International Conference  «Russia and the Islamic World: Partnership for Stability»

( Moscow,  September 24 , 2009 г.)

Mufti Ravil Gainutdin:  «Russia and the Islamic  World: Interaction through Close Cooperation»

Esteemed participants of our conference! Brothers and sisters! Friends!

I heartedly greet you with my fraternal greeting : As-salamu aleikum va rahmat – llahi talya va baraktu – Peace be with you and the merci of Allah and his blessing!

This is my pleasure to see at our conference numerous high guests from the far abroad countries, CIS countries, Russian statesmen and public figures of high status, envoys of Russia’s different confessions, scholars, artists, businessmen. This highly representative character of our International meeting is an excellent proof to the fact that its main idea received wide international support and approval. And I heartedly hope that the Conference will give a new obvious impetus to the course of deepening multilateral and fruitful cooperation between Russia and the countries of the Islamic world.

An outstanding Tatar enlightener, one of the leaders of the movement for renovation of the Muslim community in Russia- the so-called Russian Djadidism  of the turn of the XIX-XX-the century Ismail –bey Gasprinsky (1851 – 1914) in his book  « Russia and the Orient» has come to a very interesting conclusion from the point of view of modern Russian reality: « It seems to me,- he wrote, - that in future, may be in close future,  Russia is to become one of the major Muslim states, but I think, it will by no means diminish its status of the great Christian power ». The reason behind this prophetic words of Gasprinsky in the far away 1881, was, of course, his deep, and let me stress, his proper conviction, that the contribution of the Muslim peoples of Russia to the specific civilizational development could be quite comparable comparable to the contribution of the Russian Orthodox people.

Much water has flown under the bridges since than and i the XX-th century the country has gone through several totally different socio-economic formations and political and ideological regimes. As is known it has had a very hard impact on the lives of all believers, regardless of their religious confessions. At the same time the common vector of the development of Russia as a multinational and poli-confessional state remained unchanged in spite of the dramatic and even tragic character of its history in the past XX-th century. And today we can witness how true, in particular, was the prediction of its great Muslim son; the present Russia – if we take into consideration the dynamic development of its Muslim community – has really become an important Muslim state.

And this fact actually became the main argument of Vladimir Putin who at the time was the president of the country when he, being the guest of honor of the X-th Summit meeting of the OIC in Malaysia straight forwardly formulated the question of Russia’s joining in this or another form this biggest and the most influential Islamic organization of the modern world. “I am convinced,-he said in his presentation at that memorable forum,- that the participation of Russia will not only add to the multicolor palette of this Organization, it will add new possibilities to its work, it will bring the weight and the voice of the big Russian Muslim community – a community that no longer distinguishes itself from the world Muslim community and is ready for a fruitful participation in its spiritual, cultural and political life.

For many centuries Russia as a Eurasian state is interconnected with the Islamic world with traditional natural ties. Millions of Muslims have traditionally lived in our country and they believe Russia to be their Motherland.

Quite recently, last June, the present President of Russia Dmitry Medvedev speaking in Cairo at the meeting with permanent representatives of the states-members of the League of Arab states once again explained the deep strategic reasons behind the relations between Russia and the Islamic world.

« Islam, – he said, - is an indispensable part of Russian history and culture. Respect for the faith and traditions of our people lays the basis of the civil peace in our country. I can formulate it straight forward – Russia does not have to seek friendship with Muslim world. Our country itself is an organic  part of this world, because Russian Muslims are 20  million of our people …  That is why we value our ever broadening cooperation with the Organization of Islamic Conference where with the support of our friends we got the status of the observer”

Let us think about this fact of really a historic importantce: millions of Russian Muslims, who according to the Muslim teaching are as all other Muslims of the world are an integral part of the universal ummah, due to an active support of their state have formally re-unified with it!

