2016 international conference on Sunni Islam in Grozny: Difference between revisions

Chechnya Conference International Conference Who are the Ahl al-Sunna?
Date	25 August 2016–; 27 August 2016
Location	Grozny, Chechnya, Russia
Also known as	Grozny Conference; Chechnya Conference; The World Islamic Сonference 'Who are Ahl al-Sunnah wa al-Jama'ah?'
Organized by	The conference was convened by the Shaykh Ahmad Kadyrov Regional Charitable Fund.; Foundation for Chechen Islamic Culture and Education.; Tabah Foundation, a non-profit organization based in Abu Dhabi.; Muslim Council of Elders, a transnational network of Islamic scholars established in 2014.
Participants	Over 200 Muslim scholars-theologians and religious leaders from various Islamic schools of thought from 30 countries all over the world, including Egypt, Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, Yemen, Morocco, Kuwait, Sudan, Qatar, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Britain, Russia, South Africa, Uzbekistan, and Azerbaijan
Previous event	Sufism: Personal Security and State Stability
Website	chechnyaconference.org

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The 2016 conference on Sunni Islam in Grozny was convened to define the term "Ahl al-Sunnah wa al-Jama'ah",^[8] i.e. who are "the people of Sunnah and majority Muslim community",^[9]^{[Note 1]} and oppose Takfiri groups.^[11] The conference was held in the Chechen Republic capital of Grozny^[12] from 25–27 August 2016, sponsored by the president of Chechnya, Ramzan Kadyrov, 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 Sufi preacher, Ali al-Jifri.^[8]^[13]^[14]

The conference was dedicated to the 65th anniversary of the birth of Kadyrov's father, Akhmad Kadyrov, the first President of Chechnya.^[15]^[16]

The conference was notable for excluding representatives of Wahhabi and Salafi movements, and for its definition of Sunni Muslims in the final communiqué of the conference that included Sufis, Ash’arites and Maturidis, but not Wahhabis or Salafis.^[8]^[9] It identified Salafism/Wahhabism as a dangerous and misguided sect, along with the extremist groups, such as ISIS, Hizb ut-Tahrir, the Muslim Brotherhood and others.^[17]^[18]

The conference definition stated:

“Ahl al-Sunnah wa al-Jama'ah are the Ash’arites and Maturidis (adherents of the theological systems of Imam Abu Mansur al-Maturidi and Imam Abu al-Hasan al-Ash'ari). In matters of belief, they are followers of any of the four schools of thought (Hanafi, Maliki, Shafi’i or Hanbali) and are also the followers of the Sufism of Imam Junaid al-Baghdadi in doctrines, manners and [spiritual] purification."^[19]

Participants

Over 200 Muslim scholars-theologians and religious leaders from various Islamic schools of thought from 30 countries all over the world, including Egypt, Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, Yemen, Morocco, Libya, Kuwait, Sudan, Qatar, Iraq, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Britain, Russia, South Africa, Uzbekistan, and Azerbaijan.^[20]^[21]^[22]^[23]^[24]^[25]^[26]

Among the notable scholars and preachers in attendance were:^[27]^[28]^[29]

Ahmed el-Tayeb (Grand Imam of Al-Azhar)
Shawki Allam (Grand Mufti of Egypt)
Ali Gomaa (former Grand Mufti of Egypt)
Ibrahim Salah al-Hudhud (president of al-Azhar University)^[30]
Abdel-Hadi al-Qasabi (chairman of the Supreme Council of Sufi Orders in Egypt)^[31]
Usamah al-Azhari (Egypt)
Sheikh Abubakr Ahmad, Grand Mufti of India
Ahmad Badreddin Hassoun (Grand Mufti of Syria)
Abdel-Fattah al-Bezm (Grand Mufti of Damascus)
Tawfiq Ramadan al-Bouti, the son of Sheikh Mohamed Said Ramadan Al-Bouti (Syria)
Salah Mezhiev (Grand Mufti of Chechnya)
Kamil Samigullin (Grand Mufti of Tatarstan)
Allahshukur Pashazade (Grand Mufti of Caucasus)^[32]
Abdul Karim Khasawneh (Grand Mufti of Jordan)
Sa'id Foudah (A Leading Contemporary Kalam Scholar from Jordan)
Umar bin Hafiz (Yemen)
Ali al-Jifri (Yemen)
Saif al-Asri (Yemen)
Ahmed Abbadi (Secretary General of the Mohammedia League of Moroccan Ulama)
Idris al-Fassi al-Fahri (Morocco)
Muhammad Abdul Ghaffar al-Sharif (Kuwait)
Hatim al-Awni (Saudi Arabia)

Recommendations of the Conference

Some suggestions came out of the conference, including recommendations to:^[33]

The establishment of a TV channel in Russia to counter Al-Jazeera, and "convey to people a truthful message of Islam and fight against extremism and terrorism."

