Orthodox Church in Prague vandalized after Muslim threatens parishioners

Moscow, May 2, 2017

Photo: prague-express.cz

On the morning of April 28, the Church of Dormition of the Most Holy Theotokos at the Olšany Cemtery in Prague, Czech Republic was vandalized, reports The Prague Express.

Witnesses stated that the day before, a strange man entered the church after the Divine Liturgy and began praying to Allah. Then he removed his headdress and threw it at a holy icon. He then began to threaten parishioners, yelling, “You know not what awaits you!” He spoke in Russian and also yelled out something in Arabic.

Photo: prague-express.cz

The guard on duty called the police, but he, not knowing the Czech language very well, could not explain to the police what happened. The Muslim then began to urinate right in front of their eyes, trying to hit the police officers’ shoes, and he was detained and taken away.

The next morning graffiti was found on the church’s crypt and on the church itself, reading, “Allah Akbar! Your God is Allah! Death is near!”

Photo: prague-express.cz

The Church of the Dormition holds a special place among Orthodox Churches in the Czech Republic. It was built by Russian emigrants at the beginning of the twentieth century, who also created the Dormition Brotherhood, responsible for burying emigrants. Near the church is the so-called Russian Necropolis, where famous emigrants of the first wave are buried, including the author Arkady Averchenko.