ROSTOV-ON-DON, May 6 (RIA Novosti) - Religious leaders in Russia's North Caucasus republic of Chechnya plan to eradicate a century-old tradition of bride abductions, the republic's chief mufti said on Tuesday.

"Abductions of brides contradict the norms of Shariah law and the traditions and customs of the Chechen people," Sultan Mirzayev said, adding that the tradition should be abolished.

Bride abductions have been reported throughout the Caucasus region, including in the republics of Chechnya, Daghestan and Ingushetia, as well as in the former Soviet states of Georgia and Armenia.

There are no hard statistics on how widespread the custom is, but human rights organizations operating in the Caucasus believe thousands of women are forced to marry against their will every year.

Brides are usually abducted if they refuse to marry of their own free will. However, in many cases the young women themselves are said to encourage their grooms to abduct them, often when her relatives are against the marriage. Some locals also say that in many cases abductions are a 'role-played' part of the wedding tradition.

Sociologists disagree about the roots of the tradition of bride abductions, with some suggesting that it appeared during Ottoman rule in the region.