MOSCOW, February 14 (Itar-Tass) — The murder of mufti Kurman Ismailov was extremistss revenge, his colleagues said. Ismailov's car was blasted in Paytigorsk on Monday evening.
"It’s premeditated murder, motivated by revenge. It was revenge because Kurman Ismailov was brave enough to give up his Wahhabi past, severed his links with the local Wahhabis and joined the followers of traditional domestic Islam," said the statement by head of the executive committee of the All-Russia Council of Muftis Mukhamedgali Khuzin, placed on the website of the Russian Association of Islamic Accord /RAIS/.
“We regret that Kurman Ismailov died in the beginning of the new way when he had walked out onto a straight road, and gained true Muslim brethren,” the Council of Muftis’ statement said.
The victim’s colleagues are convinced that no matter of what he was accused in the past – for example, the alleged finding of an object resembling an explosive during a search of his house in April 2011, he was making all efforts towards reclaiming his good image.
At that time, Public Chamber members and local Muslims stood up to Ismailov.
“Perhaps, somebody, who failed to discredit him last spring, decided to murder him eventually,” the all-Russia Council of Muftis said.
Its statement noted that at the present time, “many crimes are committed against clerics, both Muslim and Orthodox,” and the clergy – representatives of the traditional domestic religions seem to be standing in the frontline, defending, at the cost of their lives, the centuries-old traditions of faith inhered from their fathers and grandfathers.”
The murdered Mufti, Kurman Ismailov, was a deputy of Mukhammad Rakhimov, mufti of the Stavropol territory , the RAIS chairman.