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03 November 2020, 19:00Russia's Chief Rabbi Lazar opposed to phrase 'Islamic terrorism'
Moscow, November 3, Interfax - Russia's Chief Rabbi Berel Lazar has denounced the use of the phrase "Islamic terrorism" in the wake of Monday's terrorist attack in Vienna.
"Some have been speaking about Islamic terrorism. I wouldn't use that phrase at all, because Islam has also fallen victim to these subhuman beings. Perhaps it's even the primary victim, as terrorists are trying to turn Muslims into pariahs and incite universal hatred against them," the chief rabbi said in a statement circulated in Moscow on Tuesday.
He acknowledged that international terrorism is actively exploiting Islamic terminology and cynically trying to introduce itself as propagating "true Islam," but "its war is a war against all religions, against God, and against our eternal values." It is not a pure coincidence that some of the latest terrorist attacks were committed at the entrance to places of worship or even inside them, he said.
In reasoning about ways to oppose terrorists, whose attacks in Europe have been increasingly more frequent of late, Rabbi Lazar said everyone should realize that "a war has been declared on us, a war of annihilation against the entire civilized world."
Lazar suggested that humankind should revisit the record of the 20th century, when statesmen around the world realized the scope of the threat and opposed it in a united front.
"Seventy-five years ago, subhuman beings were defeated, their leaders were destroyed, and their misanthropic ideology was outlawed. I'm sure it's time now to put aside all disagreements and focus on attaining the main goal, namely the eradication of international terrorism, its leaders, and its ideology. If we don't stop them now, it might be too late tomorrow," Rabbi Lazar said. |