RELIGIOUS LEADERS DISCUSSING IN MOSCOW FIGHT AGAINST TERRORISM
04.07.2006, 22.02

ITAR-TASS, Russia
July 5 2006

MOSCOW, July 4 (Itar-Tass) — Russian Orthodox Christians clad in
austere dark clothes and distinguished only by the colour of the
headgear, representatives of the Orthodox Caucasian republics Armenia
and Georgia wearing black hoods, which made them look like stern monks,
aged Catholic cardinals in red hats, Buddhists in red-yellow robes,
Muslims in turbans, bearded Judaists in black hats, all gathered in the
prestigious President-hotel in Moscow, attending the religious summit.

They gladly mix during the coffee breaks, except for Muslims and
Judaists who deliberately keep apart.

They behave the same way at the Summit of Religious Leaders in Moscow,
where all agree about the need to fight terrorism and extremism,
but where Muslims and Judaists continue a fierce dispute about the
ways to overcome the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.

COOPERATION OF CHURCHES

Over 150 religious leaders from more than 40 countries attend the
World Summit of Religious Leaders. Patriarch Alexy II of Moscow and
All Russia made the initiative for the meeting and the Inter-religious
Council of Russia organized the summit.

The summit does not aim to decide theological problems. As the
organizers of the summit noted, the point of the matter is not that
of creating a united religion but cooperation that can be promoted
by a system of common moral values of world religions.

Virtually all the speakers stressed that religion and terrorism have
nothing in common. Nevertheless, the Middle East conflict could not
but affect the course of the summit.

PALESTINE-ISRAEL

The aggravation of the Palestinian-Israeli crisis prompted an indirect
dialogue between representatives of Judaism and Muslims from Middle
East countries.

Abdullah Maatouq al-Maatouq, the Kuwaiti minister of justice, awqaf
(religious endowments) and Islamic affairs, condemned resolutely
"the killing of peaceful people of Palestine." "We cannot tolerate
the fact that whole settlements are isolated," he said.

Ahmad Badreddin Hassoun, the chief mufti of Syria, said, "Islam
and terrorism do not go together." He reproached religious leaders
of Europe, saying that they had played "a big parts when the Berlin
Wall was being torn down" and asking them why they keep silent now
that a wall is being erected in Palestine.

Chief Rabbi of Russia Berl Lazar said terrorism stems from "the
lack of spirituality that leads to the growth of intolerance and
xenophobia." He said world terrorism "recruits flunkeys, using
religion, among other things."

NO CONFRONTATION OF RELIGIONS

"It is important that religious leaders declare here for peace,
against terrorism, but it is no less important that how all these
wishes will be translated into life," said Chief Rabbi of Central
Asia David Gurevich. "The honest Muslim world," he said, "should
stop its politicians so that they should not use religion to achieve
annexationist aims."

Chairman of the Council of Muftis of Russia sheikh Ravil Gainutdin
made a call in his statement not to allow for a new confrontation
between religions "in conditions when, aside from the danger of the
spread of international terrorism, there emerges the danger of a
split of the world according to religion."

Gainutdin called on Europe and the world to study the experience of
goodneighbourly relations between Orthodox Christians and Muslims
in Russia.

"We condemn terrorism and extremism in any form, as well as the
attempts to justify them by religion," he said.

WHILE POPE AND DALAI LAMA DO NOT ATTEND SUMMIT

Contrary to some forecasts, the fact that Pope Benedict XVI and
Buddhist spiritual leader Dalai Lama XIV are not attending the summit
has not clouded its atmosphere.

Pope Benedict XVI addressed a message to the forum, which was read
out on Tuesday by Cardinal Walter Kasper.

The Pope believes this remarkable meeting bespeaks of the common
wish to create civilization and search for a new, more fare order. He
believes it is necessary to establish areas of cooperation to answer
contemporary challenges of the world. As regards various Christian
confessions, the head of the Vatican is convinced that their main
task is to get to know and begin to respect each other.

The Vatican’s delegation to the Moscow summit is the most
representative one. It includes ten most influential Catholic
hierarchs.

Cardinal Roger Etchegaray told Itar-Tass that the summit is highly
important in present-day conditions, that it offers an opportunity
for a dialogue of representatives of all religions and expressed the
joy that the summit has taken place.

Cardinal Walter Kasper believes it is yet early to predict a meeting
between the Pope and Patriarch Alexy.

He told reporters the subject had not been broached either during
the summit or during bilateral contacts. However, any meetings,
this summit, too, may bring the possibility of such an event closer,
he said.

As to the Dalai Lama whose attendance was prevented by Russia’s
unwillingness to spoil relations with China, his absence did not
affect the course of the summit, even though a few days ago Shajin
Lama (the head of the Buddhist organization) of Kalmykia Tolo Tulku
Rinpoche threatened that Russia’s Buddhists would ignore the summit
if the Dalai Lama did not arrive for it.

"The Dalai Lame is the head of Tibetan Buddhists, and Tibet is part
of China, so this is the matter to be addressed to China," Hamba-lama
Damba Ayusheyev, the head of Russian Buddhists, told ltar-Tass. He
said Russia’s traditional Buddhist Sangha participates in the
Inter-religious Council and was among the organizers of the forum,
so Russian Buddhists could not but take part in the forum.

The summit in itself, Hamba-lama believes, means "above all respect
for Russia and the evidence of the prestige of the Russian Orthodox
Church and other traditional religions of Russia."

RELIGIOUS UNITED NATIONS AND G8

The participants in the summit on Tuesday discussed how the factor of
religion could influence politicians, also in order to settle armed
conflicts. It is planned to pass a declaration on the basis of the
forum, to bring it to the notice of the participants in the meeting
of the Group of Eight in St Petersburg.

The organizers of the forum believe such functions will possibly be
held regularly before summits of the G8.

"Leaders of world religions gathered in Moscow in order to exert an
effect on the world situation and to influence political leaders
of countries," Tagir Samatov, the mufti of Western Siberia, told
Itar-Tass.

He said the wish to create a sort of "United Nations of all
confessions" was expressed at the summit.

Yona Metzger, Israel’s chief rabbi, specifically, came out with the
proposal to create a "United Nations for religious communities".