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Chechen Leader Kadyrov Is One Proud Father


"Thumbs up for Aishat!"
"Thumbs up for Aishat!"
The Chechen leader, Ramzan Kadyrov, is one proud father and he is not afraid to tell the world about it.

On October 2, Chechnya’s leader announced that his 14-year-old daughter, Aishat Kadyrova, has memorized all of the verses of the Koran and can now proudly carry the title of "hafiz," a term used to describe someone who has memorized Islam’s holy book, the Koran, in its entirety.

The proud father was full of praise for Aishat’s teachers.

"Today I learned what is real joy. With the grace of God, your diligence and efforts, Aishat was able to memorize the Koran. This is the happiest day of my life. Allah bless you for good works," Kadyrov reportedly told her teachers.

One of Kadyrov’s six children, Aishat studied the Koran for six years. Her memorization skills will be tested on October 4 in front of a panel of well-known religious figures.

Aishat's success reverberated all the way to Saudi Arabia, prompting the secretary-general of the World Center for Hafiz Training in Saudi Arabia, Abdullah bin Ali Basfar, to extend his congratulations to the Kadyrov family, noting that Aishat owed her success to her persistence and the religious education she received within her family.

Kadyrov's daughter is not the first in the family to memorize the Koran. According to the press service of the Chechen government, Kadyrov’s nephew Khamzat Kadyrov was the first Kadyrov to become a hafiz. Khamzat now runs one of the four schools for hafizes in the village of Tsentaroi.

Kadyrov, hasn’t always been the family man he now hopes to become. In 2006, a year before he assumed office, Kadyrov became entangled in what has been described as a "sauna sex scandal."

In recent years, the Chechen leader has set his sights on imposing his own version of traditional Chechen Islam, which strangely enough accommodates even Christmas trees and holy water.

-- Deana Kjuka

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Written by RFE/RL editors and correspondents, Transmission serves up news, comment, and the odd silly dictator story. While our primary concern is with foreign policy, Transmission is also a place for the ideas -- some serious, some irreverent -- that bubble up from our bureaus. The name recognizes RFE/RL's role as a surrogate broadcaster to places without free media. You can write us at transmission+rferl.org

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