Bulgaria's Chief Mufti's Office: Trial Against Imams Is A Disgrace

Bulgaria's Chief Mufti's Office condemned in a declaration the sentences against the 13 imams for promoting radical Islam and called the court decision “a disgrace”. 

“We do not think it is just that our compatriots are persecuted for practicing their religious activities, because this is a constitutional right,” the declaration said. “We do not accept that with their actions they undermined national security and the constitutional order or promoted ethnic and religious hatred.”

According to the declaration of the Mufti's Office, the Bulgarian Muslims have always been peace-loving and tolerant. 

Last week the Pazardzhik regional court found the 13 imams guilty of propagating anti-democratic ideology. 

The court imposed one effective sentence and two suspended sentences. The effective four-year sentence was handed down to Ahmed Musa Ahmed, while Said Mtulu and Pazardzhik's regional mufti Abdullah Salih received suspended sentences. The remaining 10 religious leaders were fined BGN 5000 each. All were accused of membership in the unregistered in Bulgaria radical religious organization Al Waqf Al Islami. Three of the imams were also indicted for propagating hatred based on religion, but this accusation was later dropped.

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