November 11, 2024
An enlarged meeting of the Presidium of the Spiritual Assembly of Muslims of Russia was held, which was attended by representatives of the Spiritual Assembly of Muslims of Russia from more than 30 regions of Russia and invited guests from Moscow, Bashkortostan, Tatarstan, the Crimea, representatives of federal authorities, as well as Muslim organisations from Senegal and Ethiopia. It is symbolic that the meeting was held on the territory of the Interreligious Spiritual Cultural and Educational Centre under construction in the settlement of Kommunarka (Moscow).
The head of the Spiritual Assembly of Muslims of Russia, the Mufti of Moscow, Albir Hazrat Krganov, made a large detailed report on the main issues and directions of activity of the Russian Ummah.
The meeting discussed pressing problems of Russian Muslims: the demographic situation of indigenous Muslims in the country, the upbringing of children with the right moral guidelines, the preservation of traditional family values, issues of support for families and participants in the Special Military Operation, as well as the issue of control of migrants in the Russian Federation. The issue of the international agenda of the work of the Spiritual Assembly of Muslims of Russia was raised, as well as support for the Palestinian people.
Muftis from Russian regions, including representatives of Bashkortostan and Tatarstan, discussed the need to expand infrastructure for the Muslim community in Moscow. There are often appeals from citizens about the lack of space for women and children, which requires the creation of new spaces and cultural centres. Additional spaces are needed for cultural events, education and leisure activities, which will strengthen the connection of Muslims with the spiritual and cultural heritage of our country.
“We Muslims, the indigenous inhabitants of Russia, representing more than sixty ethnic groups, have ancestrally lived here on this land. We have no other homeland but Russia! We know and cherish our customs, traditions and faith. We are proud of our Russian civil identity, we recognise ourselves as an organic part of Russian society. But sometimes we have to hear words of dislike because of migrants and sometimes their inappropriate and ugly behaviour - this is unfair, unpleasant, and wrong. We should not be considered as guests who have temporarily arrived in the country and judged by their actions and deeds, which do not share and thus have nothing to do with our original heritage and the true spirit of the Muslim people of Russia. It is impossible to transfer negative attitude to migrants - extremists and offenders - to good Russian Muslims, native inhabitants of Russia and thus form negative stereotypes of perception of Islam and Russian Muslims” - said in his speech Albir Hazrat.
Special attention was paid to the topic of mosque construction in Russia. Muftis of Russia's regions shared their experience of constructive co-operation with regional authorities. The Interreligious Spiritual Cultural and Educational Centre with the Moscow Central Cathedral Mosque named after the first Mufti of Russia Muhamedzhan Khusainov (buried in Bashkiria) on the territory of the settlement of Kommunarka (Moscow) was also discussed. The attendees noted that mosques are built for their citizens, for the citizens of Russia, for indigenous Muslims who originally lived on the territory of Russia. The mosque serves not only as a place of worship, but also as an important social and cultural centre, especially for the indigenous peoples of Russia.
Head of the Spiritual Assembly of Muslims of Russia, Mufti Albir Hazrat Krganov emphasised: “Over the years of Islamic revival in Russia, thousands of mosques destroyed in the atheistic past have been built. For a Muslim, a mosque is a kind of educational spiritual centre for studying and understanding Islam, strengthening Islamic solidarity and patriotic unity of society. I would like to remind that after Friday namaz in mosques prayers are offered for the well-being of the country and the ruler of the state. Our mosques are the Houses of Allah, sacred and honoured places of worship, which have existed in Russia for more than a thousand years, long before the topic of migration, and will remain, Inshallah, after it. We gather in our mosques for prayer, enlightenment, education, strengthening in faith. Moreover, mosques are not only places of worship, but also unique manifestations of architecture that adorn our country and testify to the richness of spiritual diversity. We believe that the issue of mosques, the allocation of land and the problem of their construction should not become a platform for tensions and Islamophobia. In general, any form of manifestation of Islamophobia, interreligious discord and conflict is inherently alien to Russia. It should be noted that attempts to sow discord between Muslims and Christians in our country are fruitless and unpromising”.
Distinguished muftis and imams spoke on the agenda and other pressing issues of the regional muftis' activities: Mufti of the Spiritual Administration of Muslims of Siberia Zulkarnay Shakirzyanov, Mufti of the Spiritual Administration of Muslims of the Republic of Bashkortostan Ainur Birgalin, Deputy Mufti of the Republic of Tatarstan Ravil Zuferov, Deputy Mufti of the Muslims of Crimea Esadullah Bairov, Chairman of the Muftiate of the Republic of Dagestan Abdullah Salimov, Mufti of the Spiritual Administration of Muslims of Novosibirsk region Salim Shakirzyanov, Mufti of the Spiritual Administration of Muslims of Lugansk People's Republic Muhammad Ismail Gambarov, Mufti of the Spiritual Administration of Muslims of Sverdlovsk region Abdul Kuddus Asharin, Mufti of the Spiritual Administration of Muslims of Volgograd region Bata Kifah Mohamad, Mufti of the Centralized Religious Organisation of Muslims ‘Baikal Muftiyat’ Farid Mingaleev, Mufti of the Spiritual Administration of Muslims of Tomsk and Tomsk region Nurulla Tursunbaev, Deputy Mufti of Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Region of Yugra Kamil Samatov, Mufti of the Spiritual Administration of Muslims of Kemerovo region Tagir Bikchantaev, Mufti of the Spiritual Administration of Muslims of Penza region Abubyakyar Yunkin, Chairman of the Spiritual Administration of Muslims of Chuvashia Mansur Khaibullov and First Deputy Mufti of Chuvashia Ilyas Safiyanov, Mufti of the Spiritual Assembly of Muslims of Primorsky Territory Ramil Kilmukhametov, Mufti of Moscow region Daud Mukhutdinov, Chairman of the Spiritual Administration of Muslims of the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia) Musa Sagov, imam-hatib of Murmansk region Muhammadhabib Gadzhayev, Chairman of the local religious organisation of Muslims ‘Way’ in Chelyabinsk Raul Tukhvatulin and other representatives of Muslim organisations from Dagestan, Vladivostok, Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, Amur, Pskov, Smolensk, Tver and Vladimir regions, Mordovia, Rostov-on-Don, Kursk, Lipetsk.
In conclusion, the head of the Spiritual Administration of Muslims, Mufti Albir Hazrat Krganov once again noted the productivity of the joint work of all the regional offices, thanked the Hazrats for their great work in strengthening Islam and the Russian Ummah, wished them further success and the help of the Almighty in the implementation of all the plans.
Press-service of the Spiritual Assembly of Muslims of Russia
