Security forces cordoned off the perimeter of a historic mosque in Moscow after reports of possible Muslim protests

Moscow security forces cordoned off the historic mosque on Bolshaya Tatarskaya Street before Friday prayers. reported by the telegram channel “Caution, Moscow” and a correspondent from Msk1.ru. This was

Paddy wagons, light police cars and many riot police appeared along the perimeter of the territory adjacent to the mosque. Metal detectors were installed at the entrance to the religious building.

Security forces were drawn to the mosque after reports of a possible protest by Muslims in response to the July police raids on houses of worship in Kotelniki, Odintsovo and Dzerzhinsky. The capital's believers were outraged that riot police officers, according to their fellow believers, used physical force and insulted them. In addition, the contents of a fire extinguisher were sprayed into the mosque in Kotelniki. On July 12, Muslims near Moscow recorded an appeal to Vladimir Putin, in which they said that the raids were “ordered by dubious people” and “threaten international peace.”

At a sermon today at a historic mosque in Moscow, its imam said over the loudspeaker that “there is no point in this [protests against the actions of the security forces].” After the prayer, as a Msk1.ru correspondent reports, the believers headed towards the metro and chanted “Takbir! Allahu Akbar! Some of the parishioners even helped the police remove the barriers.

At the end of April, before the Eid al-Fitr holiday, some Muslim telegram channels called on believers to chant “takbir” in mosques after prayer as a sign of protest “against Islamophobia in Russia.” Since then, such calls have been heard before every Friday prayer.