Russia's Chief Rabbi Berel Lazar on Thursday, October 30, criticized the statement by Mufti of Chechnya Salah-Hadzhi Mezhiev that Jews are “enemies of Allah”. He emphasized that these words offended all Jews and their faith.
Lazar added that Mezhiev's statement was not aimed against Jews but against “everything that all of Russia has built over the years.” The cleric noted that the mufti's words contradicted the official position of the Muslim community, whose leaders have always supported inter-religious peace.
“I sincerely hope that in the near future there will be statements by leading representatives of Islam in Russia who will officially distance themselves from Mezhiev's anti-Semitic statements and confirm the commitment of the Russian Muslim community to peace and solidarity between people who believe in one God,” Lazar emphasized on the talk show “Chechen History. War and Peace.”
He noted that Jews traditionally view Islam as a religion of peace and tolerance.
On May 14, Mufti of Moscow Ildar Alyautdinov said that photos of flyers appearing on the Internet were allegedly written by the Spiritual Administration of Muslims pay mothers to accept Islam has no connection to reality. He emphasized that such messages were a provocation and aimed at inciting hostility between the peoples of Russia.
