On Tuesday, in the occupied Crimea, representatives of the Muftiate of Crimea, as well as employees of the so-called FSB, prosecutor's office, police and the Ministry of Emergency Situations came to check the Alushta mosque "as part of compliance with the legislation on countering extremism."
This is reported on Facebook by Crimean Solidarity, according to Ukrinform.
"Today, employees of the Crimean Muftiate, the FSB, the CCE (Center for Combating Extremism - Ed.) and the prosecutor's office came to the Yukary Jami Mosque in Alushta," the report says.
The inspectors informed the mosque's parishioners that "compliance with federal legislation on freedom of conscience and religious associations, on countering extremist activities and terrorism, land and other legislation is being checked by the local religious organization Muslim community of Alushta."
Abdul Gafarov, chairman of the officially registered Muslim community "Alushta", told Crimean Solidarity that police officers, in particular, were asking who and at what expense was engaged in the reconstruction of the mosque and who provides financial assistance to the Muslim community.
On these issues, the police took an explanatory note from Gafarov. In addition, he was summoned to the "prosecutor's office" to give explanations.
This is not the first time that pressure has been exerted on the Alushta religious community. Its chairman Lenur Khalilov and a member of the Audit Commission Ruslan Mesutov were arrested on June 10, 2019, after the apartments of four Crimean Tatars were searched and then detained in Alushta, in the village of Izobilne and in the village of Maly Mayak.
The arrest of the head of the religious community of the city of Alushta occurred 2 weeks before the court session, which was supposed to consider the claim of the religious community of the city of Alushta against the "Council of Ministers" represented by the "Ministry of Property and Land Relations". The Religious Administration of Muslims of Crimea (RAMK) and the "State Committee for Nationalities and Religions" were involved in this case as interested parties. The lawsuit was filed due to the fact that the City mosque was transferred to the local religious community, headed by Lenur Khalilov, in 1994 by Order of the Crimean government. Later, without revoking the transfer act, the mosque was transferred to the RAMK.