The connection between Russian Muslims and Egypt's Al-Azhar University spans centuries and has undergone a remarkable transformation. This long-standing connection is so deep that even the current Supreme Mufti of Russia, Talgat Tajuddin, is an Al-Azhar alumnus. The history of this dialogue is a journey from unregulated trips through the chaos of the 1990s, when thousands of young people spontaneously left to study abroad, to today's equal partnership. This evolution eloquently demonstrates how Russia developed its own approach to Islamic education, where studying abroad ceased to be a threat and became a strategic partnership.
The historical connection was established long before the phenomenon of educational migration. Throughout the 19th and early 20th centuries, Umm al- Dunya was a clear and familiar beacon for Russian Muslims, shining in the memories of thousands of pilgrims who trod this land on their way to holy sites. One of the main Hajj routes for pilgrims from the Russian Empire passed through Egypt's key ports—Alexandria and Port Said. This practice made Egyptian culture, the Arabic language, and religious life familiar and understandable to entire generations, creating a solid foundation for future academic interest.
At the turn of the century, when the Jadidist movement gained momentum among Russia's Islamic intelligentsia, Al-Azhar, undergoing its own transformations under the leadership of Muhammad Abduh, became an important source of inspiration and modern knowledge. Studying in Cairo was reserved for the most inquisitive – future leaders and educators such as Ziya Kamali and Ali Kayayev . They came not for basic truths, but for advanced pedagogical methods and a broad theological perspective, with the goal of subsequently reforming the educational system in their homeland. However, even at this time, the government was already recognizing hidden risks. In 1916, the Viceroy of the Caucasus, in his report to the Emperor, directly pointed out that young people studying abroad "often adopt views and beliefs dangerous to Russian statehood," anticipating the challenges of the coming century.
The collapse of the Soviet system and the subsequent religious renaissance exposed a catastrophic gap in continuity. The native Islamic educational system was completely destroyed, and a new one was absent. The resulting spiritual vacuum gave rise to an explosive, uncontrollable demand for knowledge, which began to be filled en masse and chaotically from abroad. Hundreds, and by some estimates, thousands of young people from Dagestan, Chechnya, Tatarstan, and other regions by the mid-1990s were leaving to study, guided by rumors, advice from friends, or invitations from little-known foundations. Many arrived with little basic education and a weak knowledge of Arabic.
Arriving in Egypt, they often found themselves outside the academic environment of Al-Azhar, but in marginal circles—studying in private language centers and living isolated in Cairo neighborhoods like Nasr City, not integrating into university life. This spontaneous influx turned into a powerful channel for importing not only knowledge but also competing, and often downright hostile, ideological currents to Russian reality.
Alongside the moderate Al-Azhar tradition, radical Salafism from the Arabian Peninsula was actively penetrating the country, clashing with the Sufi brotherhoods rooted in the Caucasus and the moderate Islam of the Volga region. The result was tragic: educational migration, intended to provide enlightenment, became a key factor in the ideological fragmentation of the ummah and a source of recruits for the extremist underground. Data from Dagestan, the epicenter of this process, reveal a shocking correlation: a significant portion of the youth later convicted or liquidated for terrorist activity had incomplete or marginalized education abroad. A historical channel for intellectual exchange has become a serious threat to national security.
Full recognition of the impending danger led to a fundamental revision of the approach by the Russian state and centralized religious organizations. A dual strategy was initiated, aimed at overcoming vulnerability and dependence on external centers. Within the country, the systematic construction of a domestic system began. Although based on the oldest educational institutions, a vertical chain of Islamic education was built from scratch: from Sunday schools and madrassas to universities and, as the logical apex, the Bolgar Islamic Academy in Tatarstan, designed to train a scientific and theological elite. To ensure unification and quality control, the Council for Islamic Education (CIE) was established, developing federal educational standards.
The state, recognizing the strategic importance of this sector, began providing direct financial and administrative support through a specially established Fund for the Support of Islamic Culture, Science, and Education. The goal was to develop a new generation of clergy—loyal, integrated into the Russian legal and cultural framework, and combining theological knowledge with modern social competencies.
At the same time, the difficult task of resetting relations with Al-Azhar began. A key diplomatic and organizational success was a series of negotiations and agreements reached between the CIE and the university's senior leadership. By personal order of Al-Azhar Grand Sheikh Ahmed al -Tayeb, a fundamentally new framework for interaction was established.
First, all prospective Russian applicants were to be admitted to the university exclusively with the approval of the CIE and a referral from the Russian embassy. This allowed for the first time in history to bring the entire student flow under complete centralized control, conducting their preliminary selection and screening in Russia. Secondly, and no less importantly, the educational standards of higher Islamic education approved by the CIE were officially recognized by Al-Azhar as equivalent to its own high school. Now, graduates of a Russian Islamic university operating according to CIE standards have the right to direct admission to the prestigious university's undergraduate program.
Fundamental agreements laid the foundation for the transition from a "periphery-global center" relationship to a partnership of equal, mutually interested parties. Russia's new status in this dialogue was clearly demonstrated during a large-scale visit of the Al-Azhar delegation to Kazan in 2025, which was held at the highest level. This resulted in the signing of a memorandum of cooperation between the Academy's Rector, Farhat Khusnutdinov, and Al-Azhar Rector, Salama Daoud. This landmark event took place in the presence of the Minister of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation, Valery Falkov, the Rais of the Republic of Tatarstan, the Chairman of the Group of Strategic Vision “Russia - Islamic World”, Rustam Minnikhanov, and the Director of the Foundation for the Support of Islamic Culture, Science, and Education, Mikhail Gryaznov.
The nature of the issues under discussion changed dramatically. The discussion was no longer about admissions conditions or diploma recognition — those barriers had been overcome. The parties moved on to specific programs for enhanced cooperation: academic exchanges of students and professors; joint scientific research; the publication of Russian doctoral dissertations in prestigious Al-Azhar journals; and the engagement of leading Arab scholars to supervise the work of master's and doctoral students of the Bolgar Academy. Al-Azhar Rector Salama Daoud, in his assessment, noted that "the Muslims of Tatarstan, together with Al-Azhar, are following the path of moderate Islam," emphasizing their ideological affinity and shared goals in countering extremism.
Thus, the full cycle of history came to an end, and a time of new meanings dawned. The pre-revolutionary era demonstrated how an intellectual bridge to Cairo could become a springboard for the enlightenment of entire nations. The bitter experience of the 1990s plunged this channel into danger, from which ideologies of division and hatred flooded the country. But it was precisely this painful lesson that forced Russia to make a strategic choice: not to isolate itself from the world, but to build interactions based on its own clear principles.
Today, dialogue with Al-Azhar has reached the level of a partnership based on balance and mutual respect. Relations have evolved from asymmetry to cooperation, in which Russia brings its proven and internationally recognized educational standards to the table. The focus now is on purposefully and selectively integrating global academic experience into the development of Russia's own Islamic theological school. The ultimate goal is clear: to train strong, deeply educated theologians in their homeland who, if necessary, can further their knowledge in Cairo and return to work here – strengthening traditional, moderate Islam, responsive to the challenges and demands of modern society.
GSV "Russia - Islamic World"
Photo: Vyacheslav Argenberg/Creative Commons 4.0