MOSCOW, December 25 (RIA Novosti) – Members of the Russian Muftis Council have sued a member of the Russian Public Chamber Alexei Grishin and religion expert Roman Silantyev for anti-Muslim statements, another member of the Public Chamber said on Tuesday.
Grishin and Silantyev have recently come under harsh criticism from the Muftis Council, one of Russia’s three leading Islamic religious organizations. Grishin, president of the “Religion and Society” think-tank, earlier said the council’s members might be linked to extremist organizations.
Damir Mukhetdinov, the first deputy chair of the Spiritual Directorate of Muslims of European Russia and the member of the Russian Public Chamber said that Grishin accused the council of harboring “extremists, criminals, bandits and Wahhabists.”
“As a most adequate response… our lawyers have documented a number of statements about the Russian Muftis Council by Grishin and Silantyev that went beyond all bounds of decency, and our lawyers have filed lawsuits in Moscow district courts.”
Grishin and Silantyev were not immediately available for a comment.