But Fr. Daniil was not "negative" in a negative sense. He did not harp on Islam with no positive purpose. Rather, he sought to share the Orthodox Gospel of Christ with all people, including Muslims, and because Islam is a false religion, he sought to show its errors so as to save as many as would listen, those who had "ears to hear." That the Lord converted some eighty Muslims to Christ through Fr Daniil's preaching is powerful testimony to the love Fr Daniil had for those who did not know Christ. They sensed his love, responded to it, responded to his words, and came to see the truth which is in Christ Jesus.
But Christ warned us in advance that He came not to bring peace but a sword, that if they persecuted Him, they would persecute His followers as well, that the time was coming when those who kill us would think that they are offering service to God. So it was that Muslim zealots came to hate Fr Daniil, sending him death threats over a four year period, and eventually killing him. For Islam commands death for those who blaspheme against Allah and Muhammad.
Fr Daniil earned his crown by loving God and neighbor enough to bring the truth of the Gospel to Muslims. He laid down his life for Christ, and in so doing, revealed the satanic core of Islam for anyone who comes to know his martyric story.
Orthodox Priest Murdered in Moscow for His Anti-Muslim Stance
Pravda via MYSTAGOGY — 11/20/2009
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| St Thomas Church in Moscow |
Orthodox Priest Daniil Sysoyev was assassinated in Moscow on the night of November 19. The crime was most likely committed for religious reasons. The priest might have fallen victim to Islamic radicals or sectarians, investigators say.
The unidentified assassin was wearing a doctor’s mask when he attacked the priest, Interfax reports. The criminal entered Holy Apostle Thomas Church in the south of Moscow on Thursday night, at about 10:40 p.m. It was a well-built tall man, eye-witnesses said. The eyewitnesses said that the man was of the Caucasian origin, although it is not clear yet how they could come to such a conclusion.
The man rushed into the church and shouted: “Who is Sysoyev here?” The 35-year-old priest came forward, the attacker pulled out a gun with a silencer, and shot him in the neck and in the head. The assassin left the crime scene walking – he was not running.
Father Daniil died at hospital about an hour later. The priest had a wife and three children.
Daniil Sysoyev was born on January 12, 1974 in Moscow. He graduated from the Moscow Theological Academy. The priest was mostly dealing with missionary activities. He particularly founded a school for street preachers in Moscow.
Sysoyev also was an active opponent of Islam. For example, he conducted two public disputes with former Orthodox priest Vyacheslav Polosin, who converted to Islam. Sysoyev published a book “Marriage with a Muslim” in which he wrote that God and the Church condemned marriages conducted with Christians and non-Christians.
Radical religious groups started threatening Daniil Sysoyev four years ago. They were sending emails threatening him to “cut his head off and let his guts out”. It was also reported that Islamic groups had sentenced the Orthodox priest to death. Last year, a Muslim man called the church in which Sysoyev was serving, and said that the priest would be killed if he continued to publicly express his negative attitude to Islam.
Sysoyev was forced to address this to Russia’s Federal Security Bureau twice, asking for help.
In addition to disputes with Muslims, Daniil Sysoyev was struggling against sectarians. He was communicating with those who had suffered from sects. The priest was an active member of the center for the rehabilitation of the victims of totalitarian sects and pseudo-religious movements...
Read the full story, plus a related report from another news source here.