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{{Infobox event
| title = Chechnya Conference {{nowrap|International Conference Who are the [[Ahl al-Sunna]]?}}
| image =
| image_size =
| date = {{start date|2016|8|25|df=y}}– {{end date|2016|8|27|df=y}}
| place = [[Grozny]], [[Chechnya]], Russia
| organizers = The conference was convened by the Shaykh Ahmad Kadyrov Regional Charitable Fund. Foundation for Chechen Islamic Culture and Education. [https://www.tabahfoundation.org/en/ Tabah Foundation], a non-profit organization based in Abu Dhabi. [https://www.muslim-elders.com Muslim Council of Elders], a transnational network of Islamic scholars established in 2014.<ref name="The Arab Gulf States Institute">{{cite web|url=https://agsiw.org/who-is-a-sunni-chechnya-islamic-conference-opens-window-on-intra-faith-rivalry/|title=Who Is Sunni?: Chechnya Islamic Conference Opens Window on Intra-Faith Rivalry|date=16 September 2016|publisher=[[The Arab Gulf States Institute]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://chechnyaconference.org/material/chechnya-conference-statement-english.pdf|title=The Concluding Statement of the Chechnya Conference|publisher=chechnyaconference.org}}</ref>
| coordinates = 
| also known as = Grozny Conference Chechnya Conference The World Islamic Сonference 'Who are [[Ahl al-Sunnah wa al-Jama'ah]]?'
| 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<ref>{{cite web|url=https://chechnyaconference.org/material/chechnya-conference-statement-english.pdf|title=The Concluding Statement of the Chechnya Conference|publisher=chechnyaconference.org}}</ref><ref name="Jamestown Foundation">{{cite web|url=https://jamestown.org/program/chechnya-hosts-international-islamic-conference/|title=Chechnya Hosts International Islamic Conference|publisher=[[Jamestown Foundation]]}}</ref><ref name="crescent.icit-digital.org">{{cite web|url=https://crescent.icit-digital.org/articles/grozny-conference-challenges-the-saudis|title=Grozny conference challenges the Saudis|publisher=[[Institute of Contemporary Islamic Thought]]}}</ref><ref name="Kanglatif.com">{{cite web|url=http://www.kanglatif.com/2016/09/muktamar-ahlussunnah-wal-jamaah-aswaja.html|title=Muktamar Ahlussunnah Wal-Jama'ah (Aswaja) Di Chechnya|publisher=Kanglatif.com}}</ref>
| blank1_label = Previous event
| blank1_data = [[Sufism]]: Personal Security and State Stability<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.rferl.org/a/islamic-state-kadyrov-western-plot-wahhabism/26833493.html|title=Islamic State Part Of Western Plot Against Islam, Says Chechen Leader|publisher=[[Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty]]}}</ref>
| blank2_label = Next event
| blank2_data =
| website = [https://chechnyaconference.org/ chechnyaconference.org]
}}

The '''2016 conference on Sunni Islam in Grozny''' was convened to define the term "[[Ahl al-Sunnah wa al-Jama'ah]]",<ref name="Kadhim-huffpost"/> i.e. who are "the people of [[Sunnah]] and majority Muslim community",<ref name="AsiaNews.it-2016"/>{{#tag:ref|Sunni Muslims constituted about 85–90% of the world's Muslim population.<ref name=PEW2009>{{cite web|title=Mapping the Global Muslim Population|date=7 October 2009|url=http://www.pewforum.org/2009/10/07/mapping-the-global-muslim-population/|accessdate=10 December 2014}}</ref>|group=Note}} and oppose [[Takfiri]] groups.<ref name="Dehlvi-FP-9-2016">{{cite news|last1=Dehlvi|first1=Ghulam Rasool|title=Islamic conference in Chechnya: Why Sunnis are disassociating themselves from Salafists|url=http://www.firstpost.com/world/islamic-conference-in-chechnya-why-sunnis-are-disassociating-themselves-from-salafists-2998018.html|accessdate=16 November 2017|work=First Post|date=9 September 2016}}</ref> The conference was held in the [[Chechen Republic]] capital of [[Grozny]]<ref>{{cite web|title=مؤتمر الشيشان 2016|url=http://www.tabahfoundation.org/ar/news/view_article/?id=84|website=tabahfoundation.org|accessdate=16 November 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170913175308/http://www.tabahfoundation.org/ar/news/view_article/?id=84|archive-date=13 September 2017|url-status=dead}}</ref> 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]].<ref name="Kadhim-huffpost">{{cite news|last1=Kadhim|first1=Abbas|title=The SUNNI CONFERENCE IN GROZNY: A MUSLIM INTRA-SECTARIAN STRUGGLE FOR LEGITIMACY|url=https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/57d2fa63e4b0f831f7071c1a|accessdate=16 November 2017|agency=HuffPost|date=2 November 2016}}</ref><ref name="ict.org.il">{{cite web|url=https://www.ict.org.il/Article/1808/the-grozny-conference-in-chechnya-is-the-salafi-movement-a-rotten-fruit-of-sunni-islam|title=The Grozny Conference in Chechnya – Is the Salafi Movement a Rotten Fruit of Sunni Islam?|publisher=[[International Institute for Counter-Terrorism]]}}</ref>

