Sheik-ul-Islam elected honorary co-chair of CIS inter-religious council

The second Inter-religious Peace Building Forum (IPBF) attended by the CIS religious, as well as traditional confession leaders drew to an end on Wednesday.

According to Russian media, as a result of the meeting, Sheikh-ul-Islam Haji Allahshukur Pashazada, chairman of the Office of Caucasian Muslims (OCM), became the honored co-chair of the Presidium of the CIS Inter-Religious Council founded at the second IPBF held in Moscow. Another honored co-chair the Council is Aleksey II, Patriarch of Moscow and Russia.

A document issued the last day of the forum reads that the CIS religious leaders say that they maintain multi-century old traditions of inter-religious cooperation and develop them, and confirm that the level of mutual understanding between the religious leaders makes it possible to raise the level of joint activities.

The religious leaders called all clergymen to start joint peace building activities immediately. Moreover, the religious figures put forward an initiative to combine efforts of the CIS religious communities to fight terrorism, inter-religious hostility, radical secularism and xenophobia.

The document underlines that religion can and will play unifying and conciliatory role in CIS, as well as help in cooperation of our countries and nations. Religions have great potential in building peace, especially in international relations. Our mutual activities and cooperation towards peaceful and fair solution of existing problems shortly should be especially much stronger in places under the threat of bloodshed and violation.

Basing on the results of the two-day meeting, the religious leaders appreciated the sheikh’s initiative to hold the second CIS Inter-Religious Peace Building Forum and welcomed the establishment of the CIS Inter-Religious Council.

After the meeting the religious leaders held a press conference.

The CIS religious leaders accepted the Sheikh-ul-Islam’s suggestion to hold the third CIS Inter-Religious Forum in Baku.

Under the conception of the CIS Inter-Religious Council, meetings of the forum will be held once per three year. The date of the next forum has not yet been defined.*