Press Release
The Security Forces Make War against the Islamic Community in Nizhnevartovsk
(Translated)

On 13/04/2016, three Muslims were arrested under the charge of the suspicion of their affiliation to Hizb ut Tahrir in the town of Nizhnevartovsk. They are: Edward (Zaid) Huseinov, Ildar Jabdarayabov and Rainat Bajayiv. This was when they were summoned for questioning whilst in reality they were arrested and transferred to precautionary imprisonment.

The media outlets mentioned that: “According to the information provided, the three are local residents and they are affiliated to the banned terrorist organisation in Russia ‘Hizb ut Tahrir’. They had been recruiting people to the mentioned organisation and had undertaken acts and propaganda encouraging the creation of a positive view about their actions within the society. This was as two of those mentioned had distributed a collection of video clips of a propaganda nature upon the social media outlet (Vkontakte) as was mentioned in the statement of the administration under federal jurisdiction in the Khanty-Mansiysk self-autonomous region”.

In other words, the arrested Muslims had been carrying out the Da’wah (invitation) to Islam and had used social media as a means for that. Based upon that criminal proceedings were undertaken against them in accordance to Article 205.5 Part 2 and Article 282 Part 1 (Participation in acts of a terrorist organisation), (Inciting hatred and hostility) under the Russian Federation’s criminal law.

This does not represent the first instance in which the Russian authorities have practise persecution against the members of Hizb ut Tahrir within the context of combatting the spread of Islam within Russia. Russia’s combatting of Islam can be observed within the reality of the events surrounding the Muslim community in the town of Nizhnevartovsk. That is because on 04/04/2016 it became known to everyone that the famous preacher Vagif Nurbaev and some other people had died as the result of a vehicle explosion. In the wake of that incident a number of search and arrest campaigns took place in the homes of Muslims in the town of Nizhnevartovsk under the charge of killing their brother in belief! This is despite the relatives of the arrested Muslims confirming that the security personnel had planted weapons amongst their possessions during the searches, whilst from another angle the relatives of Vagif Nurbaev found the statements of the security personnel in regards to Muslims being involved in the killing of the preacher to be remote and a distant reality. All of that conforms to the reality and that is because the killed and the arrested are all the sons of a single community and all of the recent events indicate that what took place in Nizhnevartovsk was a special forces operation targeting the destruction of this community.

It is important to note that the organisations that are against Islam have in their analytical publications, on more than one occasion, warned that the number of Muslim preachers are increasing within the region and have spoken about their impact upon the Imaams of the Masajid, the local inhabitants embracing Islam and about the refusal of different groups to confront some of them, which all indicates to the strengthening of the Muslim community’s position. That indicates that all which has been happening in represents a security operation within the context of preventing Islam within the region.

As for the arrested Muslims, they were active members in the town and more specifically Rinat Bagaveev, who took his name Abd ar-Rahman Baghawi, held an active Islamic position in respect to the activities of the society. Just before his arrest he had been defending the rights of the father of the slain preacher Vagif Nurbaev. As for Edward Khusainov, then many will remember the video clip that included within the burning of the American flag after the film that mocked our Prophet Muhammad (saw) was released. And after those protests against the making mockery of and insulting the sentiments of the Muslims he was put on trial under the charge of ‘extremism’. Edward is also well-known in respect to him presenting, in 2003, a demand to the Supreme Court to explain the issuing of a decree against Hizb ut Tahrir in respect to considering it to be a terrorist organisation, despite the response to that demand was criminal proceedings being taken against him which he was later sentenced for. All of this indicates that the security forces have arrested someone who was well-known for his Islamic stance and who care deeply for the interest of the Islamic Ummah.

Unfortunately, the media just published the charges according to the official narrative without paying any regard to the Russian policy in opposition to Islam. Indeed, they even justify the oppression befalling the Muslims in Nizhnevartovsk.

Allah (swt) said:

(وَلاَ يَزَالُونَ يُقَاتِلُونَكُمْ حَتَّىَ يَرُدُّوكُمْ عَن دِينِكُمْ إِنِ اسْتَطَاعُواْ)

“They will keep fighting you until they turn you back from your Deen if they are capable” [Al-Baqarah: 217].

Media Office of Hizb ut Tahrir
in Russia