CLERGY TAKES AIM AT EXTREMISM
By Nabi Abdullaev
Staff Writer
Moscow Times, Russia
July 5 2006
Killing in the name of God has long been a hallmark of extremists.
Now moderate voices are invoking the Almighty with the hope of
saving lives.
Meeting Tuesday for the second day of a religious leaders conference
at the President Hotel, clergy from around the globe bemoaned the
explosion in violent secularism.
The three-day meeting has drawn more than 100 senior clergy from 40
countries and all four faiths recognized by Russian authorities —
Christianity, Judaism, Islam and Buddhism. Other religions were
also represented.
"We are facing international terrorism that misuses religion …
especially when it is used a pretext for hatred and murder," said
Cardinal Walter Kasper, the top Catholic representative at the meeting.
Armenia’s Catholicos Garegin II also blamed secularism for extremist
violence, and Russia’s chief rabbi, Berl Lazar, called for "responsible
spiritual leaders" to counter extremist movements.
Participants in the meeting agreed to set aside theological differences
to prepare a joint statement directed at the heads of state from the
Group of Eight nations meeting in St. Petersburg later this month.
The statement from the meeting, which is being hosted by the Russian
Orthodox Church, will focus on the intersection between faith and
politics.
President Vladimir Putin has pledged to present a copy of the religious
leaders’ statement to his counterparts at the G8 meeting.
The summit takes place July 15-17.
On Tuesday, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov urged religious leaders
not to shy away from attacking extremists and xenophobes.
But behind the veil of goodwill and shared purpose were deep-seated
cultural and religious differences.
Russia’s chief mufti, Ravil Gainutdin, said politics was behind many
religious conflicts.
Without pointing any fingers, Gainutdin said: "Conflicts that have
arisen in Palestine, Iraq, Iran and Afghanistan simply reflect a common
discontent with the world having a unipolar trend of development."
Tuesday’s meeting largely steered clear of discussion between clergy
and instead entailed a series of statements delivered one after
another. The chief mufti of the Caucasus, Allahshukyur Pashazadeh,
moderated the event, calling every speaker "dear brother."
Israel Singer, head of the Political Council of the World Jewish
Congress and a participant in the conference, said the meeting was
a great step forward for Russia.
"The fact that President Putin chose not just to allow us to work out
recommendations for the government, but encouraged us to do so — what
is it if not a search for partners among religious leaders?" he said.
Putin, speaking on Monday, the first day of the conference, called
on participants to transform the "clash of civilizations" into a
"dialogue of civilizations."
Similar government-backed, international meetings of religious leaders
were recently held in Cairo and Ankara.
An explosion tore through windows and doors of the home of a Moscow
region Muslim leader early Tuesday, Interfax reported. The man’s name
was not disclosed.
The house is also used by Muslims for prayers. No one was injured in
the blast. Police classified the attack as "hooliganism."