Today in Kiev at the initiative of the Institute of Human Rights and Prevention of Extremism and Xenophobia IHRPEX, the Foundation for Ethnic Understanding (FFEU, the USA) and the Ukrainian Jewish committee, opened the conference "Jews and Muslims against hatred and extremism".
As UNIAN was informed in the press-service of IHRPEX, during the conference are discussed issues of adjustment of stable dialogue between Muslim and Jewish communities of Ukraine and the CIS countries, and also - association of efforts in struggle with growing Islamophobia and anti-Semitism.
Opening the conference, the People's Deputy of Ukraine Alexander Feldman emphasized that it is very symbolic that today's dialogue between Muslims and Jews is conducted in Ukraine, which is mainly Christian and secular country.
"Today any Muslim or the Jew in Ukraine can reach his objective without discrimination and religious pressure", he noticed.
At the same time, according to A.Feldman, Jewish and Muslim communities are minority which is compelled to face the general risks in Ukraine and together search for new answers on anti-Semitism, Islamophobia, xenophobia, and extremism calls.
In his turn, the president of FFEU (who supported the initiative for aligning of Islamic-Jewish dialogue and effective counteraction to aggravated social diseases — terrorism, extremism and racism), Rabbi and public person Mark Shnajer declared that similar work is conducted for a long period of time in the USA and Canada.
"The basic conflict is now observed between people who confess tolerance and those who want to destroy life. We should oppose powerfully to all who sows violence and spreads extremist ideas, and I am proud that Jewish community first stood against growing Islam-phobia and stated that attacks on a mosque will be perceived as an attack on Jews", he emphasized.
Aider Bulatov, the chairman of the Republic Committee for Religious Affairs of Autonomous Republic of Crimea noticed that in order to avoid interethnic conflicts the environment for peaceful co-existence of all communities should be formed at the state level. "There is still no adequate doctrine for decision of ethnic and religious problems in the country until now", he added.
In the conference participate the head of the Mejlis of the Crimean-Tatar people, Mustafa Dzhemilev, the first deputy chairman of the e Religious Administration of Muslims of European part of Russia, Damir Muhetdinov, the first deputy head of the Central Religious Administration of Muslims of Russia, the head of the Religious Administration of Chuvash Republic, the member of Public Chamber of Russian Federation, Albir Krganov, the head Rabbi of Kiev and Ukraine, Jacob Dov Blaih, the head Rabbi of Ukraine (Habad Lubavich Hasidov), Moshe Asman, the Chairman of Association of Jewish Organizations and Communities of Ukraine, Josif Zisels, and other public persons.
In the message it is noticed that the present conference became the second event within Kiev Interfaith Forum (March, 28-29, 2011) and was distinguished with the international conference "World religions and a civil society against hatred and extremism".
By UNIAN
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