The establishment of "a scientific centre in Chechnya to monitor and study contemporary groups... and refute and scientifically criticise extremist thought." The proposed name for the centre is Tabsir (clairvoyance).

The "return to the schools of great knowledge", such as: (Al-Azhar in Egypt, al-Qarawiyyin in Morocco, and al-Zaytuna in Tunisia, and the Hadramout in Yemen), excluding Saudi religious institutions, particularly the Islamic University of Madinah.

Scholarships would be provided for those who are interested in studying sharia to counter Saudi funding in this field.

Criticism

The conference evoked a torrent of condemnation and criticism followed from the Saudi Council of Senior Scholars—as well as Salafis/Wahhabis, and the Muslim Brotherhood—for what they perceived as Russian meddling in regional politics via religion, and the implied condemnation of Salafis as Kharijites, Karramiyya, or deviants.^[34]^[35]

The International Association of Muslim Scholars, an organisation led by Muslim Brotherhood-linked theologian Yusuf al-Qaradawi, reportedly criticized the conference as "a shameful attempt to sow dissent within the Muslim community."^[36]

The conference in Grozny left out several important Muslim leaders of Russia. The heads of the two largest Muslim associations of Russia, Ravil Gainutdin, chairman of the Russian Council of Muftis and Talgat Tajudin, head of Central Muslim Spiritual Directorate of Russia, did not attend the conference.^[37]^[38] The chairman of the Spiritual Administration of Muslims of Moscow, Ildar Alyautdinov, expressed doubts that the resolution would help unite even the Spiritual Board of Muslims of Russia.^[39]

In the eyes of Muslims, a "divorce" between Sunni Islam and "Wahhabism" or Salafism is not credible. Muslim intellectual Kamel Abderrahman stated that "if one looks closely and meticulously analyses the Sunnism, we will not see any fundamental difference between one and the other. Despite last week’s divorce, I firmly believe that the Sunnism and Wahhabism are one and the same. The only difference is the name."^[40]

References

Notes

^ Sunni Muslims constituted about 85–90% of the world's Muslim population.^[10]

