of the All-Russian Muslim meeting

Moscow March 24, 2011

In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful!

The All-Russian Muslim meeting, being the first meeting, a working and discussion site for Muslims in our country on the nationwide scale after the October Revolution, is the result of the cooperation of Muslim religious structures with Russian Muslims, with non-governmental organizations and associations, with state authorities, organized under the leadership of the Russian Mufties Council.

This meeting is a response of the Muslim community in Russia to a rise in xenophobia and Islamophobia in our country. It convened in a situation where Muslims in Russia are increasingly concerned about the spread in Russian society such views as a destructive role of Islam and Muslims in the fate of multiethnic Russia, the spread of ideas of extremism and intolerance.

The Organizers of the meeting see as one of its major tasks the consolidation of the Muslim community in the face of contemporary challenges faced by Russian society. An important objective of the event is to seek effective models of achieving inter-religious and interethnic peace and accord in Russia, as well as more active involvement of Russian Muslim community in the processes of modernization and development.

The next task of the meeting is to sharpen the focus of the Russian public on the issue of de-politicization of religion in our country, on the basis of Russia's status as a secular, democratic and multi-confessional state. Particularly relevant this point becomes in the situation when intrusion of religion into the political sphere in our country and epoch-making events in the Arab-Muslim world is increasing ever more.

The All-Russian Muslim meeting was attended by over 500 delegates from more than 60 Russian regions. Among them - the heads of Russian Religious Boards of Muslims, prominent representatives of Muslim clergy, the public, scientists and artists who have made significant contributions to the development and strengthening of the country, members of the Expert Council of the RMC.

The distinguished guests of the event were heads and representatives of traditional religions, leaders of relevant ministries and the Federal Assembly, the representatives of the Presidential Administration and Government of the Russian Federation, Leaders and representatives of public and political associations.

Unanimously recognizing that starting from the moment of finding a new democratic state, there have been serious changes in religious policy in Russia, the Meeting noted that these changes were possible to be made thanks to the government support of official religious structures of Russian Muslims. However, during this same period, Russian society faced with many challenges and problems.

The participants of the meeting as a result of the discussion of the problems that were at the event agenda, admit that the solutions of these problems need a multifaceted cooperation between the religious structures of the Russian Muslims, other religious faiths, social, informational, educational institutions, public authorities of the Russian Federation.

According to the results of the meeting participants of the event made the following proposals to state authorities, official religious structures, public organizations and associations:

1.

The consolidation of the religious structures of Russian Muslims

1)  To solve all mentioned problems Russian Muslims need the highest degree of consolidation of the official religious institutions, religious communities and associations pursuing common values, goals and objectives;

2) Acquiring this consolidation the Russian Muslims must be firmly guided by the general for all Muslims, regardless of legal or methodological school, absolute values, religious principles confirmed in the primary sources of Islam - the Koran as the Word of Allah and the Sunnah, as a collection of authentic traditions of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him);

3) Reaching this consolidation Russian Muslims should focus on the religious, intellectual and social experience of the classics of the Russian Islamic tradition, long experience of peaceful coexistence of different nationalities and denominations within the boundaries of one country, observing the laws of the Russian Federation;

4) In order to achieve this consolidation Russian Muslims should regularly hold all-Russian meetings, conference, debates, discussions, and develop remote collaboration using modern means of mass communication;

2.

 Countering the spread of extremist ideas

1) To preserve civil peace and accord, public and state security in the Russian Federation Muslims of our country should improve efficiency in countering extremist and misanthropic ideas and practices;

2) To solve this problem Russian Muslims should focus on outreach and educational activities. This involves the creation of educational materials in accordance with the traditions of Russian Muslims, review of educational, religious and educational literature, the creation of media networks as television, websites, publications, conducting preaching and outreach activities, organization of teaching the basics of Islamic culture in secular educational institutions;

3.

