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October 31, 2006
Russia: Attacks On Mosque - Muslims Told To "Stay Calm"
Vladimir is a historic Russian city, located 125 miles east of Moscow. It has two cathedrals which are marked as World Heritage sites. Yet its mosque has recently been subjected to attacks. On October 22, states the Union of Councils for Russian Jews, the mosque was attacked with a molotov cocktail thrown at one of its windows. The incident took place late in the evening, but the window was made of reinforced glass, which only partially broke. This sent the device bouncing back to the ground, where the flames were stamped out by worshippers.
The Muslim organization Mahallah, which runs the mosque, complained to police about the attempted firebombing stated Interfax-Religion on Monday. Police spokesman Oleg Kurochkin said that the incident was investigated as a case of "hooliganism" which can carry a maximum punishment of five years' jail.
The Russian Council of Muftis issued a statement on Monday, saying that it "hopes that the police will identify the attackers and bring them to justice."
The statement described Vladimir as "a city of traditions based on peaceful coexistence of various nationalities, and a quintessence of centuries-long culture of peoples who populate Russia."
The Council of Muftis told Muslims "to ignore provocative acts and stay calm" and urged the authorities "to prevent similar illegal actions in the future."
On Sunday night, a week after the firebomb attempt, the mosque was once again attacked with stones and bottles.
Posted by Giraldus Cambrensis at October 31, 2006 9:10 PM
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