In other words the beginning of the XXI century for the Russian Muslims was marked with the restoration of live connections with the ummah and the fall of 2003, when President Putin came up with his historic declaration at the Islamic Summit in Malaysia for them is a most important landmark in their contemporary history that marked the beginning of a large-scale restoration of their historic ties with their foreign co-believers. It is my pleasure to mention that Russian Muslims have done their utmost to promote Russia’s successful and rapid integration into the OIC.  This idea was promoted during our visits to Arab countries and at numerous conferences that too place both in Russia and abroad. I mentioned it repeatedly during my meetings with the monarchs of Marocco, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia. I can recollect our official address to the President of the Islamic Republic of Iran Mohammed Hatami  who was the Chair of OIC beginning with 1998.  Thus we can say that we, the Muslims, within the framework of religious people’s diplomacy have done our utmost to bring Russia and the Islamic world closer to each other.

The huge work carried out by the  Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia in this area, as well as the external policy public structures that supervise and coordinate the relations of Russia with the states of the Arab Muslim world deserves the highest possible appreciation. Our outstanding scholars academician E. Primakov and  the Head of the Oriental Studies Institute V. Naumkinand many others  have made great effort to explain the importance of joining the OIC.  Today we can say for sure that Russia has joined the OIC as a result of targeted collective effort of both the state and Russian society and of the Muslim community in particular.

`So let us stress once again that our course on reciprocation  of Russia and the Islamic world is a natural course that has a solid basis behind it. According to a witty remark of the President Mintimer Shaimiev of Tatarstan “Russia’s eagerness to develop long-term relations with the Islamic world is not a matter of political conjuncture”. And it is our common task in my view to use most efficiently the possibilities that have opened to us 5 years ago by practical actions and  common programs carried out together with the state.

These programs might not be limited just to the growing scope of economic cooperation between Russia and Muslim countries,  that in my understanding is much lower than it could be. On the initiative of the Head of the Chamber of Commerce, academician E. Primakov, the Russian-Arab Business Council and its bilateral commissions successfully functions in Moscow.  Together with the Islamic Bank of Development we are studying the possibility of practical application of the Islamic banking in Russian financial system.  The Council of Muftis of Russia has worked out a program of studying the elements of Islamic financial institutions with the aim of implementing them in practical activity of Russian Banks. In the situation of the World economic crises such steps can be highly demanded in the near future. I have no doubt that they will be successful in case we develop in every possible way our relations with OIC and such affiliated members of this organization as, for example, Islamic Organization on Education, Science and Culture (ISOESC), a kind of UNESCO for the Islamic world.

Very soon the whole of the Islamic world and naturally we too is going to celebrate the 40-th anniversary of the OIC. The influence of this biggest international organization that embraces 57 states is rapidly growing, which is explained by the ever growing influence of Islam and Muslim states in general in the international life. For the Muslim community of Russia the 40-th anniversary of OIC is a good reason to recollect once again that historically Russia is an important civilizational component of Muslim world. Moreover, it is important to mention that the Muslim peoples of Russia have contributed and are contributing sufficiently to the formation of the Russian state and at the same time they are offering the Muslim world their century tested constructive experience of peaceful inter-confessional dialogue  and cooperation.

Russian Muslim community is a reliable bridge between the Islam world and our multinational state.  For the first time the peoples of the Northern Eurasia came to know the teaching  of Prophet Mohammed, - Allah bless him and greet him, - more that 14 centuries ago.  According to a famous medieval scholar Tabari it happened in the 7-th century on the territory of Dagestan, precisely, in Derbent, where the Muslims came with their religion and with the Arab language that for the centuries ahead has become the language of international communication.  The Middle Volga basin has also become a very fruitful zone of intercultural and international communication. This is where the Volgskaya Bulgaria, the first state on the territory of modern Russia with officially recognized confessional and cultural tradition was formed on the turn of the 8-9-th century.  It is important to stress that the first large scale unification of the Russian Orthodox people and Muslim peoples took place in 13-14-th centuries within the composition of the Golden Horde (Zolotaya Orda) where exactly due to the political will of the Horde Huns the gathering of the dispersed Russian principalities around Moscow was initiated. One can agree with the outstanding Russian historian N. Karamsin who wrote that: «Moscow owes its grandeur to Huns ».  This conclusion can be referred to Russia in general.

