MOSCOW. Aug 29 (Interfax) - Ravil Gainutdin, the head of the Council of Russia's Muftis, believes the killing of Dagestani leader Sheikh Said Atsayev (al-Chirkavi) may lead to bloodshed and conflicts in the republic.
"The people of Dagestan now need a lot of strength, wisdom, and God-fearing to keep the situation in a legal realm, prevent a civil war, and prevent conflicts from dividing Dagestan's society," the mufti said in a statement published on the website of the Spiritual Directorate of Muslims of the European Part of Russia on Wednesday.
Gainutdin also said he is concerned this terrorist attack may put an end to the "process of dialogue between Muslims, which has just begun."
"I am calling on you to maintain civil Muslim brotherly responsibility in the face of the threat of a civil conflict and division of society and continue the process of dialogue and accord in the name of our holy religion and for the future of our children!" the mufti said in his address to the people of Dagestan.
Gainutdin called Atsayev one of the biggest religious authorities in the Northern Caucasus and a spiritual model for thousands of Muslims.
"I remember very well our meeting with Sheikh Said-Apandi in 2007: his look, his simplicity, nobility, and wisdom. I extend my sincere condolences to the sheikh's relatives ad loved ones, as well as his numerous disciples and the entire people of Dagestan," the document says.
A suicide bomber on Tuesday carried out a terrorist attack in Atsayev's house in the village of Chirkei, Dagestan. The terrorist has been identified as Makhachkala Aminat Kurbanova (Saprykina), 30, a resident of Makhachkala. Kurbanova had converted to Islam some time ago and was married to a militant.