Kadyrov announced his readiness to resign

The head of the Chechen Republic, Ramzan Kadyrov, entered into a public debate with the press secretary of the Russian President Dmitry Peskov, defending his right to defend the Prophet Muhammad even before the heads of other states.

Let us recall that on October 27, Kadyrov, following Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, condemned French President Emmanuel Macron for supporting the publication of cartoons of the prophet.

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The next day, Peskov made it clear that the statement by the head of the Chechen Republic was beyond Kadyrov’s competence.

“Our legislation provides for the leading role of the president in determining the country’s foreign policy. Heads of constituent entities cannot engage in foreign policy. Moreover, they do not form it and do not make any decisions. Therefore, you need to focus on the line of the president, who shapes foreign policy,” Peskov said.

Kadyrov quickly responded to the criticism and stated that he was ready to sacrifice his position for the right to defend his religious values.

“I expressed my opinion to the French authorities as a Muslim, and not as a politician. I could agree with Dmitry Peskov even more if he, assessing my words, took note of this point. In this case, his answer would have been more objective. Now, and again as a Muslim, I repeat my earlier words regarding Macron and am ready to do so a thousand times more. For this position, if necessary, I am ready to leave my position, suffer or give my life! But I can’t and don’t intend to watch silently as atheists mock religion!” – Kadyrov wrote.

On the same day, he took the initiative to allocate 100 thousand rubles to Muslim families in which boys will be born on the night of October 29 (the prophet’s birthday) and they will give them the name Muhammad or the names of family members of the prophet and his closest companions.

The money will be issued from the regional public fund named after Akhmat Kadyrov (Ramzan's father). The promotion will be annual.

Today Peskov has already spoken positively about Kadyrov’s initiative.

“If the republic has free funds, any money aimed at increasing the birth rate is only a benefit,” said the president’s press secretary.

He also spoke about the events in France: “This is such a complex substance that it is impossible to participate in its discussion from an official position. It is unacceptable to offend the feelings of believers, but it is also unacceptable to kill people. Both are absolutely unacceptable."

He emphasized that the existence of a magazine like Charlie Hebdo (which publishes cartoons of the Muslim prophet) is impossible in Russia, since 20 million Muslims live here. Peskov assured that people of all faiths have equal rights in Russia.

Kadyrov's demarche was perceived differently in Russian society. The scandalous TV presenter Ksenia Sobchak, who initially declared Macron her hero in defiance of Kadyrov, continues to criticize the head of Chechnya. She suggests that Kadyrov, instead of defending his faith, should take up healthcare issues in the republic and predicts problems for him.

“Whilst arguing with Peskov, Kadyrov understands that this is Putin’s position, which means that the leader of Chechnya is morally prepared for problems. We’ll see,” Sobchak wrote in her Telegram channel.

But the host of the Orthodox TV channel “Spas” Roman Golovanov supported Kadyrov.

“We lack such ardor in defending the faith. Unleash your inner Apostle Peter. I am first and foremost a Christian, not a journalist. Kadyrov is first and foremost a Muslim, and not the head of the republic. We are united in this. Let Sobchak and Macron go to hell. We didn’t care about them,” Golovanov wrote.

Today in Grozny, in the largest mosque in Europe, “The Pride of Muslims,” a solemn meeting was held dedicated to the birthday of the Prophet Muhammad. All the leaders of the republic, led by Ramzan Kadyrov, took part in the event. Due to the coronavirus epidemic, the number of participants was limited to 500 people.