Ukrainian mufti calls on UOC to join OCU

Said Ismagilov. Photo: open sources

Former mufti of the Spiritual Administration of Muslims of Ukraine “UMMA,” Said Ismagilov, told Telegraf that the Ukrainian Orthodox Church should be “abolished by a political decision,” calling it a “hostile religious structure,” and urged bishops and priests to support the military within the ranks of the OCU.

According to the mufti, the government treats the UOC “far too gently.” He insisted that there are “hundreds of cases in which clergy and officials of the UOC, being in canonical unity with the Moscow Patriarchate, effectively work as hostile agents.”

Ismagilov accused the Church of harboring clergy who “act as hostile agents,” claiming they “conduct reconnaissance, adjust enemy fire, reveal the positions of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, and assist sabotage groups in infiltrating.” He did not, however, provide a single concrete example.

“There are absolutely enough such cases collected by our security services for the state to simply make a firm political decision and terminate the existence of this hostile religious structure in our country,” the Islamic leader said.

When the journalist countered that “the UOC actively denies ties with the ROC” and helps the Ukrainian army, Ismagilov responded that supposedly within the UOC “appointments are made from Moscow,” and that before the war the Ukrainian Orthodox Church was “in canonical unity” with the Russian Orthodox Church and its hierarchs “were part of the governing bodies of the Russian Church.”

“I don’t know what more evidence people need when even their priests and bishops are caught engaging in anti-Ukrainian activities. What more do you need?” the mufti exclaimed, calling on UOC clergy and bishops to support the army within the OCU.

He also condemned draft-dodgers and supported the so-called “busification.” “I was surprised to learn that people hide, flee, and don’t want to defend even their own lives,” he said.

Earlier, the UOJ reported that Muslim leaders in Ukraine complained about the actions of the SBU.

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