CAUCASUS MUSLIMS CLERICAL OFFICE HEAD PROPOSES TO ESTABLISH ADVISORY COUNCIL OF CIS MUSLIMS
Today.Az
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June 17 2009
Azerbaijan
Caucasus Muslims Clerical Office head Sheik-ul-Islam Allahshukur
Pashazade proposed to establish advisory council of the CIS Muslims.
"I propose to establish an advisory council of CIS Muslim, which will
include distinguished muftis and religious, scientific and cultural
figures and hold annual meetings of that body," Pashazade said in
Moscow on June 17. "I think, a meeting of religious leaders of the
CIS Muslim Ummah will allow us to discuss current religious issues
related to the life of the Ummah, and most importantly to solve
them. This would be invaluable step in coordinating our efforts."
Muslim leaders of CIS member states held an international
scientific-practical conference "The CIS Muslims for Inter-religious
and in$ter-ethnic Harmony." The conference was held at the initiative
of the Supreme Council of Muslims of the Caucasus and International
Islamic Mission. The conference is attended by 40 Muslim religious
leaders from the eight member countries of CIS, as well as the heads
of Russia’s traditional faiths.
The greetings by the Russian and Azerbaijani Presidents Dmitry
Medvedev and Ilham Aliyev were read out at the conference. The
keynote address was made by co-chairman of the Chairman of the CIS
Inter-religious Council of Muslims of the Caucasus Sheikh ul-Islam
Allahshukur Pashazade.
He said this is the first meeting at such a high level and in such
a large scale for the last 18 years.
Sheikh Pashazade paid tribute to the Patriarch of Moscow and All
Russia Alexy II, who did much to preserve inter-confessional relations.
"The CIS area is home to Muslims who were not citizens of any
state. Good relations between the peoples of the CIS this is an
important historical treasure," he said.
He said CIS religious leaders strongly oppose the forces that infringe
on territorial integrity, security and stability of States. "I deeply
convinced that we can effectively repulse a solid spiritual treacherous
aggression of the CIS area only by uniting efforts of our State and
religious organizations," Pashazade said.
Religious leaders of the CIS are concerned that in different regions
of the world there are attempts to introduce Muslim as extremists and
fundamentalists. Essence of Islam is maliciously distorted. Islam is
a religion of peace that abhors terrorism and extremism in all its
manifestations, he said.
Pashazadeh mentioned the Karabakh problem. "We pray to God that the
heads of Azerbaijan and Armenia, patiently overcoming all difficulties
and contradictions, have reached a mutually acceptable solution,"
he said.
Pashazade said he is confident that meetings such as today’s will not
only strengthen the existing spiritual connection, but also deepen
and broaden the benefit of the entire Ummah.
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