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Russia's Putin urges religious leaders to resist terrorist provocation
Interfax

Moscow, 29 September: Russian President Vladimir Putin believes it is unacceptable to allow criminals to set the agenda or to transfer anger against terrorists onto people of a different faith or nationality.

"Obviously it is absolutely unacceptable in general to allow criminals to set the agenda or to take out anger against terrorists on people of a different faith or nationality and in a country with many ethnic groups it's fatal," Putin said today, addressing participants in the Russian president's Council for Cooperation with Religious Associations.

Putin said that it was extremely important today to continue developing cooperation between religious associations and states in the interest of handling tasks that affect the whole country.

The president noted that "extremists actively exploit ethnic and religious intolerance for their own criminal purposes". "They play largely on distortions of peoples' cultural and ethnic traditions and even on ignorance of religion."

"I have to say," Putin continued, "that terrorists cynically cover their violence and cruelty with religious slogans."

The Russian president stressed that the issue put forward at the council sitting is one of the most painful and is a question of religious organizations taking part in the consolidation of a civil society. "It is obvious that such a serious task requires our joint efforts. We have no right to forget that the fight against terrorism is a battle for people's minds," Putin said.

"In the current conditions," the president stressed, "when one of the criminals' aims is to seek to channel rage at people of another faith or nationality, at representatives of another faith, what you (the representatives of the various religions) do and say is extremely important."

Putin thanked the council participants "for supporting actions taken to repel terrorist aggression against Russia".

"I should like to stress," Putin said, "that the main aim of the unprecedented series of acts of terrorism organized and carried out in Russia was to try and split our society, to sow enmity and mistrust between peoples and to drive a wedge between the Islamic world and the representatives of other religions. And, ultimately, to strike a blow against the unity of Russia."