On June 12, 2017, the American entertainment channel “Showtime” began to broadcast the four-part documentary “The Putin Interviews”, filmed by Oliver Stone, a well-known American filmmaker in the West. Simultaneously, the film was shown on the Russian state “Channel One”. On June 15, 2017, the Russian media, along with such foreign Kremlin mouthpieces as “Russia Today” and “Sputnik”, spread the news that Putin had told Stone that “Moscow will never allow Russia to become the Khilafah (Caliphate)”.
Although, formally, the film itself claims to be objective and impartial documentary, yet its commitment and the absolute loyalty of the author to Putin was noted by everyone. In the third part of the film, Stone asked Putin about the reasons of taking part in the military operations in Syria by Russian Aerospace forces. “They are going to create the Khilafah (Caliphate) from the Southern Europe to Central Asia”, – Putin replied. “This is the greatest danger”, echoed the voice of the filmmaker behind the scenes while on the screen, they demonstrate the black widening on the world map and the formation of the Khilafah (Caliphate), expanding, along with all the Muslim countries without exception, the Pyrenean, Appenin and Balkan peninsulas. Moreover, the northern boundary of the Khilafah (Caliphate) depicted in the film is directly bordered by Russia in the region of Central Asia. As a result, Putin finished his speech in the third part; half of which was devoted to justifying Russia’s bloody operation in Syria with the words: “You know, that no world religion can be a source of evil. And in Islam, there are many divisions, streams. The two main ones are Shia and Sunni. We see that till today there are profound contradictions between them. However, I believe, that one day they will overcome all discrepancies”. “Or Moscow will become the Khilafah (Caliphate)”, – Oliver Stone inappropriately jokes. “Well, we will not allow this. However, beware so that Washington might not become the Khilafah (Caliphate) instead” – Putin giggles.
Obviously, the repeated reference of the theme of the Khilafah (Caliphate), and the frightening video sequence with the map of the expansion of the Khilafah (Caliphate), which includes the territory of modern Europe (namely, those lands where once there was the Islamic rule), and Stone’s unfunny joke – all this indicates a perfectly intelligible propaganda message with the Kremlin’s side: Putin is the savior of the world from the coming Khilafah (Caliphate).
On the one hand, Putin, on the eve of the 2018 election, frightens the Russians with the Khilafah (Caliphate), justifying the need for him to remain in office for another 6 years, and justifying the new victims in the operation in Syria. And it works, for example, the father of one of the Russian pilots who died in Syria commented on the death of his son as follows: “He died defending his fatherland with weapons in his hands so that this black infection will not come to us so that we will not have to wear burqa and pray every four hours”. That is, the Russians really see Putin as a savior from the Khilafah (Caliphate).
On the other hand, especially since the fact that the film was originally intended for broadcast on foreign venues, it contains an important message directed to the Western audience – both to the political elite and to public opinion. Putin wants to be one of the powers of this world, and not an “outcast under sanctions”. Putin somehow says to Europeans: “We share a common enemy, we must not quarrel”. In addition, the whole film itself is full of hatred to Muslims, both from Putin’s and the author’s sides. Undoubtedly, this film is also aimed at catalyzing the processes of degradation and disappointment in the liberal values and processes in the West that resulted in the election of Trump as the president of the United States and the coming to power of nationalists in Europe, thanks to whom Putin becomes more and more popular in the West, and because of whom, in fact, Oliver Stone himself, in the past an ardent liberal, once sympathizing with Soviet dissidents, today turned into a Putin propagandist. Putin in his image systematically and clearly runs for such a respected “position” of the antagonist and counterweight to the chief imperialist – America, this position is apparently attractive to the Oscar-winning film director. Truly, Putin is like those about whom Allah Almighty said:
وَإِذَا قِيلَ لَهُمْ لَا تُفْسِدُوا فِي الْأَرْضِ قَالُوا إِنَّمَا نَحْنُ مُصْلِحُونَ أَلَا إِنَّهُمْ هُمُ الْمُفْسِدُونَ وَلَكِن لَّا يَشْعُرُونَ
“And when it is said to them, ‘Do not cause corruption on the earth,’ they say, ‘We are but reformers.’ Unquestionably, it is they who are the corrupters, but they perceive it not.”
(Al-Baqara, 2:11-12)
It is noteworthy that Putin has already, not for the first time, mentioned the Khilafah (Caliphate). In 2004, at the dawn of his reign, when he needed to substantiate the strengthening of the vertical of power in the country and conduct of political repression, he said in an interview with one of the Russian TV channels: “Their goals are, by the way, no less global, for example, to create the notorious Khilafah (Caliphate). And for us this is connected with the absolutely concrete, negative, unacceptable consequences. For us this means the loss of the large territories, primarily in the south of the country and means the possible disorganization of the entire state”.
Well, Putin, Muslims are actually going to revive the Khilafah (Caliphate); revive their one righteous State that will not allow Russia, America, or anyone else to throw bombs on the heads of our women, old people and children with impunity! The time will come, and your vile lies about the danger that supposedly comes from the religion of the Creator of this world will be exposed! And Rome and the White House will be ours. And you, Putin, will perish at the dump of history in this life, being in the same row with the murderers like you, and in the next life, a severe punishment is in store for every criminal.
Eldar Khamzin
Member of the Central Media Office of Hizb ut Tahrir
Written for Ar-Rayah Newspaper – Issue 138