During our latest meetings with the OIC General Secretary E. Ihsan oglu,  we paid special attention to the need  for joining our effort to oppose the extremist ideas in the Muslim community, and stressed the necessity to work more actively to promote the ideology of temperance  («al-vasatyia»), that is a guarantee of peaceful coexistence of religions and civilizations. Let me mention the outstanding role in promoting this ideology of the Emire of Kuwait sheih Sabah al—Ahmad al-Djaber al-Sabbahas as well as the role of our brother the First Deputy Minister on Islam and Vakfs’ Affairs of Kuwait Adel Abdalla al-Falyah, who is making a lot of effort in that direction. I have to mention that based on the implementation of temperance the Islamic world can contribute a lot to the formation of the new just world order .  A lot is already being done in this field, in particular, the Strategic vision group  «Russia and the Islamic world» works fruitfully.  Last summer in Madrid under the patronage of the King of Saudi Arabia Abdalla ibn Abdul-Aziz Al-Saud and the King of Spain Juan Carlos there was held an International conference on dialogue between cultures and religions and the participants of the conference declared that it was very important to promote dialogue, mutual understanding and tolerance between the people, as well as the respect to the diversity of their religions and cultures. The international public forum “The dialogue of civilizations” set up on the initiative of our country, comes up with important ideas in this area and the contribution of this forum is widely recognized all over the world.  The activity of the “Eurasia Dialogue” platform also deserves appreciation.

Reciprocation with the Muslim world that has become one of the international priorities of Russia must be systematic and well considered. There is a field for joint action of Muslim organizations (and not only religious ones) and the state.  Based on the tradition of good cooperation accumulated for centuries both by Russian Muslims and their foreign co-believers, we are today developing bilateral international contacts with practically all countries of the Islamic world, with Ministries  on Islamic Affairs and Vakfs of Saudi Arabia, of Kuwait, of Turkey with the World Islam League, with the Committee of Muslims of Asia (Kuwait), with International Organization of rapprochement of mazhabs (Iran) International Assembly of Islamic Appeal (the Lybia), etc. 

One can already see the good fruit of this cooperation  in the field of Islamic education that is recognized by our Russian state to be of national importance. Today we have big Islamic Universities in Kazan, Mahachkala, Moscow.  The Kunt Hadgi University was recently opened in Groznii due to the personal support of the President Kadyrov of Chechnya; it is equipped with  the best modern equipment and can be the best illustration of the above mentioned. If the future imams study in their native country and later get additional training and brush up their knowledge of Islam in the best recognized Universities of the Islamic world, this, I am sure, would do good both to the ummah and to the state in general. But this process requires care and support on behalf of the state.

Rounding up I would like once again say a few words about the international aspect of Russia’s relations with the Islamic world.  Russian Muslims always react to injustice and escalation of violence against their co-believers. I like the position of our state that in the recent years is trying to abide by the moral component in international relations. One can see it in Russia’s energetic effort aimed at normalizing the situation in Iraq and in Afghanistan on the principles on national accord, in political and diplomatic regulation of the Iranian nuclear program issue, in strengthening the stability in Lebanon,  solution of the Palestine problem through the renunciation to occupation of Palestinian and other Arab lands.  I am absolutely convinced that solid security in the Middle East can only be achieved on the basis of just and universal settlement of the Arab-Israeli conflict. An absolute “must” of this settlement is the establishment of sovereign and independent Palestinian state. There must be the end of the sufferings of our Palestinian brothers! That is why Russia’s initiative to convene in Moscow an International conference on the Middle East that was voiced in Cairo back in 2005 seems to be very important and topical.

Before I finish my presentation I would like to stress once again that deeper and broader relations between Russia and the Arab-Muslim world are in the interests of our peoples. It is absolutely natural and organic for the millions of people united by common Islamic religion and common spiritual tradition. The Holy Koran addressing all the people of good will, appeals: « Do cooperate in Good and piety, but do not cooperate in Evil and Sin (5:3)

Let the Almighty Allah provide all the success in our deeds that are pleasing to Him !  Va as salyamu alleikum va rahmatullahi va barakatu!

Be the merci of Allah and his blessing with you!