Today the chairman of the Religious Board of Muslims of the Russian Federation, Mufti Sheikh Ravil Gainutdin met with Minister of Islamic Affairs, Dawah and Guidance of Saudi Arabia — Abdelatif bin Abdulaziz Abdrahman Ash-Sheikh. The meeting took place during the visit of the Russian delegation to to Nur-Sultan in order to attend the 7th Congress of Leaders of World and Traditional Religions. The meeting was also attended by first deputy chairman of the RBMRF, Damir Mukhetdinov, and the heads of the RBMRF departments.
Mufti Sheikh Ravil Gainutdin spoke about the celebration of the 1100th anniversary of the official adoption of Islam by the peoples of the Volga Bulgaria. "This year the Russian President Vladimir Putin helped us to organize the celebration of the 1100th anniversary at the federal level by apppointing an organising committee chaired by Marat Khusnullin, deputy Prime Minister of the Russian Federation, with Rustam Minnikhanov, head of the Republic of Tatarstan, as co-chairman. In January I announced the beginning of the festivities in Russia," he said.
The leader of Russian Muslims told Abdelatif bin Abdulaziz Al-Sheikh that the Russian authorities paid attention to the development of Islamic institutions. For example, the Moscow government has provide assistance with the reconstruction of the premises of the Moscow Islamic Institute. "The last two years were difficult, taking into account the restrictions related to the coronavirus pandemic, but alhamdulillah, we proceeded with all our planned programmes," he noted.
Mufti Gainutdin also expressed gratitude to His Majesty King Salman bin Abdulaziz for creating conditions for pilgrims and his considerate attitude towards Russian Muslims. He also mentioned the significance of the memorandum of cooperation signed on 10 November 2019 between the RBMRF and the Ministry of Islamic Affairs, Dawah and Guidance of Saudi Arabia.
Abdelatif bin Abdulaziz Al-Sheikh thanked Mufti Gainutdin for the visit and cooperation proposed to enhance the memorandum and develop new joint projects.