"To the Chechen people, the existence of their national identity, strongly intertwined with their Islamic faith, was being threatened. Part of the population succumbed to extremism, seeing brutal combat as the sole method of obtaining their objectives."
"Scholars have contended that radicalization developed out of Russian aggression during the First Chechen War. However, this represents a simplistic view of the
conflict, neglecting to carefully examine all of the variables involved in the radical transformation. It is improbable that Russian aggression was the sole factor for the
development of extremism, as this perception fails to acknowledge the
intervention of outside actors and the intra-Chechen power struggle, as well as other factors that were present during both wars.
Politicization of Islam
Scholars have purported that radicalization was in part due to the indissoluble bond between
Islam and Chechen national identity, which has gradually strengthened over the course of the history. Starting from when Islam first came to the North Caucasus in the seventeenth century, a strong connection grew, and it became central in Chechen
nationalism."
Our media has worked long and hard to make the Islamic aspect of Chechny go away...as a result, most Americans (as you can see in this thread) have absolutely no understanding or even concept of Chechnya. They don't even know it exists except in a vague, amorphous sort of way.
But those who watch Islamic extremism and recognize it know about it.
" In the years of resistance, groups of brotherhoods used jihad against Russia as a means to instate sharia law in the region. In response, Russia endeavored to subdue the brotherhoods, causing them to acquire an ideology of resistance that remained with them up until present times. "
"It was under the threat of the 1994 war that this relationship between nationalism and religion became central in politics. Chechen leaders and warlords created narratives on national identity, using Islam to mobilize the civilian population in the struggle against Russia. These narratives played on the emotions of the population by making historical references to the religious and resistance wars of the past, leading to radicalization and the popularity of extremist views. As Emil Souleimanov (2005) states, in the Chechen mindset, a war against an external (Russian) aggressor is almost automatically associated with a war for territory, freedom, national honor, identity, and religion(p. 53). The leadership also relied upon the use of Islamic slogans to arouse the population into
violence against Russia. Scholars report that it was solely through this close relationship between Islam and Chechen national identity that warlords were able to amass such radical support and carry out terrorist acts."
Examining the Radicalization of Chechen Separatists During the Resistance Movement - Student Pulse