea in 2008,
during Russian led war in Georgia, in order to “protect the people of Crimea
from Ukrainian nationalists”. This group didn’t have significant support, but
it could experience its revival today, cooperating with the occupation
authorities in the annexed Crimea.
Other Crimean
Islamist groups are Davet, which is a group operating in the framework of the
Hizb ut-Tahrir activities, and recently created Ansara – a female radical
Islamist group. These groups also support fundamentalist Islam and are on the
stage of “radicalization”, as many of them include the newly converted Muslims,
known for their radicalism. Takfir wa al-Hijra and Ahl al-Sunnah wa al-Tamaat,
allegedly operating in Crimea as well, are also marginal fundamentalist groups
supporting and spreading Salafist ideology and advocating for “pure Islam”.
Both of these groups are closed and their goals are poorly known, but they are
among the more radical powers ready for violent actions. Members of Takfir wa
al-Hijra were accused of an assassination attempt of Mustafa Djemilev, former
head of Crimean Tatars’ Mejlis.
Islamist movements
in Crimea represents in the majority of cases traditional fundamentalist and
Wahhabist views and advocate for preserving of religion and faith, returning to
the “pure Islam”, creation of an Islamic State and imposing Sharia Law and
spread of Islam all over the world. But it’s very important to mention also
that most of the Crimean Islamist groups and movements remain faithful to the
Crimean Tatars’ national idea and issue of national and cultural identity,
thus, they can represent a mix of fundamentalist Islamist ideology with
nationalism.
Spread of the
radical and extremist Islamists ideas and increasing support of them is a
result of a long time policy of ignorance to the problems of Crimean Tatars and
hostility of the local pro-Russian authorities and activists as well. Radical
groups are popular among the young people, as they give then an answer on their
questions and a direction to move in order to resolve these problems. Unlike
moderate and official Islamist institutions, radical groups offer active and
decisive steps, that are why they attract many youth. Actually, the reasons of
spread and increasing of popularity of radical and political Islamist in the
region are similar to the ones in Caucasus, with an exception of absence of
military conflicts in Crimea and relatively peaceful background.
Many experts and journalists compare Crimea to
Chechnya and Northern Caucasus, claiming that this region could be a potential
military zone and center of terrorist and jihadist activities, but it sounds
unfair and exaggerated. Of course, Crimean Islamists are a part of the global
Islamist movements and have ties with them, but the situation in the region
still remains calmer, than it was in Caucasus, that’s why such a comparison is
incorrect. But we shouldn’t also underestimate the raise of popularity of the
radical Islamists in the region, especially due to the recent events. Thus,
Mustafa Djemilev has warned about the possibility of the dangerous consequences
of the Russian military invasion and annexation of Crimea, as it activated
Crimean jihadists who fought in Syria and are ready to defend Crimea as well.
Mr. Djemilev stated in his recent interview that he personally receives many
messages from radical Islamists, Wahhanis and Salafis who state that “an enemy
entered our land and we are ready to defend it”. Mr. Djemilev personally is
against an idea of a militant jihad, as he is committed to the principles of
non-violence, but he cannot prevent such a scenario. Charles Lister, a visiting
fellow at the Brookings Doha Center and an expert of jihadist movements in
Syria, also stated that Russian invasion is being already actively discussed on
social media and internet forums frequented by Islamist and jihadist militants
regarding the possibility of “legitimacy of opening a new front of jihad in
Crimea”.
Thus, the current situation,
anxiety of local Crimean Tatars and continuous policies of oppression and
trying to delegitimize representative bodies of Crimean Tatars could threat
further radicalization and expansion of the foreign fundamentalist ideas and
fighters, and the danger of a violent scenario increases.
Originally posted by Beirut Center for Middle East Studies.
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