Residents of Volzhsky ask Vladimir Putin to stop construction of mosque

Activists are engaged in the online collection of signatures against the construction of a mosque in the town of Volzhsky. The people, who sign a petition, believe that there are more important problems in the region. The region actually needs a cathedral mosque; however, no fuss should be made about that. This was stated by Abdulla-Khadji, the Imam of the town of Volzhsky, the chairman of the Alim Council of the Volgograd Region.

On March 16, the petition against the construction of a mosque in Volzhsky was posted on the website "change.org" by Alexander Zhikharev, a resident of Volzhsky. At 4:00 p.m. Moscow time of March 23, the petition collected already 901 signatures.

The collection of signatures takes place against the background of the fact that the terrorist organization "Islamic State" (IS), banned in Russia, took responsibility for the terror act in Brussels.

Residents of Volzhsky fear for their town, and the presence of a mosque can contribute to the emergence of radicals. This opinion was expressed by the author of the petition, who reminded the people of the terror acts committed in Volgograd in December and October 2013.

Residents of the town of Volzhsky, who sign the petition, believe that there are more important problems in the region and that funds should be allocated for their solution.

According to the unofficial information, the town of Volzhsky is a home for about 20,000 Muslims.

At present, no mosque is being built in Volzhsky, reports Imam Abdulla-Khadji. Meanwhile, he has noted that local Muslims stand for construction of an Islamic cultural centre. According to the Imam, people demonstrate their hostility when, on the contrary, they should show unity and patriotism.

Full text of the article is available on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’.