“There’s a strong Islamic lobby. As soon as they feel a bite, they reel in the new converts. They won’t stop until we’re all leading Islamic lives.”

“It was 1966. I wanted to study languages in Sukhumi, but also to get to know our brothers; the Abkhazians. I met her in Sukhumi. Occasionally I was allowed to act as a guide for Intourist. I kept in touch with Renate for a long time.”

“After 70 years of the Soviet Union, no one knows any more what the real Islamic practices are. So people come to me and ask whether they can throw fruit and drinks into the grave at a funeral. It’s not necessary, I say, but neither is there much against it.”

“Everything is changing for the better. More people are coming to the mosque than before. We’re gaining influence in the village, and finally making it clear that those old traditions, such as drinking alcohol or taking drugs, are incompatible with Islam.”

“I want a husband with a house, a car, and a good job. Apart from that I can support myself. A good husband will leave me alone.”

“The imam here in the village was educated in Cairo, at a special place where they ‘breed’ bearded men.”

‘I’d kill a boy if he took my daughter as his girlfriend.’

“You know what you should write down? You’re in the mountains. There are no deep rivers here. We aren’t very complicated.”

“Ironically, the winner submitted a newspaper. A special newspaper though: if you disassemble the product consisting of 16 sheets of paper, you can hang them next to each other. Two copies can show both sides of the paper and allow you to complete your own Do It Yourself exhibition. An old medium used in an innovative way.”

“What started as a story about the difficult resurrection of a school in remotistan had once again become a story about Russian paranoia and xenophobia.”