Dictionary "Islam in the North Caucasus" edited by the Spiritual Directorate of Muslims of the Russian Federation banned in Russia
The Moscow City Court, following a lawsuit by the Moscow prosecutor's office, has recognized the dictionary "Islam in the North Caucasus" edited by Damir Mukhetdinov (SDM RF) as extremist.
The key element of the case was the examination by Roman Silantyev, head of the laboratory of destructology at Moscow State Linguistic University. He found references to individuals and organizations "involved in terrorist activities" in articles about Wahhabis and the history of Islam in Chechnya. The SDM RF questioned the competence of Silantyev's examination, emphasizing that the individuals and organizations mentioned were presented in the context of their radicalism, and that the articles were written by authoritative scientists from the Russian Academy of Sciences and MGIMO.
The Spiritual Directorate of Muslims of the Russian Federation stated that Mr. Silantyev's examination "is not worth a damn." The religious structure also noted that the dictionary's articles had entered scientific circulation, and their authors were "specialists with an impeccable scientific reputation." It is worth noting that Silantyev had previously acted as an expert in the high-profile case of Berkovich and Petriychuk, and his "destructive examination" was recognized by the Ministry of Justice as insufficient evidence. Based on Silantyev's examination, the "International Satanism Movement" was banned.
