The editors of Islam-Info urge “not to jeopardize the historical union of Tatars and Russians, Muslims and Orthodox Christians...”

On December 16, the editorial office of Islam-Info news agency issued a statement regarding the scandal caused by the demands of a number of Muslim leaders to remove Christian symbols from the Russian coat of arms. “The editors of Islam-Info,” the document says, “officially explain that the hysteria around the coat of arms of Russia and other state symbols was raised by non-Muslims. In connection with the successful introduction of the red rhombus at the international level as an alternative to the red cross and the red crescent, Muslims - citizens of Russia - took part in a normal civil discussion, where they simply expressed their opinion as citizens who care about the prosperity of their Fatherland.

None of the Muslims on our website and in other well-known Muslim media called for any illegal actions and did not express disrespect for the existing symbols of the state.

It is slanderous to attribute certain "demands" and "official statements" to Muslims - Muslims only express their civil opinions. No public organizations participated in this - only a survey of personal opinions took place.

We recognize and respect the legally enshrined symbols of the state, and no one has questioned this respect and is not questioning it! "

According to the authors of the statement, "the hysteria raised in a number of media with slanderous attribution to Muslims of some 'demands', 'ultimatums', etc." - this is " an unscrupulous attempt to hush up the scandal with R. Silantyev's book , which blew up the Interreligious Council of Russia from the inside. The true culprits of inciting Islamophobia became the initiators of a PR campaign with state symbols in order to shift responsibility from the "sick head to the healthy"" .

"We call on all media outlets not to follow the lead of a few radical representatives of 'political Orthodoxy'," the statement said, "and not to jeopardize the historical union of Tatars and Russians, Muslims and Orthodox, which we consider to be of great value and a historical achievement of a multinational and multi-confessional Russia!"

Sources

• Muslims - for interreligious peace and civilized discussion // Islam-Info. 2005. 2005. December 16.