A group of social media activists circulated a video of Russian President Vladimir Putin kissing the Quran, which elicited mixed reactions, with some praising the gesture and others criticizing it.
The widely shared video shows Putin with the republic’s governor, Ramzan Kadyrov, and the Mufti of Chechnya and head of the republic’s Muslim religious administration, Salah Mezhiev, inside the Prophet Isa Mosque in the Chechen capital, Grozny, as he kisses the Quran.
During the visit, a verse from Surah Al-Anfal was recited to Putin, and Chechnya’s Mufti, Salah Mezhiev, translated its meaning for the Russian president.
The video received admiration from many social media users, especially on the “X” platform, where the clip was among the “most popular” and saw significant sharing.
Some users left comments expressing their admiration for the Russian leader’s actions, with one user commenting, “A true human!… Mr. President of Russia, I love you for this respect, my respect for you knows no bounds.”
On the other hand, the incident of the Russian president holding and kissing a copy of the Quran angered another group, who viewed it as an attempt to garner Muslim sympathy by involving sacred texts in politics. They opposed Putin holding a copy of the Quran, citing the Quranic verse: “None touch it except the purified.”
