NO ISLAMIC EXTREMISTS IN RUSSIA?

ARTICLE CRITIQUE 

Response to New York Times "Central Asia Sounds Alarm on Islamic Radicalism," Clifford J. Levy, August 18, 2009.

By Gordon M. Hahn

In this recent article on "possible" jihadi terrorism in Central Asia, The New York Times' Clifford J. Levy continues the U.S. mainstream media's line of denying or at least downplaying the significance of the presence of jihadists in Russia, noting: "Russia also has military bases in Central Asia and is on the alert for any signs that Islamic extremism could spread into Muslim parts of Russia."  The operative words here are "could spread." The American paper of record's chief Moscow correspondent is apparently unaware or persists in fostering the belief among the NYT's readers that there are no jihadists in Russia.  But since 2002, when the jihadists consolidated their control over the underground militant separatist Chechen Republic of Ichkeriya and began spreading a network of jihad cells across the North Caucasus far beyond the 'fight for Chechen independence,' what is now called the Caucasus Emirate (CE) has killed or wounded some 5,000 civilian, police, security and military officials and servicemen as well as ordinary civilians.  The day before Levy's article was published, the CE's Ingushetiya Sector carried out a truck bombing that killed at least 20 and wounded 138 others at the Internal Affairs Ministry headquarters in the Ingushetia capitol Nazran.  RMW suggests Mr. Levy travel to Ingushetia and interview the CE's amir, Doka Abu Usman Umarov, the new rising star of the CE jihadi terrorists, Said Abu Saad Buryatskii, or Chechnya's president, Ramzan Kadyrov.