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An Orthodox priest told RIA-Novosti that the deadly flash-flood that killed 152 in southern Russia this month prompted a local Muslim to convert to Christianity. Archpriest Sergei Karpets said that the Krasnodar Krai resident was visiting the city of Krymsk, which bore the brunt of the disaster when the flood hit on 7 July. Late on Tuesday, Karpets said that the man, whose name he didn’t reveal, wasn’t in the disaster zone, but the “Christian unity” of the people involved in the cleanup impressed him. Karpets said that the Muslim requested baptism, but he’ll have to wait until the cleanup is over, as the priests will first have to educate him in the basics of the faith he’s seeking to accept. He gave no timeframe for the baptism. Apostasy is punishable by death under Islamic Sharia law.
18 July 2012
RIA-Novosti