The conference was dedicated to the 65th anniversary of the birth of Kadyrov's father, [[Akhmad Kadyrov]], the first President of Chechnya.<ref name="rferl.org">{{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><ref>{{cite web|url=https://realnoevremya.com/articles/677|title=At Ramzan's: what is the reason for the Chechnya head gathering Islamic establishment of Russia in Grozny?|publisher=RealnoeVremya.com}}</ref>

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 [[Sufi]]s, [[Ash'aris]] and [[Maturidis]], but not [[Wahhabi]]s or [[Salafi]]s.<ref name="Kadhim-huffpost"/><ref name="AsiaNews.it-2016">{{cite news|last1=Cervellera|first1=Bernardo|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|accessdate=16 November 2017|agency=AsiaNews.it|date=9 June 2016}}</ref> It condemned Salafism and Wahhabism as "misguided" sects, along with extremist groups such as [[ISIS]], [[Hizb ut-Tahrir]], the [[Muslim Brotherhood]] and others.<ref name="Jamestown Foundation">{{cite web|url=https://jamestown.org/program/chechnya-hosts-international-islamic-conference/|title=Chechnya Hosts International Islamic Conference|publisher=[[Jamestown Foundation]]}}</ref><ref name="islam.in.ua">{{cite web|url=https://islam.in.ua/en/islamic-studies/conference-ulama-grozny-reaction-islamic-world|title=The Conference of Ulama in Grozny: the Reaction of the Islamic World|publisher=islam.in.ua}}</ref>

The conference definition stated:
<blockquote>“[[Ahl al-Sunnah wa al-Jama'ah]] are the [[Ash'ari]]s 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 [[Junayd of Baghdad|Junaid al-Baghdadi]] in doctrines, manners and [spiritual] purification."<ref name="Ghaffari">{{cite news|last1=Ghaffari|first1=Talib|title=Over 100 Sunni scholars declare Wahhabis to be outside mainstream Sunni Islam – Chechnya|url=http://maktabah.org/blog/?p=3619|accessdate=16 November 2017|date=11 September 2016}}</ref></blockquote>

== 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.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://chechnyaconference.org/material/chechnya-conference-statement-english.pdf|title=The Concluding Statement of the Chechnya Conference|publisher=chechnyaconference.org}}</ref><ref name="AsiaNews">{{cite web|url=http://www.asianews.it/news-en/Conference-in-Grozny:-Wahhabism-exclusion-from-the-Sunni-community-provokes-Riyadh’s-wrath-38502.html|title=Conference in Grozny: Wahhabism exclusion from the Sunni community provokes Riyadh's wrath|publisher=[[AsiaNews]]}}</ref><ref name="Jamestown Foundation">{{cite web|url=https://jamestown.org/program/chechnya-hosts-international-islamic-conference/|title=Chechnya Hosts International Islamic Conference|publisher=[[Jamestown Foundation]]}}</ref><ref name="islam.in.ua"/><ref name="crescent.icit-digital.org">{{cite web|url=https://crescent.icit-digital.org/articles/grozny-conference-challenges-the-saudis|title=Grozny conference challenges the Saudis|publisher=[[Institute of Contemporary Islamic Thought]]}}</ref><ref name="Kanglatif.com">{{cite web|url=http://www.kanglatif.com/2016/09/muktamar-ahlussunnah-wal-jamaah-aswaja.html|title=Muktamar Ahlussunnah Wal-Jama'ah (Aswaja) Di Chechnya|publisher=Kanglatif.com}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://fa.abna24.com/service/europe/archive/2016/09/07/708343/story.html|title=کنفرانس چچن خشم وهابیت را برانگیخت + تصاویر|date=7 September 2016|publisher=[[AhlulBayt News Agency (ABNA)]]}}</ref>

