Putin Points Muslim Rage at Cold War Foes
Chechen Muslims gather in downtown regional capital of Grozny during a protest rally on Jan. 19, 2015. Thousands of people have marched in the Russian region of Chechnya to rally against the French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo.
Photographer: Grozny-inform/Anadolu Agency/Getty ImagesHundreds of thousands of Muslims vented their anger in unison, shouting “Allahu Akbar!” as their leader condemned supporters of the satirical French magazine Charlie Hebdo after militants murdered five of its cartoonists.
The protest against caricatures of Muhammad and the policies of the U.S. and its allies was organized by the state and televised live across the country for more than an hour, but it wasn’t in Iran or Pakistan. It was in Russia, where Vladimir Putin came to power vowing to “wipe out” Muslim extremists, even “in the outhouse.”