Russia and the CIS (bbabo.net) - Russia’s opponents are behind the attempts to push followers of Islam and Orthodoxy together, seeking to destabilize the situation in the country, Patriarch Kirill said at the extraordinary congress of the World Russian People’s Council, TASS reports.
“Russia’s ill-wishers tried to take advantage of internal problems with the migration situation, aggravating interethnic relations in our country, including with the help of the radical Islamist factor,” said the head of the Russian Orthodox Church.
He emphasized that such hostile actions face powerful opposition in the form of ideological and moral unity of Orthodox and Muslims.
At the same time, he denied the existence of such a phenomenon as Russian nationalism.
“Let no one scare us with Russian nationalism. Russian nationalism does not exist in nature, everyone knows that,” the patriarch said.
At the same time, he noted that migrants must respect the traditions of the country and know the Russian language. According to him, Russians have the right to demand that foreigners comply with these two points.
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Putin warned about the danger of the slogan “Russia for Russians”
Russia and the CIS (bbabo.net) - The slogan “Russia only for Russians,” propagated by some jingoists, poses a threat to the country’s national security, Russian President Vladimir Putin said at a meeting with military pilots in the Tver region.
The head of state emphasized that the statement that Russia is only for Russians causes him a sense of anxiety, since this statement infringes on the rights of other indigenous peoples of the country and threatens the collapse of a multinational country.
Putin called for careful consideration of interethnic peace in Russia, which is the most important value.
“As soon as we begin to implement these destructive thoughts about the fact that everyone else is a stranger here, we will ruin the country,” the president warned, adding that in this case the Russian people will be the most affected.
It is noteworthy that back in 2008, Vladimir Putin, answering a question about the admissibility of the slogan “Russia for Russians,” emphasized that it was expressed by “morons or provocateurs.” “Are they in favor of separating certain territories from Russia, do they want the collapse of the Russian Federation? "What are these figures trying to achieve? The answer here is clear - most likely, these are provocateurs, people who want to make cheap capital on some problems, want to show themselves as radicals and gain something here. The prosecutor's office must respond to manifestations of this kind," the President said then.
Earlier, Patriarch Kirill spoke about the attempts being made by the enemies of Russia to pit Muslims and Orthodox Christians against each other.
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Christian Africa embraces Islamic banking
On Wednesday, Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni announced the opening of the country's first Islamic bank, which will carry out financial transactions without interest on loans, Sabah reports.
Museveni attended the opening ceremony of Salam Bank in the capital Kampala, calling the event an important step in the development of Uganda's financial sector and economy. According to the president, all members of society will benefit from interest-free financial transactions, regardless of religion or nationality.
“I encourage you to fight poverty and earn money. Some forces prevented the establishment of an Islamic University in Uganda, but I said no. And now it is working, producing specialists in various professions and not only Muslims,” said Yoweri Museveni. “Then the same people warned me against Islamic banking, but I said that we have no problems with this, let them work. And now we are opening Salam Bank,” said the head of state.
It is noteworthy that Uganda is a Christian country. More than 83 percent of its population is Catholic and Protestant. Muslims make up about 12 percent of Uganda's population.
Previously, Yoweri Museveni gained worldwide fame after the adoption of a law completely banning LGBT people (an extremist movement banned in the Russian Federation).
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