View from Russia In the wake of calls from a Russian Muslim leader to launch a holy war against Washington, Moscow is trying to repair relations with the US that have been damaged by months of discord over Iraq, writes Daniel McLaughlin, in Moscow
After rallying Russia's 20 million Muslims to unite in a jihad against America, Supreme Mufti Talgat Tadzhuddin was lambasted yesterday by critics ranging from a rival Islamic figurehead to the Prosecutor General and the Kremlin-backed leader of the restive, mostly Muslim republic of Chechnya.
The Prosecutor General told Mr Tadzhuddin he would face charges of inciting extremist activity if he repeated his call.
Chief Mufti Ravil Gainudtin - who also claims to be Russia's foremost Islamic leader - denounced his rival's call to Muslims to help buy weapons for Iraq, while Moscow-appointed Chechen leader, Mr Akhmad Kadyrov, called the declaration of holy war "stupidity".
Proclaiming jihad from his base in the largely Muslim republic of Bashkortostan in central Russia, Mr Tadzhuddin said the last time Russia's Muslims had launched a holy war was in 1941, against Hitler's armies.
Both rivals for Islamic pre-eminence have criticised the war in Iraq, but it is the Moscow-based Mr Gainudtin who is usually considered the more influential.