News

Arab Spring, IS aimed at demonizing Islam - Patriarch Kirill

Moscow, December 12, Interfax - Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and all Russia thinks that extremist paramilitary groups such as the Islamic State make Muslims themselves suffer.

"I cannot stop thinking that the Arab Spring and the emergence of radical Islamic paramilitary forces and their public executions of people - all this is aimed at demonizing Islam in the eyes of global public opinion," the patriarch said at a meeting with the President of Turkey's Presidency of Religious Affairs Mehmet Gormez in Moscow, Moscow Patriarchate said on its website on Friday.

He expressed concern over Christianophobia currently spreading across the Middle East where "churches are being demolished, and Christians are being either killed or forced to convert into Islam, or sold into slavery, or forced to pay some special tax."

The problem of Christianophobia is also relevant for Western countries, "where have seen numerous examples of people being discriminated just because they publicly display their Christian piety."

He mentioned his 2011 meeting with Gormez, following which a working group was set up to maintain dialogue between the Russian Orthodox Church and the Turkish Presidency of Religious Affairs.

Print this page

Home

News

.	Customize latest news

• Patriarch defrocks monastery priest for stabbing monk 23 May 2019, 20:52
• Oryol court upholds sentence for Danish Jehovah's Witness 23 May 2019, 17:11
• Drunken monk stabs brother in Holy Trinity - St. Sergius Lavra 23 May 2019, 13:18
• Problem of new cathedral construction in Yekaterinburg should be resolved through dialogue – Kremlin 23 May 2019, 12:42
• Man arrested at protest against new cathedral in Yekaterinburg goes to ECHR 23 May 2019, 12:20
• Russian Foreign Ministry confirms support to Christian communities' role in Middle East 23 May 2019, 12:18
• Authorities give up plans to build church in Yekaterinburg park after VCIOM poll 22 May 2019, 18:49
• Nalchik mosque evacuated after bomb threat 22 May 2019, 17:33
• Teen suspected of setting fire to Assumption Church in Karelia found to have mental disorder 22 May 2019, 15:57
• Provocative behavior of migrants causes nationalism, anti-Islamic terrorism - Bortnikov 21 May 2019, 11:05
• Bomb threat at Dagestan Muslim Spiritual Council HQ turns out to be hoax 21 May 2019, 11:04
• Ukrainian embassy's 'Crimean Tatars' photo is actually Lodz ghetto Jews deportation photo 21 May 2019, 11:02
• Fence at church construction site in Yekaterinburg to be torn down for peace's sake 21 May 2019, 11:01
• Muslim board evacuated in Makhachkala due to bomb threat 20 May 2019, 19:18
• Patriarch Kirill wishes Ukraine's president Zelensky successes in uniting nation 20 May 2019, 18:44
• Zelensky's words on unacceptability of Ukraine's division based on language should also apply to religion - Lavrov 20 May 2019, 16:40
• President is not an icon - Zelensky 20 May 2019, 14:25
• Patriarch Kirill calculated that without abortions population of Russia will increase up to 166 million in twenty years 20 May 2019, 14:07
• Media review: "Two-headed hydra of Ukrainian schism and the world Orthodoxy" 20 May 2019, 12:22
• Russian Orthodox Church calls on new Ukrainian authorities to stop discriminating against Russian language 20 May 2019, 11:13
• Sverdlovsk regional administration to invite people to discuss alternative sites for church construction in Yekaterinburg 20 May 2019, 11:02
• Three more arrested after Yekaterinburg church construction protest 17 May 2019, 18:53
• Yekaterinburg authorities had dialogue with residents on church before Putin said poll needed - Peskov 17 May 2019, 18:51
• Yekaterinburg mayor to meet with group of protesters against church construction in public garden 17 May 2019, 13:42
• Thirty arrested in protests against church construction in Yekaterinburg 17 May 2019, 10:59
• Opponents of building church in Yekaterinburg hurl smoke charges near Moscow patriarch's residence 16 May 2019, 22:28
• Opponents of building church again meet in downtown Yekaterinburg 16 May 2019, 19:43
• Communications Ministry: 1,300 families give up TV for religious reasons 16 May 2019, 18:40
• Potential Dalai Lama visit needs separate discussion - Putin 16 May 2019, 18:38
• Yekaterinburg mayoral office agrees to hold independent poll on building church in city square 16 May 2019, 18:33

Other news