Greeting of the Mufti of Moscow Albir Krganov, Head of the Spiritual Assembly of Muslims of Russia, Deputy Chair of the Commission on harmonization of interethnic and interreligious relations of the Civic Chamber of the Russian Federation, at the G20 Meet

November 16-17, 2022

In the name of Allah the Merciful and Gracious! Esteemed organizers and participants of this international conference, Mr. Sirajuddin Syamsuddin and Dr. Muhammad bin Abdul Karim Issa, let me greet all of you on behalf of the Muslims of Russia represented by the Spiritual Assembly of Muslims of Russia and the Group of Strategic Vision “Russia - Islamic World.”
The conference agenda is extremely topical, and the list of participants reflects the great peacekeeping role and potential of religions urging the countries towards dialogue. I thank the Indonesian authorities and religious communities for organizing this high-level forum.
We share everyone’s concern about the turbulence and growing conflict potential around the world, the aggravation of old problems and the emergence of new ones. For the sake of peace and the preservation of humanity, pride and arrogance must not hinder compromise. Arrogance is a trait only befitting God! The Holy Qur’an testifies that attempts by the godless to impose their will were the underlying cause of the disappearance of entire nations. The Creator himself warns that such an attitude leads to decay and destruction. Manipulation in the global economy should not affect the rising cost of living in the world.
According to UN experts, about 1.2 billion people in the world live in “multidimensional poverty.” This means that they receive less than one dollar and ninety cents per day per person, often have no running water in the house, and have no access to medical care and education. Based on UN data, the African member-states of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation are starving; a humanitarian disaster is unfolding in Afghanistan, where families sell their children for 500 dollars to buy firewood and flour to survive the winter! We must tell the world about this!
In this context, I draw your attention to Russia’s firm desire to export grain and fertilizer to the countries in need, and most of it at no cost to them, which was announced by President Putin to the President of Indonesia.
Next, I would like to suggest that the World Islamic League and other religious institutions should more closely monitor and respond to the general growth of Islamophobia and religiophobia in the world. Additionally, Muslims in the West are being pushed to adhere to the so-called “Orwellian policy,” which is a modernized and ludicrous interpretation of Islam set forth by secular experts.
Along with religious values, we must also protect traditional human values, such as the union of a man and a woman in marriage and respect for human rights as defined by Islam.
The other day the President of Russia signed a decree on the Fundamentals of State Policy to preserve and strengthen traditional Russian spiritual and moral values. These values include life, dignity, human rights and freedoms, patriotism, servicing one’s Homeland, humanism, historical memory, and a strong family.
A separate paragraph describes the role of religions: Christianity, Islam, Judaism, and Buddhism. Expressing my sincere respect to all of you, I hope that during our forum ways to solve these issues will be discussed and outlined.
Thank you for your attention!