News

Russian President: Chief Mufti for All Muslims in Russia.

Sochi, Sounth Russia(By : ASN-News writer), |20:30, 26 march 2004|.

Russian President Vladimir Putin would hail the election of the chief mufti in Russia, but deems it to be Russian Moslems' internal affair. This is how the president commented on the statement of Chechen President Akhmad Kadyrov on Russian Moslems' need for a common leader.

"There should be one chief mufti of Russian Moslems, who would have representatives in the regions," Kadyrov said in his address to the Public Forum of the Caucasus and south Russian peoples.

Mr. Kadyrov remarked that Moslem unions were disintegrated. He recalled that there were only four muftis after the Soviet Union collapsed, and now there are [50-60 of them in all the regions.] "There should be only one leader," said the Chechen leader, citing the example of Patriarch of Moscow and all Russia Alexy II.

The Russian head of state believes that the state has no right to interfere with this issue. "We would not like to interfere. This is above all the affair of Moslems," said Mr. Putin.

"None of us is controlling religion, and hopefully, never will," said the president.

At the same time, he sees the support for religious confessions and spiritual leaders to be the state's responsibility.

When commenting on Mr. Kadyrov's statements about the need for financial support of the muftis, the president said, "the state is separate from religion but the state should find a form of supporting spiritual leaders." Mr. Putin recalled that in the former USSR religious figures were persecuted because they were the only legal opposition in the country. They emerged weak from this confrontation, noted the president.

"Therefore, I believe that the state is obliged to support religious confessions and our spiritual leaders ... within the legal framework," said Mr. Putin.

Author: ASN-News, writer.