Thread by @zoyashef

Sheikh Said Ismagilov, a top Muslim spiritual leader in Ukraine, has made a couple of extraordinary videos you should watch. The first is here, (in Ukrainian with English subs): 1/8https://www.facebook.com/said.ismagilov/videos/497829305063948 1/

In vid 1, Ismagilov calls on Muslims around world to help Ukraine, a country where Muslims have "unheard of rights and freedoms” and are “an organic part of our country - unlike the Russian invaders ... where Muslims are second-class citizens." 2/8

In second video, in Russian, , Ismagilov tells Russian Muslims - 20M of them, 13.5% of population - that while Russian forces are deployed in Ukraine, *they should start fighting for self-determination!* 3/8

"What are you waiting for?" Ismagilov tells Russian Muslims: "While all the forces are busy and the heroic Ukrainian army is defending against them, start making independence moves in your country. Remember, you're being deprived of your native languages ..." 4/8

"You're being deprived of of your rights and freedoms. You're being destroyed as Muslims and as a nationality. Russia is a prison of nations. Begin your liberation while all the hounds are fighting us here. We'll fight them off. We will win." 5/8

"You have the chance for self-determination, for freedom, to reinstate your national, cultural and religious identity,” Ismagilov says. Reminder 1: Russia has the largest Muslim population in Europe. 13.5% of population, 20 million people. 6/8

Reminder 2: Ramzan Kadyrov is the despotic, Kremlin-backed leader of Chechnya, who has effectively built his own army, and is fighting Ukraine (in fact lost his No.2 there). He's a Muslim, as are most of his followers. (theguardian.com/world/2019/sep… ... dw.com/en/opinion-ram…) 7/8

So Ukraine's top sheik tells Muslims in Chechnya, Tatarstan, Bashkortostan, Dagestan, Ingushetia, Kabardino-Balkaria, Karachay-Cherkessia: Don't fight for the Russians. Take advantage while they're distracted and declare some "people's republics" of your own. 8/8

I'm clearly very tired, dunno how I managed to flub that first link to the Ukrainian-language vid. It's here: facebook.com/said.ismagilov…