Although the entity of Russia still exists, and the Russian government has maintained its firm grasp upon an impressive landmass, it is becoming increasingly clear how different and diverse parts of Russia are. Ironically, with the reemergence of Russia from the ashes of the Soviet Union, new freedoms were initially enjoyed, such as Islam being recognized as an official state religion. Yet, the new Russia might represent the beginning of the end. Many newfound freedoms that Russian citizens have enjoyed in the last decade have been degraded with many Russians fearful that Soviet ways of governance are creeping back, if it ever totally went away. Corruption and harassment are still invading the lives of many citizens. In this general atmosphere, Muslim citizens in the North Caucasus region have claimed that they are harassed and discriminated against for practicing their faith by local authorities.

The Russian government has taken considerable criticism for allowing local authorities to act in this manner. But, has the initial reaction of the Russian government been fueled by an irrational fear of radical Islam, thereby propagating their heavy-handed response, or have their fears become a self-fulfilling prophecy? Certainly, few would argue that the violent conflict and factions within Chechnya are fueled by many factors. After the first Chechen War, radical Islam and the drive to define the Chechen conflict as an Islamic struggle to establish an Islamic state?thereby beginning the process of creating a caliphate in the region?nullified the past secessionist ambitions of the Chechen Rebels . Taken with increased and emboldened acts of terrorism in other parts of Russia by Chechen Rebels and Chechen-instigated raids into other republics, their actions have allowed the Russian government to use a wide brush stroke to categorize any dissent by Muslims as terrorist or secessionist in nature. The families of the individuals involved in the Nalchik raids on government buildings claim that the men were not looking for secession or revolution but wanted to call attention to the injustices perpetrated against them. However, the fact that Chechen Rebels have claimed responsibility for the raid with the help of local support tends to give the Russian government?s claim that they are terrorists more legitimacy.

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