2016 international conference on Sunni Islam in Grozny
The 2016 conference on Sunni Islam in Grozny was convened to define the term "Ahl al-Sunnah wa al-Jama'ah", i.e. who are "the people of Sunnah and majority Muslim community", and oppose Takfiri groups. The conference was held in the Chechen Republic capital of Grozny 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. The conference was dedicated to the 65th anniversary of the birth of Kadyrov's father, Akhmad Kadyrov, the first President of Chechnya. 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. 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. The conference definition stated:
“Ahl al-Sunnah wa al-Jama'ah are the Ash’arites and Maturidis. In matters of belief, they are followers of any of the four schools of thought and are also the followers of the Sufism of Imam Junaid al-Baghdadi in doctrines, manners and purification."
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. Among the notable scholars and preachers in attendance were:
Some suggestions came out of the conference, including recommendations to:
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.
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. The International Association of Muslim Scholars an Organisation leaded by a Salafi theologian Yusuf al-Qaradawi reportedly criticized the conference as "a shameful attempt to sow dissent within the Muslim community."