Citations

^ "Who Is Sunni?: Chechnya Islamic Conference Opens Window on Intra-Faith Rivalry". The Arab Gulf States Institute.
^ "The Concluding Statement of the Chechnya Conference" (PDF). chechnyaconference.org.
^ "The Concluding Statement of the Chechnya Conference" (PDF). chechnyaconference.org.
^ "Chechnya Hosts International Islamic Conference". Jamestown Foundation.
^ "Grozny conference challenges the Saudis". Institute of Contemporary Islamic Thought.
^ "Muktamar Ahlussunnah Wal-Jama'ah (Aswaja) Di Chechnya". Kanglatif.com.
^ "Islamic State Part Of Western Plot Against Islam, Says Chechen Leader". Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty.
^ ^a ^b ^c Kadhim, Abbas (2 November 2016). "The SUNNI CONFERENCE IN GROZNY: A MUSLIM INTRA-SECTARIAN STRUGGLE FOR LEGITIMACY". HuffPost. Retrieved 16 November 2017.
^ ^a ^b Cervellera, Bernardo (9 June 2016). "Conference in Grozny: Wahhabism exclusion from the Sunni community provokes Riyadh's wrath". AsiaNews.it. Retrieved 16 November 2017.
^ "Mapping the Global Muslim Population". Retrieved 10 December 2014.
^ Dehlvi, Ghulam Rasool (9 September 2016). "Islamic conference in Chechnya: Why Sunnis are disassociating themselves from Salafists". First Post. Retrieved 16 November 2017.
^ "مؤتمر الشيشان 2016". tabahfoundation.org. Archived from the original on 13 September 2017. Retrieved 16 November 2017.
^ "Chechen leader slams Wahhabism as anti-Islamic". Press TV.
^ "The Grozny Conference in Chechnya – Is the Salafi Movement a Rotten Fruit of Sunni Islam?". International Institute for Counter-Terrorism.
^ "Analysis: Grozny Fatwa On 'True Believers' Triggers Major Controversy". Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty.
^ "At Ramzan's: what is the reason for the Chechnya head gathering Islamic establishment of Russia in Grozny?". RealnoeVremya.com.
^ "Chechnya Hosts International Islamic Conference". Jamestown Foundation.
^ "The Conference of Ulama in Grozny: the Reaction of the Islamic World". islam.in.ua.
^ Ghaffari, Talib (11 September 2016). "Over 100 Sunni scholars declare Wahhabis to be outside mainstream Sunni Islam – Chechnya". Retrieved 16 November 2017.
^ "The Concluding Statement of the Chechnya Conference" (PDF). chechnyaconference.org.
^ "Conference in Grozny: Wahhabism exclusion from the Sunni community provokes Riyadh's wrath". AsiaNews.
^ "Chechnya Hosts International Islamic Conference". Jamestown Foundation.
^ "The Conference of Ulama in Grozny: the Reaction of the Islamic World". islam.in.ua.
^ "Grozny conference challenges the Saudis". Institute of Contemporary Islamic Thought.
^ "Muktamar Ahlussunnah Wal-Jama'ah (Aswaja) Di Chechnya". Kanglatif.com.
^ "کنفرانس چچن خشم وهابیت را برانگیخت + تصاویر". AhlulBayt News Agency (ABNA).
^ "Over 100 Sunni scholars declare Wahhabis to be outside mainstream Sunni Islam – Chechnya". maktabah.org.
^ "Muktamar Ahlussunnah Wal-Jama'ah (Aswaja) Di Chechnya". Kanglatif.com.
^ "The Grozny Conference in Chechnya – Is the Salafi Movement a Rotten Fruit of Sunni Islam?". International Institute for Counter-Terrorism.
^ "Chechnya Hosts International Islamic Conference". Jamestown Foundation.
^ "40 عالما أزهريا يلحقون بالطيب للمشاركة في مؤتمر "أهل السنة" في الشيشان". Alghad TV.
^ "CMO head joins international conference in Chechnya [ PHOTO]". AzerNews.az.
^ "Conference in Grozny: Wahhabism exclusion from the Sunni community provokes Riyadh's wrath". AsiaNews.
^ "Saudi Arabia's Struggle for Sunni Leadership". The Cairo Review of Global Affairs.
^ "Who Is Sunni?: Chechnya Islamic Conference Opens Window on Intra-Faith Rivalry". The Arab Gulf States Institute.
^ "Analysis: Grozny Fatwa On 'True Believers' Triggers Major Controversy". Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty.
^ Vatchagaev, Mairbek (22 September 2016). "Chechnya Hosts International Islamic Conference". The James Town Foundation. Archived from the original on 14 May 2019. Yet, the conference in Grozny left out several important Muslim leaders of Russia. The heads of the two largest Muslim associations—Ravil Gainutdin, the chairman of the Council of Muftis of Russia, and Talgat Tajudin, who serves as the mufti of the Central Spiritual Directorate of Muslims of Russia—did not attend the conference, although they both dispatched their representatives. Apparently, Chechen officials did not consult with other Russian Muslim leaders when organizing the conference in Grozny, and the latter decided not to participate in the event (Onkavkaz.com, August 31)
^ Yakubovich, Mikhail (31 August 2016). "THE CONFERENCE OF ULAMA IN GROZNY: THE REACTION OF THE ISLAMIC WORLD". Archived from the original on 8 March 2018. Recently, the deputy chairman of the Russian Mufties Council, Damir Mukhetdinov, called the Muslim Spiritual authorities of the Russian Federation as the "spiritual special forces of Vladimir Putin". It is interesting, however, that neither the head of the Russian Council of Muftis, Ravil Gainutdinov, nor the head of the Central Spiritual Administration of Muslims, Talgat Tajuddin, visited Grozny (although they have sent delegations). To some extent, it follows from competition with the Caucasus, as the authorities of the Chechen Republic have been trying for a long time to make their region the "centre" of Russian Islam.
^ Vatchagaev, Mairbek (22 September 2016). "Chechnya Hosts International Islamic Conference". The Jamestown Foundation. Archived from the original on 14 May 2019. And the chairman of the Spiritual Administration of Muslims of Moscow, Ildar Alyautdinov, expressed doubts that the resolution would help unite even the Spiritual Board of Muslims of Russia (Kavkazsky Uzel, September 3)
^ Cervellera, Bernardo (6 September 2016). "Conference in Grozny: Wahhabism exclusion from the Sunni community provokes Riyadh's wrath". Jamestown Foundation. [26 January 2021 Archived] from the original on https://web.archive.org/web/20210126083528/http://www.asianews.it/news-en/Conference-in-Grozny:-Wahhabism-exclusion-from-the-Sunni-community-provokes-Riyadh%E2%80%99s-wrath-38502.html. Speaking to AsiaNews about the Grozny conference, Fr Samir Khalil Samir, a Jesuit scholar of Islam, cannot hide his satisfaction. "At last! This is indeed an extraordinary thing. Egypt seems to have started it. At least, the request made in December 2014 by President al-Sisi to Al-Azhar University in Cairo seems to be finally getting some response. "It is also interesting that it [the meeting] was held in Grozny, an Islamic city of less than 300,000, the capital of Chechnya, in secular Russia. But the most extraordinary thing is who was at this assembly, namely many people connected to Wahhabism!" In the eyes of Muslims, perhaps this latter aspect makes the "divorce" between Sunni Islam and Wahhabism less credible. "If one looks closely and meticulously analyses the Sunnism, we will not see any fundamental difference between one and the other," Kamel Abderrahmani, a Muslim linguist and scholar of Islam, told AsiaNews. Despite last week's divorce, I firmly believe that the Sunnism and Wahhabism are one and the same. The only difference is the name. {{cite web}}: Check |archive-url= value (help); Check date values in: |archive-date= (help); External link in |archive-date= (help); line feed character in |quote= at position 353 (help)

