Religious leaders of Ukrainian Muslims addressed Muslim countries prior to the Peace Summit in Switzerland. Mufti of the Religious Administration of Muslims of Ukraine "Ummah" Murat Suleymanov and Mufti of the RAMC Aider Rustemov called on the governments of Muslim countries to support Ukraine's efforts to establish a "comprehensive, just and lasting peace".
Mufti Murat Suleymanov noted in his video message that the Muslim community of Ukraine became one of the "biggest victims of this war" due to the annexation of Crimea and the invasion of Donetsk and Luhansk Regions by the Russian Federation, where large communities of Muslims, Kazan Tatars, resided.
"During the years of the great war, several Ukrainian mosques were damaged by Russian bombs and missiles, and some of them were destroyed. But we, Ukrainian Muslims, remain here and continue to fight for the sake of weak men, women, and children, as stated in the verse. We call on everyone to support Ukrainians," the Mufti emphasized in his address.
Murat Suleymanov stated that the way to establish a «comprehensive, just and lasting peace» is the implementation of the Ukrainian Peace Formula and public support for this way through participation in the Peace Summit at the highest level.
In his appeal, mufti Aider Rustemov emphasized that since 2014, Crimean Tatar Muslims "became victims of the war, which today is being waged by Russia using brutal methods."
"We, the indigenous people of Crimea, were exiled from our native land, from our native homes. Those who remained in the occupation during these ten years were subjected to violence, torture, imprisonment, kidnappings and killings, and their children in kindergartens and schools were forced to sing the Russian national anthem, march in Russian military uniforms, and then mobilized into the Russian army as cannon fodder. Hundreds of thousands of Muslims in Crimea do not live in peace; they live in war," Rustemov said in his address.
The conference, called the Global Peace Summit by Ukrainian authorities, will occur on June 15-16. Around 100 countries are expected to participate in the meeting in the Bürgenstock resort near Lucerne. According to the latest information from the Office of the President of Ukraine, 107 countries and international organisations have confirmed their participation in the Peace Summit.
