VIENNA,
January 18, 2006 (IslamOnline.net) – Austrian Muslims have brought a
smile to dozens of Chechen faces who sought refuge in the European
country with the distribution of much-needed Russian translations of
the meanings of the Noble Qur’an.
“We
aim to closely knit Chechen families to their faith and to educate
them about Shari`ah and teach them Arabic to protect them from a
ferocious proselytizing campaign in the country,” Fareed Soliman,
who supervises the distribution of the copies, told IslamOnline.net
Tuesday, January 17.
Soliman,
a physician, said 100 copies have been handed to 20 Chechen families
in a refugee camp outside the capital city of Vienna.
A
Chechen woman refugee, who requested anonymity, said that her peers
are vulnerable to Christian proselytizers.
“Church
representatives are visiting us on a weekly basis, but we give them a
rowdy reception because we know their real intentions,” she told
IOL, adding that they were trying their best to protect young
generations.
Each
mosque in Vienna also has now a copy to meet the needs of Chechen
worshippers.
“I
was approached by a Chechen the other day and at first glance I though
he was seeking shelter or cash, but I found out that he needed a
Qur’an, which moved me greatly,” said Mohsen Ali, an engineer
based in Vienna.
Sheikh
Othman, a Chechen researcher in Shari`ah, said an Al-Azhar institute
in Vienna will assign Chechen tutors to teach children Arabic and help
them memorize the Noble Qur’an thanks to Austrian Muslims.
Muslims
are estimated at 400,000 in Austria of the country's eight million
population. Islam, which was officially recognized in Austria in 1912
during the reign of Czar Franz Joseph, is considered the second
religion in the country after Catholicism.
Chechen
Mosque
 |
|
An Austrian Muslim volunteer distributes copies of Qur’an in a Chechen refugee camp.
|
But
the most pressing demand by Chechens is to have a mosque in which
sermons and lectures are delivered in Russian, the mother tongue of
the vast majority of Chechen refugees.
Austrian
Muslims had already raised funds for the mosque, but still need much
more to get basic amenities like electricity and heating systems.
There
are between 18 and 20 thousand Chechen refugees in Austria’s nine
states. Vienna alone is home to six thousands.
“Only
three Chechens have been granted Austrian citizenship so far,”
Sheikh Othman noted.
Refugees
are grateful to the Austrian government for the kind treatment. The
Refugees Authority provides Chechens with halal food and alcohol-free
drinks.
The
government body already pays each refugee in the country, whether
Chechen or not, a monthly sum of 40 euros in addition to a makeshift
shelter and daily hot meals.
The
small mountainous republic of Chechnya has been ravaged by conflict
since 1994, with just three years of relative peace after the first
Russian invasion of the region ended in August 1996 and the second
began in October 1999.
At
least 100,000 Chechen civilians and 10,000 Russian troops are
estimated to have been killed in both invasions, but human rights
groups have said the real numbers could be much higher.
The
wars have forced up to half a million Chechens to flee the country to
neighboring and European countries. Women, who lost their husbands to
the wars, make up most of the refugees.
