12 October 2001

Chief Muslim Cleric In Bulgaria Supports Anti-terror Coalition

On October 12, U.S. Ambassador Richard Miles met with Selim Myumyun Mehmet, Chief Mufti of the Muslim community in Bulgaria, in the cleric's office, to discuss various issues including the campaign against terrorism. In a statement issued after the meeting, the Chief Mufti said he shares the opinion that terrorism should be eradicated:

"We want the terrorists once and for all to understand that they have no place in civilization, can not have a place in religion, in the Islamic religion and we will not accept it."

Following is a transcript of his remarks:

[The audio is available on U.S. Embassy Sofia's Web site: http://www.usembassy.bg/mehmet128.rm]

U.S. Department of State
Office of the Spokesman
October 12, 2001
Remarks By Chief Mufti Mehmet (bulgaria) After Meeting With Amb. Miles

The visit of an Ambassador of such rank and country is a rare event and for this I'd like to thank him sincerely. At the meeting we discussed various issues. We had a very sincere conversation. We discussed the situation of the Moslems in Bulgaria, their economic, social and cultural circumstances. We talked about the events in the world, especially in Afghanistan. We received valuable information about the current events. The most important thing is that the Ambassador emphasized that these events are in no way directed against the global Islamic community. These actions are exclusively directed against terrorism, which should be eradicated. The Chief Mufti's office shares this opinion. We want the terrorists once and for all to understand that they have no place in civilization, can not have a place in religion, in the Islamic religion and we will not accept it. Thank you.