Dagestan wrestler on trial in Russia for
allegedly urinating on Buddha statue
Karim
Zidan @ZidanSports on Jun 30,
2016
Karim Zidan details the scandalous Buddha-related incident that led
to a Dagestani wrestler’s arrest.
On April
3rd, 2016, a contingent of Dagestani wrestlers from the
national team arrived in Russia's Kalmykia region for an amateur
tournament. Ahead of the competition, the group of martial artists
took a tour inside a Kalmyk Buddhist temple. Instead of enjoying an
educational excursion through the holy temple, the group were
embroiled in an religious scandal that eventually led to an arrest
and an apology from the Dagestan leader.
Said
Omarov, a member of the national team, was charged with violating
the right to freedom of religion after he allegedly "defiled" one
of the Buddha statues within the shrine. According
to reports, Omarov appeared to
urinate on the statue before landing a karate-style kick. A picture
of his display of martial arts on the religious idol went viral
shortly thereafter.
The
desecration was captured by Omarov's teammates, who immediately
shared the disrespectful gesture on social media. Within a matter
of hours, a mob had gathered outside the team's hotel. They
demanded that Omarov show himself to answer for his antics. The
hotel was raided and the team was forced to present the 22-year-old
wrestler. He attempted a frightened explanation, which did not
impress the locals.
"I did not
know that this is a monument," Omarov claimed.
The
wrestler's plea of ignorance infuriated the crowd further. They
dragged him to Buddha statue and forced him to kneel and
apologize. One report placed
local authorities at the scene of the incident, though they did not
interfere with the frustrated crowd.
Once the
mob was satisfied with the turn of events, Said still had to face
legal consequences for his actions. The tournament was suspended.
Law enforcement officers arrested Omarov and charged the Muslim
with violating the right to freedom of religion.
The assault
on a Buddha statue is a serious crime in Kalmykia. It is hailed as
the only region in Europe where Buddhism is practiced by the
majority of the local population. The Southern republic borders
with Volgograd Oblast, Astrakhan Oblast, the Republic of Dagestan
in the south, Stavropol Krai, and Rostov Oblast and has
successfully held various world religions throughout history. The
Kalmyks/Oirats also trace their roots back to the Mongol
hordes.
According
to a local resident, who was interviewed
by Gazeta.ru, Kalmykia is prone
to these sorts of ethnic conflicts with visitors from other Russian
regions.
"Two years
ago there was a case came to us people from Dagestan, allowed
themselves to all sorts of liberties, insulting people, but
religion did not touch. in general, there are fine representatives
of any religion in Kalmykia, including Muslims. Just need to behave
normally, it is not necessary to become impudent."
Activists
in the predominantly-Muslim Dagestan attempted to organize a rally
in support of Omarov's release from prison, though the protest was
denied by Dagestan's Minster of Justice. The official reason was
thatlarge crowds were easy
opportunities for terrorist attacks. The attempted protest involved Muslim Gasanguseynov, a member
of the Liberal Democratic Party.
Tensions
continued to rise between the two regions following an increase in
international coverage on the incident. The leader of Dagestan,
Ramazan Abdulatipov, even issued an
apology directed at the Kalmykia
leader.
"In
Dagestan, we received the news of the act committed by a native of
the republic with a deep sense of indignation and condemnation,"
Abdulatipov wrote. "Unfortunately ignorance, lack of culture and
the low level of education has led to such a shameful act that can
never be justified." (h/t Newsweek)
Abdulatipov
also confirmed that Omarov was sacked from the national team. Said
was released from a Kalmykia prison on a 150,000 ruble bail on June
10. However, he was arrested again a week later on "suspicion of
inciting ethnic hatred." The Dagestan native will now face a second
trial.