Grand Mufti’s Office strongly condemns the attack on the Sofia Central Synagogue

On January 19, 2019, Saturday, which is a special day (Shabbat) for the Jews, there was an attack on the Sofia Central Synagogue. Grand Mufti’s Office is extremely concerned about what happened and strongly condemns this vandal act of intolerance and religious hatred towards the minority religious communities, as the guilty for the brutal attack towards the visitors of the mosque “Kadi Seyfullah Efendi” (Banya Bashi) have not yet been identified. On May 21, 2011 the leadership and the followers of the PP “ATAKA” set the prayer rugs for the Friday prayer (Juma prayer) on fire. We do sincerely hope that this time the perpetrator will be found and will answer before the court about his actions. Such vandal manifestations are not rare, they add fuel to the flames and seriously destroy the peace and calmness in our country, recalling that the minorities in Bulgaria have given a significant contribution to forming the statehood and the Bulgarian nation, we call upon the state to ensure the safety of the members of the religious communities and the peaceful performance of the prayers in the spiritual temples. Religion teaches morality, ethics, honesty, culture and good character, we should not fear it, but on the contrary, to find salvation in it. In an environment of moral and cultural destruction we need it more than ever.