Welcoming address of the Chairman of the Religious Board of Muslims of the Russian Federation, Chief Mufti Sheikh Ravil Gainutdin, to the organisers and participants of the retreat of the Strategic Vision Group ‘Russia - Islamic World’, held today, 11 December, in the capital of Malaysia - Kuala Lumpur:

In the Name of Allah, the Merciful and Merciful!

Your Excellency, the Prime Minister of Malaysia.
Mr Anwar Ibrahim!
Honourable Rustam Nurgaliyevich!
Honoured Andrey Yurievich!
Honoured participants of the meeting!

The meeting of the Russia-Islamic World Strategic Vision Group is taking place at the end of the year 2024, which is marked by further progressive strengthening of relations between our country and the Muslim world. Despite the continuation of unprecedented pressure on Russia from the West, for the second year in a row Muslim countries have been increasingly active in building mutually beneficial, friendly contacts based on historical experience, trust and close positions on key issues of the modern world order. This is expressed not only in the political sphere, but also in the significant growth of trade turnover, active development of co-operation in cultural, religious, economic, investment and humanitarian spheres. Obviously, the authority of Russian President Vladimir Putin and his position aimed at building a multipolar world are of key importance here.

The BRICS summit held in Kazan in October clearly demonstrated Russia's international authority and the futility of efforts to isolate or compromise our country - the global organisation created by Russia, China, India, Brazil and other major countries has proved its viability, integration and influence on global processes. The active participation of Muslim states - UAE, Iran, KSA - in BRICS, the status of a BRICS partner country enjoyed by our friendly Malaysia and other countries of the Islamic world show that modern colonialism is opposed to the aspiration of peoples to a multipolar world understood not only in political or economic categories, but also in cultural and civilisational aspects. The obvious right to preserve their religious norms and beliefs, the sanctity and inviolability of the Holy Scriptures contributes to the consolidation of common efforts to protect traditional values, including family values. It is no coincidence that at the summit of religious leaders of the BRICS countries held this summer, a resolution was signed on co-operation in preserving spiritual, moral and family values, love of the Motherland, rejection of extremism and countering terrorism. The religious leaders of the BRICS countries are confident of expanding spiritual dialogue, as the positions of their countries and peoples are in harmony, and moral issues were touched upon by the participants representing different states in both theological and purely practical dimensions.

The tectonic processes of changing the decades-old foundations of the world order, the usual balance, put forward the right to civilisational diversity as an important mechanism for the sustainability of the world. Over the past years, it has become clear that the promoted course of aggressive westernisation and ‘standards’ of secularism has failed - the role of religion is only increasing, and the constructive position of believers on issues of social order is becoming a factor of stabilisation and harmony.

The Islamic world is well aware that in Russia the rights of believers are legally protected and the values of the traditional family are enshrined in the basic law - the constitution. Within the framework of the Year of the Family announced by President Vladimir Putin, the Religious Board of Muslims of the Russian Federation initiated activities within the framework of the Year of the Muslim Family in 2024. In particular, the International Conference ‘Traditional family values in the context of global transformations’, successfully held in the Moscow Cathedral Mosque, took on special significance. The participants expressed the need for societies adhering to traditional family values to unite in order to participate in integration processes aimed at overcoming global challenges that threaten the institutional integrity of the family, and stated that in the context of increasing cultural changes and ideological pressure, it is important to preserve the traditional family values in the context of global transformations.

The very federal structure of Russia and the historical, centuries-long co-existence of Christians and Muslims as good neighbours points to the real possibility of building and preserving a multi-confessional society - in fact, creating a model based on a unique millennial experience. The work of our Russia-Islamic World Strategic Vision Group is of great importance in spreading knowledge about Islam in Russia. I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate Rustam Nurgaliyevich Minnikhanov on the recent awarding of the Order of Merit to the Fatherland, First Class, by President Vladimir Putin.

I prayerfully ask for the practical success of our today's meeting, peace and prosperity for our peoples and countries, the protection of the Almighty and a speedy passage of such a difficult test.