MESOP SPECIAL : REPORT: “ISA UMAROV LOSES SHARIA COURT CASE AGAINST MUSLIM SHISHANI”

 CAUCASUS, CAUCASUS EMIRATE, CHECHENS IN SYRIA, CHECHNYA, MUSLIM ABU WALID SHISHANI, SYRIA

DECEMBER 5, 20141JOANNA PARASZCZUK- Earlier, I wrote about the reports that Muslim Shishani had been taken to a Sharia Court in Syria regarding an address he made about the “fitna” between Islamic State and Syrian groups. There are now reports that the court has met and come to a decision.Of course, these reports are what they are — reports via a forum, albeit one that often has very good information about the situation regarding Chechens in Syria (for example, members of the forum posted that Umar Shishani had served in the Georgian army months before that fact was reported in the media). So let’s weight them in that context, i.e. let’s note the comments as pointing to a story that is likely correct but also bear in mind the absence of comment from others involved. But I find it hard to believe that someone would fabricate such an elaborate story, that could easily be refuted by the parties involved. The fact is that something happened to Muslim Shishani, whose silence after the mysterious backtracking an his merger with Syrian faction Ahrar a-Sham has been deafening. Another fact is that no one has refuted my previous post an the topic.

Here is my post about the situation behind the Sharia Court issue, which apparently involves the Caucasus Emirate and relates to Umar Shishani, IS’s military emir in Syria. The case involved Isa Umarov, the cousin of Caucasus Emirate (CE) ideologue Movladi Udugov.

Muslim Shishani “In Sharia Court Dispute Over ‘Fitna’ Among Chechen Jihadis”

This is what a poster on the Chechen Adamalla forum (the poster is apparently in Syria) has to say about the results of the Sharia Court [the report is in broken Russian but I have tried to make it clear]:

The case of Isa Umarov, who brought Muslim [Shishani] to Sharia Court has ended. After Muslim brought to court many witnesses from the Mujahideen who used to be in the Caucasus when Isa Umarov caused fitna there. And there was also video and audio evidence where the Mujahideen talk about those who are making that fitna and so on. The Judge was stunned and mode a ruling. (at first Isa Umarov wanted Muslim to take the word psychologist out of his ruling and also to say that these words had been addressed to another person) However the Court Decided that this record should remain moreover the Judge told Isa Umarov (not to make those nasikhs that you mode in the Caucasus here in Syria we won’t put up with it) – the approximate words of the Judge. Alhamdulillah as you see there is a Sharia Court and it decides right I wanted people to know also that Isa Umarov is a man who makes fitna between our brothers in the Caucasus and Syria this is for us a huge blow and we have to prevent it in any manner

Isa Umarov had lived in Istanbul, according to reports: Other reports said that he later came to Syria and that he has been involved in recruiting Chechens to take part in the fighting in Syria, according to reports that I mentioned in my previous post, Iinked above.

The rumors/reports about Isa Umarov influencing Umar Shishani have been floating around for a while but have not been voiced in any loud or mainstream manner (and in some cases have come packaged as part a ridiculous conspiracy theory in which Umar Shishani is actually a KGB agent.)

There have been several rumors that Umar Shishani was married to one of Isa Umarov’s daughters and then divorced (but then there are rumors that Umar is married to several people!)

In any case this development raises a lot of questions about key issues:

Splits within the Caucasus Emirate both in the Caucasus and in Syria

—   Umar Shishani and whether his move to IS was really his own decision completely;

The role of Chechen diaspora figures in Turkey in recruiting Chechens to fight in Syria

The situation with Muslim Shishani and whether his move to Ahrar a-Sham will go ahead

The overlapping nature of the conflicts in the Caucasus and in Syria via these sorts of political intrigues…