Russia’s top Muslim cleric, Mufti Talgat Tadjuddin has been given an official prosecutor's warning concerning his statement declaring

Russia’s top Muslim cleric, Mufti Talgat Tadjuddin has been given an official prosecutor's warning concerning his statement declaring a holy way (jihad) on the United States, a spokesman for the Russian Prosecutor-General's Office said on Friday. The warning was issued by a Bashkortostan prosecutor at the request of Russia’s top prosecutor Vladimir Ustinov. Russia’s Supreme Mufti of the Central Islamic Spiritual Board of Muslims of Holy Russia Talgat Tadjuddin released his sensational statement announcing a jihad on the US on Thursday, during an antiwar protest rally held in Ufa, the capital of the Russian internal republic of Bashkortostan, dominated by Muslims. ''Russia's Muslims have effective levers for influencing the USA. In particular, we will set up a fund from donations and use the money to buy weapons to fight America and send food for the people of Iraq,'' Tadjuddin said addressing the crowd of protesters. Tadjuddin denounced the military campaign of the United States and Great Britain in Iraq and declared the unanimous decision of Russia's 29 muftis to start the jihad. The cleric said they had voted for the decision by fax in the early hours of Thursday. The protesters greeted the announcement with loud cheers. According to Tadjuddin, the latest jihad resolution was the second declared in Russia in recent history. The first time a jihad was announced was against Germany in 1941. Tadjuddin told the press after the rally that he did not know what the reaction of the administration of Bashkortostan or Russia to the jihad was. However, other top Muslim clerics on Thursday resolutely denounced the jihad declaration and distanced themselves from Tadjuddin. Russia’s Council of Muftis headed by Ravil Gainutdin, said it regrets to find that there were those among Russia's Muslims, who sought not peace in Iraq, but a third world war.