Muslims accept the apology of Patriarch of Serbia
30/1/ 2010
Regarding the statement of His Holiness Patriarch Irinej of Serbia in which he expresses regret and extend his apology for his reckless statement that hurted the feelings of many Muslims, Riyasah of Islamic Community of Serbia has published the following communiqué:
Only God does not sin. People make mistakes, and when they do it then they blaspheme against God. God is pleased, when a man repents and asks forgiveness. God is more pleased when one man forgives the another one, so You shall be forgiven, so as Almighty supports us not to resent each other and that our temptations of life and happiness share in peace and respect.
Only with mutual respect of each personality, we can achieve a quality coexistence for general satisfaction.
The reaction to the apology of His Holiness – in a somewhat different tone, but in fact also positive – was of the Islamic Community in Serbia, with its seat in Novi Pazar. Here we deliver the statement of Mufti Muamer ef. Zukorlic:
The apology is certainly an acceptable step, by which the consequences caused by the previous statement can not be eliminated, but can be mitigated. For the normalization of our relations the behavior of the Serbian Orthodox Church towards the Islamic community is crucial. The church is an institution with the strongest influence on the state. Therefore, its responsibility goes beyond the responsibility of other Churches and religious communities.
