MOSCOW, September 18. /TASS/. Followers of various religions in Syria should act together against extremism and terrorism, which contravene the ideas and postulations of any religion, the Patriarch of Moscow and all Russia Kirill I said on Tuesday as he met with the Supreme Mufti of Syria, Sheikh Ahmad Badr al-Din Hassoun.
"Quite frequently, terrorists resort to the believably religious arguments for justifying their unlawful actions and this distorts the fundamental principles of the Islamic religion," KIirill I said. "That’s why all the sound forces representing Islam should stand up to oppose them and, naturally, Christians should take part in this [fight] as well, since Syria has a large enough Christian community."
"I think troubleshooting of extremism is very important," he went on. "We must do our best to ensure that no one will be able to use terrorist methods on Syrian soil for pursuing political objectives ever again."
Kirill I recalled that the Russian government’s initiative to throw the shoulder into the struggle with terrorism on Syrian territory found support among the Russian religious quarters.
"The Russian Orthodox Church and the Islamic community in Russia are taking part in humanitarian aid to your people," he said. "We think it’s our brotherly duty. It’s important to note this aid is provided both unilaterally and in the interreligious format, in which both Orthodox believers and Moslems send the relief supplies together."
He said he praised Sheikh Ahmad Hassoun’s recommendation to consign humanitarian aid to Aleppo where it was highly needed.
"You may well know we sent it there but our humanitarian action irritated the terrorists too much and the group [distributing it in Syria] underwent shelling," Kirill I said. "The terrorists unmasked themselves. They were irritated by the very fact someone had sent aid, foodstuffs to their victims."
"This kind of conduct on the part of those who label themselves as fighters for Syria’s bright future sheds light on their true face," Kirill I said. "They don’t fight for the bright future. They are terrorists pursuing their own aims and using these disgusting methods.".