External links

[11] Sunni Muslims constituted about 85–90% of the world's Muslim population.^[10]

[1] "Who Is Sunni?: Chechnya Islamic Conference Opens Window on Intra-Faith Rivalry". The Arab Gulf States Institute.

[2] "The Concluding Statement of the Chechnya Conference" (PDF). chechnyaconference.org.

[3] "The Concluding Statement of the Chechnya Conference" (PDF). chechnyaconference.org.

[4] "Chechnya Hosts International Islamic Conference". Jamestown Foundation.

[5] "Grozny conference challenges the Saudis". Institute of Contemporary Islamic Thought.

[6] "Muktamar Ahlussunnah Wal-Jama'ah (Aswaja) Di Chechnya". Kanglatif.com.

[7] "Islamic State Part Of Western Plot Against Islam, Says Chechen Leader". Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty.

[Kadhim-huffpost-8] Kadhim, Abbas (2 November 2016). "The SUNNI CONFERENCE IN GROZNY: A MUSLIM INTRA-SECTARIAN STRUGGLE FOR LEGITIMACY". HuffPost. Retrieved 16 November 2017.

[AsiaNews.it-2016-9] Cervellera, Bernardo (9 June 2016). "Conference in Grozny: Wahhabism exclusion from the Sunni community provokes Riyadh's wrath". AsiaNews.it. Retrieved 16 November 2017.

[PEW2009-10] "Mapping the Global Muslim Population". Retrieved 10 December 2014.

[Dehlvi-FP-9-2016-12] Dehlvi, Ghulam Rasool (9 September 2016). "Islamic conference in Chechnya: Why Sunnis are disassociating themselves from Salafists". First Post. Retrieved 16 November 2017.

[13] "مؤتمر الشيشان 2016". tabahfoundation.org. Archived from the original on 13 September 2017. Retrieved 16 November 2017.

[14] "Chechen leader slams Wahhabism as anti-Islamic". Press TV.

[15] "The Grozny Conference in Chechnya – Is the Salafi Movement a Rotten Fruit of Sunni Islam?". International Institute for Counter-Terrorism.

[16] "Analysis: Grozny Fatwa On 'True Believers' Triggers Major Controversy". Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty.

[17] "At Ramzan's: what is the reason for the Chechnya head gathering Islamic establishment of Russia in Grozny?". RealnoeVremya.com.

