Vandals Desecrated Muslim Cemetery :: Charter'97 :: News

A criminal action has been brought up relating to facts of vandalism at Muslim cemetery in Slonim. As the BelaPAN was informed in the police department of Slonim, a criminal case was opened on January 12, 2007 under Article 339 Part 1 of the Criminal Code (hooliganism). Under this article criminals face community service or a fine, or arrest for up to six months, or imprisonment for up to two years.

In an interview to BelaPAN a deputy mufti of Muslim religions association of Belarus and imam of Slonim mosque Sulejman-hajji Bajrasheuski told that the defacement was noticed on January 6 at Muslim cemetery (mizar) situated 5 kilometres from the city, when one of the local Muslim community members was buried.

“Unknown vandals removed six grave-stones from graves. Two of them were destroyed. Criminals defiled six graves of Muslim soldiers of the Russian empire, natives of Kazan and Ufa governments (today’s Tatarstan and Bashkortostan in the Russian Federation), who died in 1915 during the World War I,” imam said.

As said by him, a similar incident at local mizar took place in 1996, when vandals dug out six graves. “A criminal action was initiated then, which was closed as culprits were not detected,” S. Bajrasheuski said.

He reminded that in 2002 a local mosque was desecrated: the unknown painted a swastika on the mosque and wrote: “It’s time to kill!” “Criminals hadn’t been found then,” S. Bajrasheuski added.

However, as said by him, all these manifestations of religious and ethnic intolerance are not connected.