Said Afandi, a representative of the Dagestani Sufis, was killed on 28 August in his own home by a suicide bomber. More than 150 thousand people attended the funeral of the famous Sufi theologian. Meanwhile, law enforcement agencies have so far failed to establish who is behind the removal of such an influential and authoritative person.
The identity of the terrorist who detonated the explosive device in the house of Said Afandi was quickly established by the investigating authorities; it turned out to be 30-year-old Aminat Kurbanova (nee Saprykina), the widow of a militant who had previously been killed by the special services.
The main version of the murder at the moment, law enforcement agencies consider the religious activities of the sheikh. Said Afandi was a representative of moderate Sufism, opposed radical Muslim movements - Salafism and Wahhabism. This, most likely, was the reason for his death. At the same time, none of the representatives of the terrorist underground has yet taken responsibility for the murder of the sheikh. This is quite understandable - even if representatives of radical Islamic movements are behind the death of Said Afandi, it is unprofitable for them to ascribe this crime to themselves, at the risk of antagonizing very many Dagestanis.
The assassination of the leader of the Dagestani Sufis is beneficial to those who are trying to rock the situation in the republic. Therefore, it may well be that none of the radical Islamists was involved in the death of Said Afandi, and if involved, then only as an executor of someone else's will. The origins of the terrorist attack in this case should be sought among those who do not want to establish a dialogue between various Islamic movements in Dagestan, primarily between Sufis and Salafis. That is why the assassination of Said Afandi is attributed to a variety of forces, including foreign and Russian special services.
If the possible involvement of foreign special services in the terrorist attack has quite understandable motives - in particular, the desire to ignite a religious war in the republic, then the accusation of this by the Russian security services may cause confusion - why should they destroy the leader of traditional Islam who supported the current government? The answer to this question can be found in the statements of the militants. They claim that they could have killed Sheikh Said Afandi long ago if they thought it was necessary, and they blame the Russian special services for eliminating him. In their opinion, the death of the sheikh is needed by the Russian authorities as a pretext for starting an all-out war against the Salafis.
Despite such a variety of options, the most probable and explainable is the involvement of the Dagestani terrorist underground in the death of Said Afandi. By killing the sheikh, the militants destroyed one of the most influential theologians of Sufism, which significantly weakens the position of traditional Islam. At the same time, the leaders of the Salafis who have been trained abroad are actively recruiting young people into their ranks, this is facilitated by the difficult economic situation in the republic. Unemployment, corruption, and the lack of prospects for the future for many young people are pushing them into the ranks of radical Islamists. And whoever is behind the death of Said Afandi, his death will only accelerate this process.
