Press Release
‘Putin's Law': Why did the Kremlin Defend the Qur'an Al-Kareem?
(Translated)

On the 11th of November 2015, the Russian parliament (State Duma) ratified a law preventing the description of the Islamic, Christian, Jewish and Buddhist holy texts as being extremist. "The Bible, Quran, Tanakh, and Kangyur, their contents, and quotations from them cannot be ruled to be extremist materials."

President Putin presented the draft of this law in parliament in the case where it was mentioned in the document explaining the law that Christianity, Islam, Judaism and Buddhism: "represent a part that cannot be isolated from the historical heritage of the Russian people". Therefore the decision to prevent attacking the Qur'an Al-Kareem has been exploited to protect the texts of the Bible, Tanakh and Kangyur whilst the media named this occurrence as: ‘Putin's Law'.

The motive for this resolution goes back to the decision of the southern court of Sakhalin in August 2015 in which the book Du'aa to Allah: Its merit and standing in Islam was considered to be a book that incites extremism. This was in the case where experts found that it contained Ayaat of the Qur'an which they described to be propaganda for the superiority of Islam over all other religions. Upon that basis the court pronounced a judgment that sparked controversy. However in spite of the overturning of the court's judgment and the appearance of ‘Putin's law' the majority of Islamic materials still remain present in the list of banned books in the Ministry of Justice upon the basis of: ‘Propaganda in respect to the superiority of Islam over all other religions'.

This law indicates one thing and that is that the public prosecutors, experts and judges have been banned from looking for extremism within the texts of the Qur'an and that is because the Kremlin has found that the war against the Islamic culture does not have to approach the Book of Allah directly. This makes it clear that this law has not been passed to protect the sanctities of the Muslims as a "part that cannot be isolated from the historical heritage of the Russian people" but rather it only expresses a reaction to the resentment of the Muslims in Russia.

And from the aspect of hypocrisy and deceit...confirms that the Russian security agencies are still up until this day unleash their wrath upon the members of Hizb ut Tahrir due to their participation in activities related to defending the Qur'an Al-Kareem which took place immediately after an attempt was made to consider one of the books of Tafsir of the Qur'an Al-Kareem a book that incites extremism in September 2013. This activity became an incentive to create and motion criminal cases in Moscow, St Petersburg, Qazan, Nabriggnej Chilnakh Almitovski, Ningi Vartovskih and Chelyabinsk. Tens of Muslims were brought before trial or are being tried in court until now under fabricated cases only because they went out into the streets and towns expressing their anger in an open manner against the Kremlin's policy that was hostile to Islam and their attempt to ban one of the books of Tafsir of the Qur'an Al-Kareem.

Media Office of Hizb ut Tahrir
in Russia