Russian Muftis, Imams Set To Actively Participate In Syria's Post-War Reconstruction

Russian Muslims intend to intensify their efforts to help Syrians affected by the civil war and reconstruct buildings of religious and civil functions, muftis and imams from all over Russia told Sputnik after visiting Damascus as part of an interreligious delegation, led by Moscow Patriarchate Department for External Church Relations head Metropolitan Hilarion.

DAMASCUS (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 20th November, 2018) Russian Muslims intend to intensify their efforts to help Syrians affected by the civil war and reconstruct buildings of religious and civil functions, muftis and imams from all over Russia told Sputnik after visiting Damascus as part of an interreligious delegation, led by Moscow Patriarchate Department for External Church Relations head Metropolitan Hilarion.

The interreligious working group aimed at providing humanitarian assistance to the people of Syria was established in 2017 in accordance with the decision of the Russian presidential Council for Coordination with Religious Organizations.

The group is comprised of representatives of Christian denominations and Muslim communities of Russia. They visited Damascus last week to discuss humanitarian projects with Syrian religious leaders and Minister of Awqaf Mohammad Abdul-Sattar Sayyed at a round table meeting.

"Today we can see that people are uniting in Syria against war. And we see that our parishioners are more and more willing to help their Syrian brothers to strengthen peace," Ildar Ziganshin, the member of the Presidium of the Central Spiritual Administration of Russian Muslims, said.

At the meeting with Syrian religious leaders, the Russian delegation stressed it was prepared to provide its help, he added.

"The Syrians have to decide and tell us which buildings need to be restored in the first place," Ziganshin stressed.

He recalled his February trip to Syria as part of an interreligious humanitarian mission. During the visit, the delegation delivered 77 tonnes of food, purchased from voluntary funds donated by parishioners from all over Russia.

"We are the generation that has started to forget what war is. And here [in Syria] we saw that peace is ... very fragile, and that civilians, and most importantly children, are suffering," Ziganshin pointed out.

At the same time, Ziganshin noted that wealthy people were less willing to help others than poor since "the poor know what poverty is."

Muhammad Rakhimov, the chairman of the executive committee of Russia's Northern Caucasus Muslim Coordinating Center and Mufti of Stavropol Territory, said that next year muftis from Russia's North Caucasus could visit Syria to learn what kind of help is needed there.

"We are prepared to assist in the restoration of any building our Syrian brothers ask," Rakhimov stressed.

At the dawn of the new millennium, "the Caucasus itself saw what death and war are," and therefore was quick to react to the conflict in Syria.

Meanwhile, Deputy Mufti of Russia's Tatarstan Mansur Dzhalaletdinov said that Muslims from the autonomous republic "will help [Syrians] to restore damaged historical monuments and ancient mosques."

He also said he was impressed with Syria's gratefulness for the help provided by the Russian government and people.

"Most of our worries, of course, are about children. Some of them need medical assistance, and some of them need food, clothes," Ibrahimov pointed out," Imam muhtasib of the Russian city of Nizhnekamsk Salih Ibrahimov noted.

The Russian interreligious delegation to Syria also included Sergei Ryakhovsky, the senior bishop of the Russian Union of Christians of Evangelical Faith (Pentecostals), and Russian presidential administration official Sergei Melnikov.