Conference on Islam and Terrorism Calls for Muslims to Speak Out Against Militant Groups

June 3, 2004

Source: Beliefnet.com

http://www.beliefnet.com/story/146/story_14693_1.html

On June 3, 2004 Beliefnet.com posted an Associated Press article that reported, "Muslims must be at the forefront of the fight against militant groups who cast a shadow over Islam through violence, participants at a conference on Islam and terrorism said Thursday. The conference 'Islam Against Terrorism' opened in the Russian capital with the aim of determining the prospects for interethnic and interreligious cooperation in the fight against extremism and international terrorism. The participants - who included representatives of Russia's main religions, lawmakers, academics, and government officials - agreed on the need to increase dialogue between religious confessions and to fight intolerance on all levels. Some noted that the greatest victims of extremism and terrorism in Russia have been Muslims themselves. The predominantly Muslim North Caucasus region has borne the brunt of terrorist attacks in Russia, much of the violence apparently connected to the war in Chechnya."