A street prayer in Murino resulted in the persecution of a Dagestani native.

Dagestani MMA fighter Erziman Bayramov has been charged with hooliganism following a conflict with a passerby in the city of Murino in the Leningrad Region. The incident began with a remark directed at Bayramov for praying namaz in the street.

Dagestan Public Monitoring Commission Chairman Shamil Khadulaev posted a video of the conflict on his Telegram channel, filmed by Bayramov himself. The footage shows the passerby's split lip, as well as bruises on both participants.

Bayramov claims that the passerby approached him while he was praying in a parking lot and demanded that he stop praying, citing a violation of the law "on missionary activity." In the video, he also showed a knife lying on the ground and speculated about the passerby's intentions. While Bayramov was filming, his opponent was busily typing something on his phone.

Video of the events that followed was published on the Telegram channel "Russian Community." The message claims that a passerby who got into a conflict with Bayramov called the "Russian Community." "Are you praying here? Why are you praying here?" one of the "Russian Community" representatives asks Bayramov, using obscene language. Bayramov asks, "Is it forbidden?" "No, it's forbidden. Missionary activity is prohibited." "Public prayer is prohibited," states a representative of the "Russian Community." The statement also states that those who arrived "assessed the real threat to the life and health of the victim" and detained Bayramov until the police arrived. The Investigative Committee reported that an athlete in Murino beat a man for making a remark. The victim is "receiving treatment for his injuries," and investigators have opened a criminal case for hooliganism under Article 213 of the Russian Criminal Code. The head of the department, Alexander Bastrykin, has taken over the case. The idea that solitary prayer is prohibited in public places violates the right of every citizen to freedom of conscience and freedom of religion, regardless of religious affiliation, stated the Ministry of Nationalities of Dagestan. "At the same time, Russia is a secular state, and this fact is enshrined in Article 14 of the country's Constitution. This is also stated in the Federal Law "On Freedom of Conscience and Religious Associations" of September 26, 1997, No. 125-FZ. And the missionary activity described in the video is activity that contains a call and dissemination of religious doctrine with the goal of attracting people to one's religion," the department stated in a message on its Telegram channel.

The Ministry of Nationalities also reported that the Representative Office of the Republic of Dagestan in St. Petersburg has also become involved in the situation.

On Khadulaev's Telegram channel, which has 10,692 subscribers, the video had garnered 221 comments by 6:39 PM Moscow time.

"How many such stories are there without video recording? Where is the White House of Dagestan? What are the people inside the country supposed to protect?" he asked. Saidov.

"Why is the Mufti of Dagestan silent? Zero reaction," asked Selim Khan.

"We can't let this matter slide, otherwise things like this won't stop," commented Abdullah.

Several commentators called for calls to the St. Petersburg Muslim Spiritual Directorate to ask clergy to support the Muslim.

Erziman Bayramov is 30 years old and has fought 18 fights, winning 10, according to the FightClub website.

"Caucasian Knot" also wrote that Dagestani resident Malik Ashrafov complained to Russian President Vladimir Putin about the "Russian Community" after the conflict in St. Petersburg. Appeals to the authorities have yielded no results. The conflict is not interethnic in nature, and members of the "Russian Community" are extremely rarely held accountable, analysts noted.

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