| Date | 25 August 2016 (2016-08-25)– 27 August 2016 (2016-08-27) |
|---|---|
| Location | Grozny,Chechnya, Russia |
| Also known as | Grozny Conference Chechnya Conference The World Islamic Conference 'Who areAhl al-Sunnah wa al-Jama'ah?' Chechnya anti-Salafi Conference |
| Organized by | Shaykh Ahmad Kadyrov Regional Charitable Fund Foundation for Chechen Islamic Culture and Education Tabah Foundation Muslim Council of Elders[1][2] |
| Participants | Over 200 Muslim scholars-theologians and religious leaders from variousIslamic schools of thought from Egypt, Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, Yemen, Morocco, Kuwait, Sudan, Qatar, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Britain, Russia, South Africa, Uzbekistan, and Azerbaijan[2][3][4][5] |
| Previous event | Sufism: Personal Security and State Stability[6] |
| Website | Official website |
| Part ofa series on Sunni Islam |
|---|
 |
In terms ofIhsan: |
 Islam portal |
The2016 conference on Sunni Islam in Grozny or shortlyChechnya Conference was convened to define the term "Ahl al-Sunnah wa al-Jama'ah", i.e. who are "the people ofSunnah and majority Muslim community",[7] and opposeTakfiri groups.[8] The conference was held in theChechen Republic capital ofGrozny[9] from 25 to 27 August 2016, sponsored by the president of Chechnya,Ramzan Kadyrov, supported byVladimir Putin,[10] and attended by approximately 200 Muslim scholars from 30 countries, especially from Russia, Egypt, Syria, Libya, Kuwait, Sudan, Jordan, etc. at the invitation of Yemeni scholar,Ali al-Jifri.[11]
The conference was dedicated to the 65th anniversary of the birth of Kadyrov's father,Akhmad Kadyrov, the first President of Chechnya.[12][13]
The conference was notable for defining Sunni Islam in the final communiqué of the conference as includingAsh'aris andMaturidis in theology (Aqidah),Hanafis,Shafi'is,Malikis andHanbalis in jurisprudence (Fiqh), and people of spirituality (Sufis) - but not theWahhabi orSalafi movements.[7] It condemned Salafism and Wahhabism as "misguided" sects, along with Islamist movements such as theMuslim Brotherhood,Hizb ut-Tahrir,Al-Qaeda, theIslamic State and others.[3][14]
The conference's final declaration stated that:[15]
Ahl al-Sunna wa al-Jama'a [Sunni Muslims] are theAsh'aris andMaturidis (adherents of the theological systems of ImamAbu al-Hasan al-Ash'ari and ImamAbu Mansur al-Maturidi). In matters of belief, they are followers of any of the four schools of thought (Hanafi,Maliki,Shafi’i orHanbali) and are also the followers of theSufism of Imamal-Junayd al-Baghdadi in doctrines, manners and [spiritual] purification.
Over 200 Muslim scholars-theologians and religious leaders from variousIslamic schools of thought from 30 countries all over the world, including Egypt, Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, Yemen, Morocco, Libya, Kuwait, Sudan, Qatar, Iraq, India, Indonesia, Britain, Russia, South Africa, Uzbekistan, and Azerbaijan.[2][16][3][14][4][5][17]
Notable scholars and preachers in attendance included:[18][5][11]
The conference participants reflected their support for what in Russia is considered “traditional” Islam.[22] Some suggestions came out of the conference, including recommendations to:[16]
The conference evoked a torrent of condemnation and criticism mostly from the Saudi Arabian establishment closely linked to the Saudi Kingdom such as theSaudi Council of Senior Scholars—as well as from the scholars of theSalafi,Wahhabi, andIkhwani movements—for what they perceived as Russian meddling in regional politics via religion.[23][1][24] Twenty-one religious institutions across the world signed a petition of support to Salafis, expressing solidarity with them, emphasizing that the conference participants only represent themselves.[25]SyrianSufi scholar Hasan al-Dugim condemned the conference as a sham and defended the "Salafi brothers"; arguing that they are closer to Sufis than "Putin's scholars". The conference was also discerned by the noticeable absence of delegates fromTurkey.[14]
TheInternational Association of Muslim Scholars, an organization led byMuslim Brotherhood-linkedYusuf al-Qaradawi denounced the conference as "a shameful attempt to sow dissent within the Muslim community."[12] The conference has also been widely criticised for toeing aRussian government line. Prominent Russian religious leaders avoided the conference in protest.[22] The chairman of the Spiritual Administration of Muslims of Moscow, Ildar Alyautdinov, expressed his disillusionment with the resolution of the conference.[26]
In response to the widespread criticism received in the Islamic World,Al-Azhar publicly distanced itself from the conference and in mid-October sent a high-level delegation led by the senior Azhari scholar, Shaykh Abbas Shouman toSaudi Arabia and reconciled with theSalafi religious establishment, including theGrand MuftiAbdul Azeez Aal-Shaykh.[27]
The Salafi movement in Sunni Islam has experienced a strong jolt recently, not only in terms of a challenge to its worldview but even to its very existence. On August 25–27, an international conference held in Grozny, Chechnya, was attended by over 200 leading Muslim clerics from various Islamic schools of thought, sponsored by the president of Chechnya, Ramzan Kadyrov (see photo), and with the blessing of Russian President Vladimir Putin. Participants addressed the question, "Who are the people of the Sunna?" and determined that authentic Sunni Islam is not a militant religion that preaches violence, but rather a religion characterized by inclusion and tolerance towards the "other"....According to them, Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov sought to glorify the Suffi stream as the leading religious denomination in Russia for two main reasons: Kadyrov's affiliation with the Suffi stream and Putin's willingness to support its strengthening as he is a moderate and a traditional enemy of the Salafi stream, which is why he expressed willingness to hold the conference in Grozny and to use it to create an anti-Salafi front.... Kadyrov is described in the official media and on the social network accounts on Salafist operatives as a reveler playboy who is breaking the laws of Islam and as Putin's Pinocchio.
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
