Case Launched Against Russian Lawyer Who Proposed Shari'a Courts

Russian lawyer Dagir Khasavov

Russian prosecutors have launched a criminal case against a lawyer who said in a television interview last month that Muslims in Russia want Islamic Shari’a courts to be established because they don't trust the secular courts.

Officials say the investigation is focusing on whether Dagir Khasavov's statement could be defined as “inciting hatred.”

Russia’s Kremlin-backed Islamic clerics said in April that it would be wrong to create Shari’a courts, as Russia is a secular country that enshrines separation of state and religion.

The opposition Yabloko party has threatened to sue Khasavov for “inciting hatred and extremism.”

Shortly after his comments, Khasavov left Russia and is currently abroad.

Shari'a is considered by Muslims to be God's infallible law, in contrast to human interpretations of right and wrong.

Based on reporting by Interfax and ITAR-TASS