Countering Islamophobia

1) Russian Muslims should make every effort to firmly counter the spread of Islamophobia in our society, fear and distrust towards Islam and Muslims and fomentation of distrust and hatred between the Russians of different nationalities and religions, the spread of false information about Islam;

2) We should call on the Russian media to observe the canons of journalistic ethics, the principles of objectivity, as well as the norms of Russian legislation and strict enforcement of the media professional to observe these norms;

3) Russian Muslims should strongly oppose the increasing pace of bans of the best examples of Islamic religious literature by the judicial authorities;

4.

Depoliticization of religion

1) Russian Muslims must work together to counter the attempts of involving religion in the political game, battles and fight for reaching momentary and dubious goals;

2) Given the impossibility of complete distancing of Russian Muslims from the political sphere, it is necessary to support the political participation of sincere believing citizens, while rejecting a direct and immediate political participation of clergy and individuals with religious san;

5.

The maintenance of interethnic and interfaith peace

1) Russian Muslims should pay more attention to the issue of building closer and more trusting relations between the Russian confessions;

2) It is time to the leaders of the Russian confessions to move from theory to joint work to rescue society from the abyss of materialism, degradation and mutual hatred;

3)  Representatives of the Russian faiths should avoid to oppose our beliefs and should be guided in relationships on the values and principles that bring together the believers of different faiths;

6.

The modernization of the religious structues of Russian Muslims

1)  To meet all the challenges of the Russian Ummah in addition to a long historical tradition, trusting relationships with the authorities Russian Muslims should strive for a full-scale modernization of its official religious structures;

2)  The religious structures need to be more involved in the work with the younger generation of Muslims, to build effective communication with the public, information and expert environment;

3)  The religious organizations of Russian Muslims should more widely use in the work modern information, communication, educational, organizational and other technologies;

7.

The Relationships with the Islamic world

1) With the rapid changes that are happening in the Arab-Muslim world, the revolutionary invasion of the Islamic factor in world politics, Russian Muslims should interact more with the public authorities of the Russian Federation in building relations between Russia and the reviving Islamic world;

2) To achieve these goals, Russian Muslims should work more actively in the organization of relations with the authorities of foreign countries, including regular contacts with representatives of the embassies of Muslim countries;

3) We should maintain contacts with international Islamic organizations, including the OIC, the Islamic Development Bank, the European Muslim Union and others;

4) We should enhance relationships with religious and spiritual agencies of foreign countries, including the Department of Awqaf;

5) Also we should enhance the activity and effectiveness of signing contracts, sending Russian imams and students to foreign universities, their certification at the end of the education;

6) We should promote the conclusion of contracts for financial assistance and subsidies;

7) It is important to increase the efficiency in the organization of the Hajj and Pilgrimage;

8.

The sphere of religious education, teaching and publishing

1) To more effectively achieve all of the above-mentioned goals and objectives, Russian Muslims should create educational materials in accordance with the traditions of Russian Muslims;

2) The Review of educational, religious and outreach literature should be held;

3) Creation of a network of media: television and radio channels, Internet sites and printed publications;

4) The actions aimed at Islamic education;

5) The development and update of standards for Muslim schools;

6) Promotion of the organization of teaching the basics of Islamic culture in secular schools.

The participants of the All-Russian Muslim meeting noted that implementation of these recommendations should help strengthen civil peace and prevent the growth of violence and confrontation between Russian citizens.

The meeting participants also pray that Russia remains the co-operation, alliance, mutual understanding between all the traditional religions of Russia, mutually enriching dialogue between the peoples of the Russian Federation.

Russia for its Muslim citizens - not only their homeland, and not only state where its Muslims citizens present a significant religious minority. This is a country that historically was, and remains a spiritual territory of Islam. Russian Muslims have no other homeland there is no other land of our ancestors! That’s why all the achievements and misfortunes of Russia are our troubles and our achievements! Only with a joint effort we can succeed and build a better future for our descendants!