In the framework of the 3rd International Forum ‘Religion and Peace’, the chairman of the Caucasian Muslims Office, co-chairman of the CIS Interreligious Council, Sheikh-ul-Islam Haji Allahshukur Pashazade, stated that “time itself requires us to use our joint efforts for the sake of purposes pleasing to the one Creator. Today the real struggle against international terrorism in all its forms is extremely important. It is a priority for all people, regardless of their nationality or religion. According to the Holy Koran: "Do not do atrocities on the Earth after your God set order here."
Allahshukur Pashazade is concerned that “attempts to introduce Muslims as extremists and fundamentalists are continuing in different regions of the world. The essence of Islam is maliciously distorted.”
He strongly condemns the acts of ISIS and similar organizations with their pseudo-religious ideas, as well as all those who carefully try to turn Islam into a tool to achieve their blasphemous interests.
According to Allahshukur Pashazade, “ISIS is formed and implemented by enemies of Islam in order to split the Islamic world from the inside, destroying all the historical heritage and achievements of Muslim civilization.”
He says that it raises fears and special concern about intolerance and racial prejudice based on religious grounds. In particular, aggressive Islamophobia in some countries of the West, claiming the role of arbitrators: “The sacred ideal of our great religion is incompatibile with murder and violence. In this regard, Patriarch Kirill’s statement is very valuable, that it is impossible to do a more terrible turn to the leadership of Islam than the ISIS militants do. Their terrorist activities spare neither Christians, nor Muslims. It disgraces Islam in the eyes of the entire world community. Today we became witnesses of the anti-humane attitude in some European countries towards immigrants, who have been forced to leave their homelands, escaping violence and terror. We strongly condemn those who encroach on the most beautiful and divine gift of life, and those who plan and rouse inter-ethnic and inter-religious conflicts, migration demographic disasters that endanger the peace and stability of the whole of humanity. God won’t forgive their inhumane acts.”
Allahshukur Pashazade supports “the anti-terrorist actions of Russia to eliminate the evil under the pseudonym ISIS, which defames the name of the world religion, trying to link Islam in the eyes of the world with terror, violence and vandalism. I am sure that only the joint efforts of the state can oppose extremism and radicalism, as well as with the help of public and political figures, and religious associations.”
He says that Azerbaijan is making every effort to fight international terrorism: “According to President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev’s recent speech, the fight against international terrorism should be a priority for all countries at this stage. Only joint efforts we can help us to achieve the goal.”
Allahshukur Pashazade likes the recent idea by President of Kazakhstan Nursultan Nazarbayev to organize a forum ‘Islam is against terrorism.’ “Sermons, or fatwas, dictated by ‘virtues’ from abroad, are unacceptable for us. Glory to God that the clergy has been replenished by educated religious leaders, who may issue fatwas on one or another issues that concern Muslims of the country, taking into account the interests of our peoples. It is absolutely obvious that these foreign sermons and fatwas are alien to us. The main aim of this extremist religious literature and propaganda is to interfere in our spiritual life. In recent years they brought significant problems to believers and the populations of our countries related to the spread of extremism, xenophobia and splits. These provocations pushed individual believers, and especially spiritually lost young people, to join ISIS, other terrorist organizations and radical movements.”
“We are leaders of the traditional religions of the CIS and we won’t allow spiritual aggression to continue in our common areas. We will strongly resist any efforts in this direction with the help of God,” Allahshukur Pashazade promised.
