As of today, there are five military Muslim chaplains (imams) serving alongside chaplains of other faiths in the ranks of the Armed Forces, providing mutual support.
This was emphasized by Mufti Ayder Rustemov of the Spiritual Administration of Muslims in Crimea during the "Global Crimea. Understanding Ukraine through the South" conference, as reported by Ukrinform.
"Today, in the ranks of the Armed Forces, there are five Muslim chaplains (imams) who work alongside chaplains of other confessions, providing coordinated assistance to each other. In reality, there are many more of them, but there are certain issues with their formalization," he said.
Rustemov stressed that many Muslims have joined the ranks of the Armed Forces and territorial defense and have taken up arms. In the Armed Forces, military formations of Muslims have been established, the majority of which are made up of representatives of the Crimean Tatar community.
He also noted that since the beginning of the occupation of Crimea, the pressure on Crimean Tatars by the occupiers has significantly increased, and their lives are under the total control of the Russian authorities.
"Hundreds of children have been left without parents, constant searches are conducted in the houses of Crimean Tatars, and people are constantly living in fear. And these searches are carried out not only in homes but also in mosques and temples," added the Mufti of the Religious Administration of Muslims in Crimea.
According to him, occupiers install surveillance cameras in the occupied Crimea's mosques, record conversations of the faithful, conduct mass document checks, and forcibly collect fingerprints and DNA samples.
Rustemov emphasized that the Russian-Ukrainian war began with the occupation of Crimea, and therefore, it must inevitably end with the liberation of the peninsula and other territories of Ukraine.