[SF-TX]

Originally Posted by lindy

Father Sysoyev did a HELL of a lot more than just write an anti-Islam pamphlet.

A curious choice of words. It almost seems as if you are suggesting his murder was somehow justified, because he did a HELL of a lot more than just write an anti-Islam pamphlet.

Russian Priest Gunned Down in Church
Orthodox Priest Known For Missionary Work Shot in Moscow
By ALEXANDER MARQUARDT

MOSCOW, Nov. 20, 2009—

A Russian Orthodox priest known for his missionary work among Muslims was gunned down in his Moscow church, Russian officials said Friday.

Thirty-four-year-old Daniil Sysoyev was shot at least four times at in the head and chest in the Church of St. Thomas by a masked gunman Thursday night, according to the Prosecutor General's Investigative Committee. The assailant also wounded the church's choirmaster, Vladimir Strelbitsky.

Sysoyev died on the way to the hospital. Strelbitsky is in critical condition.

"The main theory is that religious motives are behind the crime," a prosecutor's office spokesman told reporters.

Sysoyev routinely denounced Islam and actively reached out to Muslims and various religious sects to convert them. In a recent interview with a Russian newspaper, Sysoyev boasted that he had baptized 80 Muslims.

But with his ambitious missionary work came death threats.

"They've threatened to cut my head off 14 times," Sysoyev told Komsomolskaya Pravda in the interview. "The FSB [Federal Security Service] got in touch with me a year ago to say they had uncovered a murder plot against me."

He told a television interviewer in February 2008 that he considered it a sin not to preach to Muslims, according to the Interfax news agency.

Sysoyev was originally from the Russian Republic of Tatarstan, where a large majority of the population is Muslim. He published books titled "An Orthodox Response to Islam" and "Marrying a Muslim," which criticized the faith and drew fierce responses from Muslim organizations.

'No Reason to Kill'

Russia's Council of Muftis strongly denounced the murder Friday, saying differences should be worked out in a civilized way.

"We talk to people, we meet them. They may not always agree with us, but that is no reason to kill. Life was given to us by the Almighty!" council official Damir Gizatullin told Interfax.

The head of the Russian Orthodox Church, "This sin will not be left unanswered by God. And justice will hopefully be ensured by people," he said. "But as long as the killer has not been identified, I ask you to refrain from any hasty accusations against individuals or groups."

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