Statement of Interreligious Council in Russia on attack against believers in Kizlyar

The Interreligious Council in Russia has issued a statement on the attack made on February 18, 2018, against believers who were coming out of the St. George church in Kizlyar. As a result of the shooting opened by a criminal five women were killed and several people were wounded.

We, heads and representatives of the traditional religions in Russia, were pained by the news about an attack against Orthodox believers in the town of Kizlyar in which five people were killed. The perpetrator of the crime purposefully shot at Orthodox believers at the moment when they were coming out of the church after a divine service.

The killer carried out his attack on the Forgiveness Sunday – the day when the Orthodox Christians traditionally seek to reconcile themselves with all. It exposes the misanthropic ideology of extremism manifesting the true face of the Satan’s servants who cover up their true face with the name of God. The aim of the terrorist and his inspirers is to stir up interreligious discord, to destroy the age-old tradition of peaceful coexistence between Christians and Muslims in Russia. The religious leaders of our country call to do everything possible to prevent it.

In these mournful days we appeal to all to refrain from provocative actions. The terrorist act in Kizlyar again and again makes us all to pay attention to the danger of spreading extremism and intolerance, especially among the youth. In this connection, we call upon the Russian State and public and religious institutions to give the closest attention to the moral education of young people, which is called to guard them against the threat of extremism.

Once again it has become clear that today children and youth stand in the vital need to receive the right notions of religion, to learn to distinguish between age-old religious traditions and imported pseudo-religious teachings and extremist sects.

We call upon the special services leaders and officers to do all that is possible to detect and neutralize those who have joined terrorist organization and become imbued with misanthropic ideology before they will commit crimes.

We call our whole society to peace, accord and solidarity. Let the common grief that has befallen us make us rally even more strongly.