By Riad Ahmed, IOL Correspondent

MOSCOW, June 4 (IslamOnline.net) – Participants of a conference, held in Moscow under the title of "Islam Against Terrorism", called for preventing the infamous association of Islam with terrorism.

The one-day conference was attended by 250 Islamic leaders and religious administration chiefs along with notables from Russian Parliament, Arab League and Organization of Islamic Conference.

It came up with the recommendation that terrorism is a threat to the society as a whole and should be combated, but the participants also stressed terrorists should be deterred from splashing out their extremist ideas in the name of Islam through media outlets.

France Clencifis, a member of parliament for the ruling United Russia Party, called for banning publication of phrases and sentences against Islam and its followers.

To use such phrase as "Islamic terrorism" and "Islamic extremism" is a mistake, and may draw ire of Muslims," Clencifis said.

Chairman of the Council of Muftis of Russia, Ravil Gainutdin agreed, stressing Islam is against extremism and terrorism and that Muslims are seeking to express their efforts against the phenomenon.

Underling the non-existence of the "Islamic terrorism", Gainutdin said that it is an obligation on religious scholars to help the government eradicate terrorism.

"We should advise those who were deceived, helping the government to adopt an effective policy against crimes and exterminate terrorism in all stages of its formation."

Gainutdin admitted that terrorism gives a bad idea of Islam, and that the phenomenon even undermines civil rights of the 145-million Muslim community in the former Communist country.

Connection

"Muslims are the most community paying heed to the country’s laws in Russia," Ashirov said

He said that there is a link between ignorance, repression and extremism, citing that some Russian governments refused to allow the construction of mosques as a case in point.

The Islamic scholar said that having more mosques is synonymous with adopting less hardline way of thinking among Muslims.

"On the contrary, when Muslims find the local government is obstructing the way of their freedom, this could re-ignite extremist ideas in the minds."

Russian Muslims had recently complained that local authorities in the country have prevented the construction of mosques for the Muslims even in areas which have none of them.

They also accused police of raiding mosques several times detaining worshippers on the pretext of foiling "terrorist operations".

But recent times witnessed a remarkable switch from the government, with the Moscow municipality having okayed on May 25, the construction of a new mosque in the Russian capital and authorizing the expansion of another one day earlier.

"Religion Of Peace"

On his part, Russian Mufti Nafigulla Ashirov highlighted that Islam is a religion of peace, dismissing the use of "Islamic terrorism" term as "brazen mistake".

"Muslims are the most community paying heed to the country’s laws in Russia , and the government should rather hold them in high esteem".

"Islam is a religion of right, peace and progress".

Mami Mamayev, another MP for the ruling party, said that the religious administrations should take control of foreign financing of Islamic charities and movements in Russia , in order to "prevent funneling money to terrorists in the Northern Caucasian region".

Khozam accused the United States and Israel of working for connecting Islam with terrorism

On his part, Akram Khozam, Al-Jazeera correspondent in Moscow , accused the United States and Israel of working for connecting Islam with terrorism.

Said Al-Bara’mi, the head of the Arab League mission in Moscow who attended the conference, expressed hopes that mass media would seek to show the true image of Islam.

"While Qur’an rejects violence and killing, several media outlets splash out mistaken information on the religion, sometimes deliberately," Bara’mi told Azvestia newspaper on Friday, June 4.

The Arab League official said the pan-Arab organization had set up a committee to supervise holding conferences on objective dialogue between civilizations.   

Source : http://www.islamonline.net/English/News/2004-06/04/article10.shtml