In a new crackdown on Russian Muslims, Moscow police have detained more than 300 worshippers after rounding them up during prayer at a Muslim prayer room in the Russian capital.I have no idea whether the detainees were planning something dangerous while pretending to pray, or if the Russian security forces are simply targeting Muslims.
“The situation in the North Caucasus should be kept under particular control,” President Vladimir Putin told a meeting of security force officers, Reuters reported on Friday, June 7.
“The policy in the fight against corruption, crime and the insurgency has to be carried out harshly and consistently.”
In a raid carried on Friday, the forces detained 300 Muslims, including 170 foreigners, without disclosing reasons behind their arrest.
The forces, led by Federal Security Service (FSB), also confiscated Islamic literature to check its content.
Friday’s raid is the third targeting Muslim places of worship in Moscow or St Petersburg this year.
But if Israel had done anything close to this, there would be multiple UN sessions announced by now, along with outraged op-eds and a firestorm on Twitter.