Russia: Terror groups formed to attack Muslims - Russian Council Of Muftis

The Deputy Head of the Russian Council of Muftis, Rushan Abbyasov, said that groups like "ISIS and al-Qaeda and similar were created in order to fight against Islam and Muslims," not in their interest, at a press conference in Moscow, Monday. Abbyasov insisted that "we face problems such as extremism, terrorism and radicalism" which "are a threat to the whole world." He emphasised that terrorists "do not represent Islam and Muslims because today" because they seek to develop "inter-religious conflict or inter-religious war." One of the great dangers, according to Abbyasov, is the way terrorists "insolently use excerpts from the Holy Quran, wrenched of its context." Such a practice gives the wrong impression of the Islamic faith and misleads young people, the Mufti stated. Rushan Abbyasov spoke to the public for the first time since the terror attacks in Paris on Friday, which left at least 129 dead and over 300 injured. Earlier in the day, President Putin called for international collaboration to defeat the so-called Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL), which found favour with the UK's Prime Minister David Cameron.