Among the notable scholars and preachers in attendance were:<ref>{{cite web|url=http://maktabah.org/blog/?p=3619|title=Over 100 Sunni scholars declare Wahhabis to be outside mainstream Sunni Islam – Chechnya|date=11 September 2016|publisher=maktabah.org}}</ref><ref name="Kanglatif.com">{{cite web|url=http://www.kanglatif.com/2016/09/muktamar-ahlussunnah-wal-jamaah-aswaja.html|title=Muktamar Ahlussunnah Wal-Jama'ah (Aswaja) Di Chechnya|publisher=Kanglatif.com}}</ref><ref name="ict.org.il"/>
* [[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]])<ref name="Jamestown Foundation">{{cite web|url=https://jamestown.org/program/chechnya-hosts-international-islamic-conference/|title=Chechnya Hosts International Islamic Conference|publisher=[[Jamestown Foundation]]}}</ref>
* Abdel-Hadi al-Qasabi (chairman of the Supreme Council of [[Sufi]] Orders in Egypt)<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.alghad.tv/40-عالما-أزهريا-يلحقون-بالطيب-للمشاركة-ف/|title= 40 عالما أزهريا يلحقون بالطيب للمشاركة في مؤتمر "أهل السنة" في الشيشان|publisher=Alghad TV}}</ref>
* Usamah al-Azhari (Egypt)
*[[Sheikh Abubakr Ahmad]], [[Grand Mufti of India]]<ref name="firstpost.com">{{Cite web|url=https://www.firstpost.com/world/islamic-conference-in-chechnya-why-sunnis-are-disassociating-themselves-from-salafists-2998018.html|title = Islamic conference in Chechnya: Why Sunnis are disassociating themselves from Salafists-World News , Firstpost|date = 9 September 2016}}</ref>
* Shaikh Anwar Ahmad al Baghdadi <ref name="firstpost.com"/>
* Muḥammad [[Muneeb-ur-Rehman]], Grand Mufti of Pakistan
* [[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)<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.azernews.az/nation/101488.html|title=CMO head joins international conference in Chechnya [ PHOTO]|date=29 August 2016|publisher=AzerNews.az}}</ref>
* [[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 ==
The conference participants reflected their support for what in Russia is considered “traditional” Islam.<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 }}</ref> Some suggestions came out of the conference, including recommendations to:<ref name="AsiaNews"/>

* 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 [[University of Ez-Zitouna|al-Zaytuna]] in [[Tunisia]], and the [[Hadhramout University|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 [[Council of Senior Scholars (Saudi Arabia)|Saudi Council of Senior Scholars]]—as well as from the scholars of the [[Salafi movement|Salafi]][[Salafis|,]] [[Wahhabism|Wahhabi]], and ''[[Ikhwan al-Muslimeen|Ikhwani]]'' movements—for what they perceived as Russian meddling in regional politics via religion, and the implied condemnation of Salafis as ''[[Kharijites]]'', ''[[Karramiyya]]'', or ''[[Zandaqa|deviants]]''.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.thecairoreview.com/tahrir-forum/saudi-arabias-struggle-for-sunni-leadership/|title=Saudi Arabia's Struggle for Sunni Leadership|date=11 September 2016|publisher=The Cairo Review of Global Affairs}}</ref><ref name="The Arab Gulf States Institute">{{cite web|url=https://agsiw.org/who-is-a-sunni-chechnya-islamic-conference-opens-window-on-intra-faith-rivalry/|title=Who Is Sunni?: Chechnya Islamic Conference Opens Window on Intra-Faith Rivalry|date=16 September 2016|publisher=[[The Arab Gulf States Institute]]}}</ref> Twenty-one [[Sunni Islam|Sunni]] religious institutions across the world signed a petition of support to Salafis, expressing solidarity with them and called for unity, emphasizing that the conference participants only represent themselves.<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= }}</ref> [[Syrian]] [[Sufi]] 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 from [[Turkey]].<ref name="islam.in.ua">{{cite web|url=https://islam.in.ua/en/islamic-studies/conference-ulama-grozny-reaction-islamic-world|title=The Conference of Ulama in Grozny: the Reaction of the Islamic World|publisher=islam.in.ua}}</ref>

