MOSCOW. Nov 20 (Interfax) - Talgat Tadzhuddin, supreme mufti of the Central Spiritual Directorate of Russian Muslims, supports the idea of introducing the death penalty for terrorists.
"It's not introduction of a new law, it's restoration of an old law. Everything that is envisaged for crimes against humanity, against the law and the state, should be restored," he told Interfax-Religion on Friday.
The mufti said the death penalty is present in Islamic law (Sharia law).
Tadzhuddin also made a distinction between the concepts of extremism and terrorism: "An extremist is a person who has crazy ideas, but who has not implemented them, but when he becomes a terrorist, this law, no doubt, should be effective."
The Islamic leader believes most suicide bombers blow themselves up "to suit American interests, to suit the West" and few of them do it because of their convictions.
"Children are not killed for God, for Allah, they put themselves in the place of God, and that's a crime," Tadzhuddin said.