MOSCOW, March 4 (RIA Novosti) - Hamas, the Palestinian radical resistance movement that won parliamentary elections in January, intends to develop interfaith cooperation, the head of the movement's political bureau said at a news conference after a meeting with the chief Russian mufti, Ravil Gainutdin.
"We asked to include a meeting with the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia on the agenda of our visit to Russia as well," Khaled Meshaal said.
Meshaal said Orthodox Christians had participated in the Palestinian parliamentary elections as part of a single election bloc that also comprised Hamas. "They won elections in Bethlehem, Ramallah, working together with Hamas," he said.
Meshaal said this was an example of cooperation between faiths.
The main idea of Islam is peace for everyone, he added.
Mufti Ravil Gainutdin said dialogue and cooperation between faiths in Russia had been discussed at the meeting. "This is an example for others to also actively cooperate," he said.