[18] "Chechnya Hosts International Islamic Conference". Jamestown Foundation.

[19] "The Conference of Ulama in Grozny: the Reaction of the Islamic World". islam.in.ua.

[Ghaffari-20] Ghaffari, Talib (11 September 2016). "Over 100 Sunni scholars declare Wahhabis to be outside mainstream Sunni Islam – Chechnya". Retrieved 16 November 2017.

[21] "The Concluding Statement of the Chechnya Conference" (PDF). chechnyaconference.org.

[22] "Conference in Grozny: Wahhabism exclusion from the Sunni community provokes Riyadh's wrath". AsiaNews.

[23] "Chechnya Hosts International Islamic Conference". Jamestown Foundation.

[24] "The Conference of Ulama in Grozny: the Reaction of the Islamic World". islam.in.ua.

[25] "Grozny conference challenges the Saudis". Institute of Contemporary Islamic Thought.

[26] "Muktamar Ahlussunnah Wal-Jama'ah (Aswaja) Di Chechnya". Kanglatif.com.

[27] "کنفرانس چچن خشم وهابیت را برانگیخت + تصاویر". AhlulBayt News Agency (ABNA).

[28] "Over 100 Sunni scholars declare Wahhabis to be outside mainstream Sunni Islam – Chechnya". maktabah.org.

[29] "Muktamar Ahlussunnah Wal-Jama'ah (Aswaja) Di Chechnya". Kanglatif.com.

[30] "The Grozny Conference in Chechnya – Is the Salafi Movement a Rotten Fruit of Sunni Islam?". International Institute for Counter-Terrorism.

[31] "Chechnya Hosts International Islamic Conference". Jamestown Foundation.

[32] "40 عالما أزهريا يلحقون بالطيب للمشاركة في مؤتمر "أهل السنة" في الشيشان". Alghad TV.

[33] "CMO head joins international conference in Chechnya [ PHOTO]". AzerNews.az.

[34] "Conference in Grozny: Wahhabism exclusion from the Sunni community provokes Riyadh's wrath". AsiaNews.

[35] "Saudi Arabia's Struggle for Sunni Leadership". The Cairo Review of Global Affairs.

[36] "Who Is Sunni?: Chechnya Islamic Conference Opens Window on Intra-Faith Rivalry". The Arab Gulf States Institute.

[37] "Analysis: Grozny Fatwa On 'True Believers' Triggers Major Controversy". Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty.

[38] Vatchagaev, Mairbek (22 September 2016). "Chechnya Hosts International Islamic Conference". The James Town Foundation. Archived from the original on 14 May 2019. Yet, the conference in Grozny left out several important Muslim leaders of Russia. The heads of the two largest Muslim associations—Ravil Gainutdin, the chairman of the Council of Muftis of Russia, and Talgat Tajudin, who serves as the mufti of the Central Spiritual Directorate of Muslims of Russia—did not attend the conference, although they both dispatched their representatives. Apparently, Chechen officials did not consult with other Russian Muslim leaders when organizing the conference in Grozny, and the latter decided not to participate in the event (Onkavkaz.com, August 31)

[39] Yakubovich, Mikhail (31 August 2016). "THE CONFERENCE OF ULAMA IN GROZNY: THE REACTION OF THE ISLAMIC WORLD". Archived from the original on 8 March 2018. Recently, the deputy chairman of the Russian Mufties Council, Damir Mukhetdinov, called the Muslim Spiritual authorities of the Russian Federation as the "spiritual special forces of Vladimir Putin". It is interesting, however, that neither the head of the Russian Council of Muftis, Ravil Gainutdinov, nor the head of the Central Spiritual Administration of Muslims, Talgat Tajuddin, visited Grozny (although they have sent delegations). To some extent, it follows from competition with the Caucasus, as the authorities of the Chechen Republic have been trying for a long time to make their region the "centre" of Russian Islam.

