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| Location of Chechnya in red (by TUBS) |
(and sometimes as Ichkeria, meaning "Land of Minerals"), has been in the headlines lately. According to NBC News, two current suspects in the Boston Marathon bombing case are "brothers of Chechen origin."
Wikipedia states that Chechnya, a Russian republic, "is located in the southeastern part of Europe in the North Caucasus mountains."
This "marriage" with Russia has been far from a happy one.
Although Russian republics "have the right to establish their own official
language and have their own constitution," this is not nearly
the same as being an independent country.
Two wars for independence have therefore been fought since the 1991 dissolution of the Soviet Union: the First and Second Chechen Wars.
After the first war, Chechnya gained independence, but after the second war it was again under Russian control.
Wikipedia reports that "sporadic fighting continues in the mountains and southern regions of the republic." In fact, Chechens have been fighting for freedom from foreign rule since the 15th century.
After rising up against Soviet rule in the 1940s, almost the entire Chechen and Ingush populations were forcibly deported to Siberia and (to what is now) Kazakhstan. It wasn't until Krushchev's de-Stalinization occurred circa 1956 that Chechens were allowed to return to their "own ethnic land."
Even so, Russification (e.g., the necessity of being proficient in the Russian language in order to thrive) continued.
Between the 16th and 19th centuries,
many Chechens converted to Sunni Islam (while hoping to receive help
from the Ottoman Empire in their battles against Russia). Wikipedia states that Islam is now "the predominant
religion in Chechnya." Although most are adherents of Sunni Islam, there are also quite a few Sufis ("of either the Qadiri or Naqshbandi orders"). As for jurisprudence, the Shafi'i (Sunni) school predominates.
Wikipedia reports that there have been many human-rights abuses in modern-day Chechnya. In 2006 the
Human Rights Watch reported that pro-Moscow forces were using torture in order to gain information from detainees. In
2011 this same group reported that "since Chechenization, the government has pushed for
enforced Islamic dress code and other traditions which violently repress women."
Resources
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chechnya
http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/04/19/17824210-suspects-in-marathon-bombings-are-brothers-authorities-say?lite
Copyright April 19, 2013 by Linda Van Slyke All Rights Reserved
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