Mr.Said Ismagilov, Mufti of Religious Administration of Muslims of Ukraine (RAMU) “Umma”, voiced his condemnation of the facts that Russian Muslims participate in illegal armed groups terrorizing the East of Ukraine.
“When I see armed Russian Muslims on the land of my ukraine, I have a question — what are you doing here and by what ruling of Allah you are here?” — the Mufti wrote on his facebook wall.
According to Said-hazrat, Ukrainian Muslims didn’t need protection before the Russians came; Donetsk and Luhansk Cathedral mosques remained undamaged, and Muslims lived in peace and mutual understanding with Ukraine’s other religious communities. “Nobody oppressed us because we were Muslims,” — the Mufti said, having reminded that mosques in Luhansk and Donetsk were damaged in result of military action, and now are almost abandoned by the parishioners.
Head of RAMU “Umma” mentioned that Ukraine wasn’t involved in a war during the whole period of its independance. “We saw fights emerging abroad in the Post-Soviet area, like North Caucasus, South Caucasus, Transnistria. And what we did was raising children, building houses and mosques, and were naive enough not to expect a strike in the back.”
The Mufti didn’t fail to mention the emersion of the new Tavrian Muftiate in Crimea, which reportedly was to create a battalion to fight against Ukraine. “Never in the history of neither Ukraine, nor Russia did a religious community create a battalion or enter a war officially. For that reason I’m calling upon Crimean Muslims — we aren’t just brothers in faith, but we are united by many years of reviving Islam in Ukraine together. We have always been together, in joy and sorrow. We are one Muslim Ummah in this country. I hope no one of Crimean Muslims will ever raise arms against Ukraine and Ukrainians.”
Mufti of one of the largest Muslim religious communities of Ukraine also mentioned the fact that the Muslim community never wanted war. “War means fear, pain, violence, death, orphans and destruction. I’ve always said — and I always will —that there’s no such thing as “Holy War” in Islam. There’s nothing holy about the war. War is the last resort, and it’s better not be applied to.”