[40] Vatchagaev, Mairbek (22 September 2016). "Chechnya Hosts International Islamic Conference". The Jamestown Foundation. Archived from the original on 14 May 2019. And the chairman of the Spiritual Administration of Muslims of Moscow, Ildar Alyautdinov, expressed doubts that the resolution would help unite even the Spiritual Board of Muslims of Russia (Kavkazsky Uzel, September 3)

[41] Cervellera, Bernardo (6 September 2016). "Conference in Grozny: Wahhabism exclusion from the Sunni community provokes Riyadh's wrath". Jamestown Foundation. [26 January 2021 Archived] from the original on https://web.archive.org/web/20210126083528/http://www.asianews.it/news-en/Conference-in-Grozny:-Wahhabism-exclusion-from-the-Sunni-community-provokes-Riyadh%E2%80%99s-wrath-38502.html. Speaking to AsiaNews about the Grozny conference, Fr Samir Khalil Samir, a Jesuit scholar of Islam, cannot hide his satisfaction. "At last! This is indeed an extraordinary thing. Egypt seems to have started it. At least, the request made in December 2014 by President al-Sisi to Al-Azhar University in Cairo seems to be finally getting some response. "It is also interesting that it [the meeting] was held in Grozny, an Islamic city of less than 300,000, the capital of Chechnya, in secular Russia. But the most extraordinary thing is who was at this assembly, namely many people connected to Wahhabism!" In the eyes of Muslims, perhaps this latter aspect makes the "divorce" between Sunni Islam and Wahhabism less credible. "If one looks closely and meticulously analyses the Sunnism, we will not see any fundamental difference between one and the other," Kamel Abderrahmani, a Muslim linguist and scholar of Islam, told AsiaNews. Despite last week's divorce, I firmly believe that the Sunnism and Wahhabism are one and the same. The only difference is the name. {{cite web}}: Check |archive-url= value (help); Check date values in: |archive-date= (help); External link in |archive-date= (help); line feed character in |quote= at position 353 (help)

