Timati-Nurmagomedov conflict sparks disputes on radicalism in Dagestan (+video)

The virtual dispute of the performer and producer Timati with the Dagestani fighter Khabib Nurmagomedov that broke out after the cancellation of the concert of singer Yegor Krid in Makhachkala caused a heated discussion among social network users about the admissibility of banning the music, which fails to meet religious and traditional values of Dagestan.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that at night on September 9, the label Black Star, the organizer of concerts of Yegor Krid and rapper Doni in Dagestan, announced the cancellation of their concerts, explaining this by the restless situation in the region and the desire not to risk the spectators' safety. Khabib Nurmagomedov, a native of Dagestan and a mixed-style fighter, has treated the cancellation of concerts as a "minor loss." In his turn, Timati, a performer and producer, urged Khabib Nurmagomedov to be tolerant and respect someone else's opinion.

Performances of singers in Dagestan should not depend on religion, which is confessed in the republic, users of the social network said in the discussion that was launched under the Timati's post, while other debaters insist that the works of modern popular performers are of no need for Dagestan.

"Don't compare the sport and the healthy lifestyle that Khabib demonstrates throughout his life, with useless concerts and songs, which bring nothing but degradation. Khabib, like many Dagestani men, is no happy with the current situation of our nation: decline of unity, traditions and education," the user with the nickname hadjimurad047 has noted.

"No one has the right to deprive another person of choice. Music is the choice of each personality, and only he himself should decide what he wants," wrote another user _roya_1408.

The Caucasian youth is becoming more active and religious, said Ruslan Kurbanov, a political analyst and a senior researcher at the Institute of Oriental Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences (RAS), noting that the penetration of mass pop culture and new behaviour standards into Northern Caucasus comes into conflict with the youth's religiosity. "We'll see such scandals more and more often," Mr Kurbanov believes.

This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on September 11, 2018 at 03:19 pm MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.