Anti-graft pamphlet quotes from holy books, prophet.Moscow (ENI) -- A Russian organization with close ties to the Kremlin is quoting the Bible, the Jewish Torah and a saying attributed to the prophet Muhammad in an anti-corruption drive to warn against the evils of bribery. "'Cursed be anyone who takes a bribe to shed innocent blood.' All the people shall say, 'Amen!'" (Deuteronomy Deuteronomy (d tərŏn`əmē), book of the Bible, literally meaning "second law," last of the five books (the Pentateuch or Torah) ascribed by tradition to Moses. 27:25), reads the Bible verse in a 16-page pocket-sized booklet, titled If You're Asked for a Bribe, and published by the Public Chamber, a Kremlin-supported group. Initially the authors thought of using quotations from historical figures to illustrate the problem of bribery, said Andrei Przhezdomsky, chairperson of the chamber's anti-corruption sub-commission. "Then we thought, we live in a multi-religious country, with different nationalities and religions," he said. "People who have a serious attitude to religion, moral principles, for them it might be important to know what a religion thinks of this subject." The Bible verse is followed by a hadith hadith (hädēth`), a tradition or the collection of the traditions of Muhammad, the Prophet of Islam, including his sayings and deeds, and his tacit approval of what was said or done in his presence., or saying attributed to the prophet Muhammad- "The person who gives a bribe and the person who takes a bribe, both will burn in hell." Transparency International, which tracks bribery and corruption around the world, ranks Russia among the worst offenders. Bribe-takers are reported to range from top officials who demand millions in kickbacks to doctors who require off-the-books payments and traffic police who forgive real and imagined infractions when slipped the right money. "The goal of this brochure is to show that corruption is a phenomenon that is a crime not just against the state, but a crime condemned by religion, and a sin," said Timur Timur (tĭm r`) or Tamerlane (tăm`ərlān), c.1336–1405, Mongol conqueror, b. Kesh, near Samarkand. Kireyev, a spokesperson for the Federation of Jewish Communities of Russia.
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