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@@ Line 76: / Line 76: @@
 [[Yusuf al-Qaradawi]], reportedly criticized the conference as "a shameful attempt to sow dissent within the Muslim community."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.rferl.org/a/caucasus-report-grozny-fatwa-controversy/27987472.html|title=Analysis: Grozny Fatwa On 'True Believers' Triggers Major Controversy|publisher=[[Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty]]}}</ref>
-The conference in Grozny left out several important Muslim leaders of Russia. The heads of the two largest Muslim associations of Russia, [[Rawil Gaynetdin|Ravil Gainutdin]], [[Chairperson|chairman]] of the [[Russian Council of Muftis]] and [[Talgat Tadzhuddin|Talgat Tajudin]], head of Central Muslim Spiritual Directorate of Russia, did not attend the conference.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Vatchagaev|first=Mairbek|date=22 September 2016|title=Chechnya Hosts International Islamic Conference|url=https://jamestown.org/program/chechnya-hosts-international-islamic-conference/|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190514212546/https://jamestown.org/program/chechnya-hosts-international-islamic-conference/|archive-date=14 May 2019|access-date=|website=The James Town Foundation|quote="Yet, the conference in Grozny left out several important Muslim leaders of Russia. The heads of the two largest Muslim associations—Ravil Gainutdin, the chairman of the Council of Muftis of Russia, and Talgat Tajudin, who serves as the mufti of the Central Spiritual Directorate of Muslims of Russia—did not attend the conference, although they both dispatched their representatives. Apparently, Chechen officials did not consult with other Russian Muslim leaders when organizing the conference in Grozny, and the latter decided not to participate in the event (Onkavkaz.com, August 31)"}}</ref> The chairman of the Spiritual Administration of Muslims of Moscow, Ildar Alyautdinov, expressed doubts that the resolution would help unite even the Spiritual Board of Muslims of Russia.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Vatchagaev|first=Mairbek|date=22 September 2016|title=Chechnya Hosts International Islamic Conference|url=https://jamestown.org/program/chechnya-hosts-international-islamic-conference/|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190514212546/https://jamestown.org/program/chechnya-hosts-international-islamic-conference/|archive-date=14 May 2019|access-date=|website=The Jamestown Foundation|quote="And the chairman of the Spiritual Administration of Muslims of Moscow, Ildar Alyautdinov, expressed doubts that the resolution would help unite even the Spiritual Board of Muslims of Russia (Kavkazsky Uzel, September 3)"}}</ref>
+The conference in Grozny left out several important Muslim leaders of Russia. The heads of the two largest Muslim associations of Russia, [[Rawil Gaynetdin|Ravil Gainutdin]], [[Chairperson|chairman]] of the [[Russian Council of Muftis]] and [[Talgat Tadzhuddin|Talgat Tajudin]], head of Central Muslim Spiritual Directorate of Russia, did not attend the conference.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Vatchagaev|first=Mairbek|date=22 September 2016|title=Chechnya Hosts International Islamic Conference|url=https://jamestown.org/program/chechnya-hosts-international-islamic-conference/|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190514212546/https://jamestown.org/program/chechnya-hosts-international-islamic-conference/|archive-date=14 May 2019|access-date=|website=The James Town Foundation|quote="Yet, the conference in Grozny left out several important Muslim leaders of Russia. The heads of the two largest Muslim associations—Ravil Gainutdin, the chairman of the Council of Muftis of Russia, and Talgat Tajudin, who serves as the mufti of the Central Spiritual Directorate of Muslims of Russia—did not attend the conference, although they both dispatched their representatives. Apparently, Chechen officials did not consult with other Russian Muslim leaders when organizing the conference in Grozny, and the latter decided not to participate in the event (Onkavkaz.com, August 31)"}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=Yakubovich|first=Mikhail|date=31 August 2016|title=THE CONFERENCE OF ULAMA IN GROZNY: THE REACTION OF THE ISLAMIC WORLD|url=https://islam.in.ua/en/islamic-studies/conference-ulama-grozny-reaction-islamic-world|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180308125805/https://islam.in.ua/en/islamic-studies/conference-ulama-grozny-reaction-islamic-world|archive-date=8 March 2018|access-date=|website=|quote="Recently, the deputy chairman of the Russian Mufties Council, Damir Mukhetdinov, called the Muslim Spiritual authorities of the Russian Federation as the “spiritual special forces of Vladimir Putin”. It is interesting, however, that neither the head of the Russian Council of Muftis, Ravil Gainutdinov, nor the head of the Central Spiritual Administration of Muslims, Talgat Tajuddin, visited Grozny (although they have sent delegations). To some extent, it follows from competition with the Caucasus, as the authorities of the Chechen Republic have been trying for a long time to make their region the "centre" of Russian Islam."}}</ref> The chairman of the Spiritual Administration of Muslims of Moscow, Ildar Alyautdinov, expressed doubts that the resolution would help unite even the Spiritual Board of Muslims of Russia.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Vatchagaev|first=Mairbek|date=22 September 2016|title=Chechnya Hosts International Islamic Conference|url=https://jamestown.org/program/chechnya-hosts-international-islamic-conference/|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190514212546/https://jamestown.org/program/chechnya-hosts-international-islamic-conference/|archive-date=14 May 2019|access-date=|website=The Jamestown Foundation|quote="And the chairman of the Spiritual Administration of Muslims of Moscow, Ildar Alyautdinov, expressed doubts that the resolution would help unite even the Spiritual Board of Muslims of Russia (Kavkazsky Uzel, September 3)"}}</ref>
 In the eyes of Muslims, a "divorce" between [[Sunni Islam]] and "[[Wahhabism]]" or [[Salafi movement|Salafism]] is not credible. Muslim intellectual Kamel Abderrahman stated that "if one looks closely and meticulously analyses the Sunnism, we will not see any fundamental difference between one and the other. Despite last week’s divorce, I firmly believe that the Sunnism and Wahhabism are one and the same. The only difference is the name."<ref>{{Cite web|last=Cervellera|first=Bernardo|date=6 September 2016|title=Conference in Grozny: Wahhabism exclusion from the Sunni community provokes Riyadh’s wrath|url=http://www.asianews.it/news-en/Conference-in-Grozny:-Wahhabism-exclusion-from-the-Sunni-community-provokes-Riyadh%E2%80%99s-wrath-38502.html|url-status=live|archive-url=26 January 2021|archive-date=https://web.archive.org/web/20210126083528/http://www.asianews.it/news-en/Conference-in-Grozny:-Wahhabism-exclusion-from-the-Sunni-community-provokes-Riyadh%E2%80%99s-wrath-38502.html|access-date=|website=Jamestown Foundation|quote="Speaking to AsiaNews about the Grozny conference, Fr Samir Khalil Samir, a Jesuit scholar of Islam, cannot hide his satisfaction.  "At last! This is indeed an extraordinary thing. Egypt seems to have started it. At least, the request made in December 2014 by President al-Sisi to Al-Azhar University in Cairo seems to be finally getting some response.