Russia Wishes to Confirm it's Status of "Friend to Islam"

- Margelov
Moscow, March 13, Interfax - The problem of Islamophobia in Europe is very acute, Chairman of the Federation Council International Affairs Committee Mikhail Margelov told Interfax.

"The problem of European Islamophobia is so large that the Federation of Islamic Organizations in Europe has recently posted the European Islamic Charter," he said.

The charter urged 20 million Muslims who live in Europe to promote peace in their new countries and seek political temperance.

The peaceful co-existence of cultures, ethnic groups and religions is an important task, as the modern European civilization can be nothing but pluralistic, Margelov said.

The foreign minister represents Russia at the 11th Summit of the Organization of Islamic States (OIC), and this shows the significance of the Islamic factor in the Russian policy, he said. "Russia wishes to confirm its status of a reliable friend to Islam, as this meets the national interests of the country populated by over 14 million Muslims," he said.

"Experts notice the Russian interest in the smooth integration of Islamic migrants from CIS member countries and support to moderate Islam," Margelov said.

"Russia has sufficient experience for helping Muslims worldwide to settle conflicts and fight extremists and Western Islamophobia," he said.
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