The [[International Union of Muslim Scholars|International Association of Muslim Scholars]], an organization led by [[Muslim Brotherhood]]-linked Islamist [[Yusuf al-Qaradawi]], reportedly criticized the conference as "a shameful attempt to sow dissent within the Muslim community."<ref name="rferl.org"/> The conference has also been widely criticised for toeing a [[Government of Russia|Russian government]] line. Prominent Russian religious leaders avoided the conference in protest.<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 }}</ref> The chairman of the Spiritual Administration of Muslims of Moscow, Ildar Alyautdinov, expressed his disillusionment with the resolution of 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 Jamestown Foundation }}</ref>

In response to the widespread criticism received in the Islamic World, [[Al-Azhar University|Al-Azhar]] publicly distanced itself from the conference and in mid-October send a high-level delegation led by the senior Azhari scholar, Shaykh Abbas Shouman to [[Saudi Arabia]] and reconciled with the [[Salafi movement|Salafi]] religious establishment, including the [[Grand Mufti of Saudi Arabia|Grand Mufti]] [[Sheikh Abdulaziz al-Sheikh|Abdul Azeez Aal-Shaykh]].<ref>{{Cite web|last=Barak|first=Michael|date=9 November 2016|title=The Grozny Conference in Chechnya – Is the Salafi Movement a Rotten Fruit of Sunni Islam?|url=https://www.ict.org.il/Article/1808/the-grozny-conference-in-chechnya-is-the-salafi-movement-a-rotten-fruit-of-sunni-islam#gsc.tab=0|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190307054122/https://www.ict.org.il/Article/1808/the-grozny-conference-in-chechnya-is-the-salafi-movement-a-rotten-fruit-of-sunni-islam|archive-date=7 March 2019|access-date=|website= }}</ref>

== See also ==
{{portal
|Religion
|Islam
|Russia
|}}
* [[2020 International Maturidi Conference]]
* [[Amman Message]]
* [[International Islamic Unity Conference (Iran)]]
* [[Al-Azhar Shia Fatwa]]
* [[A Common Word Between Us and You]]
* [[List of Ash'aris and Maturidis]]
* [[Kalam]]
* [[Wahhabi War]]
* [[Nejd Expedition]]
* [[Hadith of Najd]]

==References==
===Notes===
{{reflist|group=Note}}

===Citations===
{{reflist}}

==External links==
* [https://chechnyaconference.org/ Official Website]
* [https://chechnyaconference.org/material/chechnya-conference-statement-english.pdf Download Concluding Statement in English]
* [http://www.reasonedcomments.org/2016/09/the-first-international-conference.html Grozny Conference: The First International Conference Dedicated To Answering The Question: Who Are The Sunnis?]
* [http://freedom-articles.toolsforfreedom.com/sunnis-denounce-salafist-takfiri-terror/ Sunni Muslims Distance Themselves From Radical Salafist Muslims]
* [http://www.alhabibali.com/en/news/storm-in-a-teacup-a-statement-on-the-chechnya-conference/ Storm in a Teacup: A Statement on the Chechnya Conference]
* [https://www.rferl.org/a/chechen-mufti-defends-fatwa-calls-followers-nontraditional-islam-extremists/28025467.html Chechen Mufti Defends Fatwa That Calls Followers Of Nontraditional Islam 'Extremists']

{{#seo:
|keywords=Sunni Islam, Sunni Muslims, 2016 conferences, Islamic conferences, Fatwas, Open letters, Grozny, Ramzan Kadyrov, History of Islam, Islam and society, Asharis, Maturidis, Sufism, Wahhabism, Salafi movement, Muslim Brotherhood, 2016 in Islam
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[[Category:Sunni Islam]]
[[Category:Sunni Muslims]]
[[Category:2016 conferences]]
[[Category:Islamic conferences]]
[[Category:Fatwas]]
[[Category:Open letters]]
[[Category:Grozny]]
[[Category:Ramzan Kadyrov]]
[[Category:History of Islam]]
[[Category:Islam and society]]
[[Category:Asharis]]
[[Category:Maturidis]]
[[Category:Sufism]]
[[Category:Wahhabism]]
[[Category:Salafi movement]]
[[Category:Muslim Brotherhood]]
[[Category:2016 in Islam]]

2016 international conference on Sunni Islam in Grozny - Revision history

MetaBOT at 19:05, 8 July 2023