MOSCOW. April 3 (Interfax-AVN) -Russian Supreme Mufti Talgat Tadzhuddin's statement on the declaration of a jihah against the United States by the Central Islamic Department of Moslems of Holy Russia (the former Central Moslem Department of Russia and CIS European Nations) evidences the rejection of the big stick policy of U.S. President George W. Bush's administration.
This opinion was voiced by Vladimir Volkov, deputy chairman of the defense committee in the State Duma lower house of Russian parliament.
"This is a very serious statement. It is not backed by individuals, but by hundreds of thousands and even millions of people who are tired of the U.S. big stick policy," Volkov told Interfax-Military News Agency on Thursday.
According to him, by starting a military operation against the sovereign Iraq without UN sanctions, the United States threw a boomerang that will hit back many countries, not only America. The U.S. administration "should have foreseen that people who do not have high-precision weapons will not abandon the desire to avenge for pilloried religious shrines and deaths of innocent compatriots," Volkov noted.
Deputy chairman of the Duma defense committee Major General Nikolai Bezborodov said that "from the juridical point of view, nobody can stop Russian Muslims from collecting money for procuring foodstuffs and medicines for Iraq." At the same time, Russian Muslims cannot purchase and supply Russian arms to Iraq.
"Russia has strict rules of purchasing and trading arms determined by the law. In particular, they ban access of any religious organizations to this sphere. Moreover, the embargo on supplying arms, ammo and spare parts for military equipment to Iraq is still in force, and Russian leaders will not allow anyone to violate the embargo," Bezborodov added.