Caucasus Muslims Office: Interethnic and interfaith understanding to bring happy future in Caucasus

Caucasus Muslims Office: Interethnic and interfaith understanding to bring happy future in Caucasus

Azerbaijan, Baku, Sept. 29 / Trend M. Aliyev /

The sole road to a happy future in the Caucasus is through an interethnic and interfaith understanding, cooperation, and preservation of national territorial integrity, the Chairman of the Caucasus Muslims Office Sheik-ul-Islam Haji Allahshukur Pashazade said during the opening of the academic conference "Preventing the spread of extremist ideology in the Caucasus," dedicated to the 20th anniversary of Azerbaijan's independence on Thursday.

"Caucasus security and welfare are very important for all of us," Pashazade said.

He said that one of Azerbaijan's greatest achievements is establishing the stability of religious and spiritual values.

The conference has been organized by the Caucasus Muslims Office and the Moscow State Linguistic University. Azerbaijani and Russian religious figures, theologians, and public representatives of civil society will attend the conference.

Do you have any feedback? Contact our journalist at trend@trend.az

Russia doesn’t blame Muslims as terrorists: CG

Karachi—H E Consul General of the Russian Federation Andrey V. Demidov has said that his country keenly sought friendly relations with the Muslims of Pakistan.

“In my country Muslims, the second largest religious community constituting some 20 percent of our population, are not blamed as terrorists only due to their religious affiliation. We consider them as an integral part of our society - they are not migrants”, he further added talking to Pakistan Observer on the occasion of the inauguration of a photo exhibition ‘Muslims in Russia’ here on Tuesday at the Consulate.

Speaking about the exposition he said: “It is dedicated to the life of millions of Muslims in the Russian Federation and to the place of Islam in Russia. The vast majority of the population in our multi-religious country is orthodox Christians. But we have many others. You can find religious Jewish people, Buddhists, Animists, Catholics and others. We attach a very serious importance to inter-religious harmony”.

The Russian diplomat went on to inform: “The Supreme Mufti of Russia is one of the informal advisors to the President of the Russian Federation. He is a member of the governing body of the ruling party ‘United Russia’. At present a draft law on recognizing Muslim holidays as public holidays in Russia is under consideration in the State Duma - the lower House of our Parliament.

“Luckily the relations between religious communities have always been friendly. We never had religious wars in Russia. We have no burka-ban. We seek peaceful co-existence between Russian citizens belonging to different religions. We are quite certain that in the nearest future we all will live and prosper in one great state - the Russian Federation”, H.E. concluded in an optimistic tone.

Amongst image aficionados there were Consul General of Germany Dr. Tilo Klinner and Madam Lyubow Kilnner, Consul General of Japan Masaharu Sato and Vice Consul General for Political & Economic Affairs Yuki Ochiai, MNA (Parliamentary Secretary, Ministry of Defence Production) Gul Muhammad Khan Jakhrani, Editor Ibrat Kazi Asad Abid, Editor Pakistan Observer Faisal Zahid Malik and Madam Faisal Zahid Malik, journalist & former interim Minister Agha Masood, Russian-speaking columnist Khan Zafar Afghani, former Ambassador Zia Ispahani and others.

Captivating snaps taken in different regions of Russia remarkably portrayed activities of different religious communities. A picture taken by Nikolai Nikitin in Samara shows a Kufic Quran dated 1909 on display; ‘Worshippers offering Eid-ul-Fitr prayers’ is a picture taken by Arkady Kirnos; ‘Man carrying a sheep for Eid-ul-Azha sacrifice’ is another interesting snap by Vasily Alexandrov; Sergei Uzakov’s image captures ‘Models presenting creations of Chechen designers during a fashion show’ ; Viktor Vong’s Madrassah is yet another magnum opus; a number of mosques captured included Samara Mosque by Nikolai Nikitin.

29 September 2011, 10:09

Church official asks journalists no to turn conversation from attempts to justify pedophilia to discussing novels

Moscow, September 29, Interfax - The Russian Church official urges not to substitute the problem of justifying pedophilia with the discussion of certain pieces of literature.

"I would keep it on conscience of those journalists who do it, I mean their efforts to change the talk about some Russian public figures' attempts to justify pedophilia to discussing old novels," Head of the Synodal Department for Church and Society Relations Archpriest Vsevolod Chaplin told Interfax-Religion.

Thus he commented reports in some media claiming that Father Vsevolod asked to check if pedophilia is promoted in Lolita (Vladimir Nabokov) and One Hundred Years of Solitude (Gabriel Garcia Marquez).

The priest accepted that "these novels romantisize vicious passion that make people unhappy and it's evident that popularization of the novels, for example, in schools doesn't add to moral health of society while future of our society depends on such health."

Father Vsevolod explained that he mentioned the novels answering the question on a radio station.

According to him, main discussion today should focus on "the attempts to justify pedophilia that take place in modern Russia, however it shouldn't deprive anyone of the right to morally evaluate any pieces of art whether old or new."

"Today we need to decisively revise our attitude to public morality, including the problem of lechery. Without such revision Russian society will stop existing in hundred years. For me it's quiet evident," the interviewee of the agency stressed.

In this context, he further said, "an attempt to justify pedophilia from which the discussion started is monstrous and cynical and it shouldn't be left without public evaluation".

The priest said he refers to the textbook written by a lecturer of the North State Medical University (Arkhangelsk) Gennady Deryagin, where, according to him, the author tries "to impose on the society a thought that relations between adult men and boys are acceptable and normal and boys are interested in such contacts."