Thousands of Chechens Protest against Quran Burning Incident

Grozny, MINA – Thousands of people in Russia’s Muslim-majority Chechen Republic took to the streets of the regional capital on Tuesday, demonstrating against the recent burning of Al-Qurans.

Quoted from The Moscow Times on Thursday, police in the southwestern Russian city of Volgograd have detained Nikita Zhuravel (19) after he allegedly burned a copy of the Quran in front of the city’s mosque over the weekend.

A criminal case against Zhuravel on charges of insulting the feelings of religious believers has been turned over to Chechen investigators.

According to the Russian Investigative Committee, Zhuravel confessed to having acted in exchange for a 10,000-ruble ($125) payment from Ukraine’s security services.

About 10,000 residents reportedly took part in Tuesday’s protest at the Heart of Chechnya Mosque in downtown Grozny.

Speaking at the rally, chief mufti Salah Mezhiev called the burning of the Koran a “crime against Islam, against humanity, tolerance, an act that goes beyond all moral and ethical boundaries.” (T/RE1)

Mi’raj News Agency (MINA)