The Spiritual Administration of Muslims of Moscow City made an official statement in regards to the commentary of a high-ranked Tajikistani official. The text of the statement follows:
A message quoting Tajikistani radio station Liberty has appeared on the net saying that the Head of the State Committee of National Security of Tajikistan Akram Amonov reportedly mentioned a recruiting station for Syrian militants functioning in Moscow: "There is a mosque on Prospekt Mira in Moscow that recruits our youth to go to Syria".
In response to this, Russia Muftis Council can state the opposite: the imams of Moscow Jum'ah Mosque regularly organize lectures and seminars aimed at preventing radical attitudes and strengthening the moral and spiritual values taught by traditional Islam. The imams and their aides engage in day-to-day work offering quick help in explaining various situations and arising questions that require religious knowledge. In Friday sermons, much attention is brought to the spiritual values of Islam and Islamic ethics, tolerance and peaceful coexistence. Unlawful gatherings, let alone recruitment activities in the mosque are strictly prohibited and by all means prevented.
It is also worth noting that the chief imam of the Jum'ah Mosque, mufti of Moscow City Ildar hazrat Alyautdinov sent requests to the embassies of Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan last year, asking them to assist by sending imams with higher religious education for educating and explaining the aspects Islam to the members of corresponding national communities in their native language. Representatives of Uzbekistani and Kyrgyzstani embassies met with the mufti to discuss this proposition. By now, only the representatives of Kyrgyzstan have provided the assistance they were asked for.
The embassy of Tajikistan completely ignored both the official letter and the invitation to the meeting that was attended by representatives of Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan. Therefore, the Spiritual Administration decided to invite a Farsi-speaking teacher from the Russian Islamic University to organize spiritual and educational activities with the citizens of Tajikistan residing in Moscow. At present time, lectures and educational activities are carried out in Russian and other national languages with representatives of Tatar, Tajik, Kyrgyz and Dagestani peoples. Thanks to this work, in 2014 the administration of the mosque was able to prevent the spread of negative attitudes towards the leadership of Tajikistan and any active manifestations of such attitudes.
Based on the above, we may say that there is a serious educational work going on in Moscow Jum'ah Mosque directed at preventing any extremist attitudes and the possibility of their spread among the attendees of the mosque, and thus any allegations of the existence of recruiting stations for militants in the mosque are baseless and conflict with reality.
The authorities of Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and other countries should, on their part, exercise adequate control through their embassies and carry responsibility for their citizens both at home and abroad.
The official site of the Spiritual Administration of Muslims of Moscow