Tatarstan is known throughout Russia and even the world for its close and longstanding warm relations between representatives of various nationalities and faiths. According to Metropolitan Kirill of Kazan and Tatarstan, who succeeded Theophan, such a unique experience should be transmitted not only to other regions of Russia, but also to other countries.
Recalling the November 2021 meeting of the Groupd of Strategic Vision "Russia-Islamic World" in Jeddah, the metropolitan noted that Muslims have a keen and kind interest in the Orthodox.
"For us, this (coming to Jeddah and taking part in the meeting - editor) is an opening not only to Saudi Arabia, but also to the inner Islamic world that we see around us. We are witnesses to a national tradition, to Muslims respecting not only their own culture, but the culture and practices of others. Without this mutual respect, we cannot live today. The world must be traditional. The more traditional there is in our lives, the more preservation of our traditions, the more opportunities we will have for dialogue and understanding each other at all levels. A lively interest, where there is a centuries-old tradition of Islam, where there is no animosity, but only an inner desire to live peacefully with each other in today's divisive world. A Christian believer can live in one apartment and a Muslim believer can live next door. They go out into the yard together, go to the store together, use public transportation together, and their children go to school together. It is important that they respect each other, and in order to do that we need to know and understand each other. This communication gives us the opportunity to understand and interpenetrate, not to depart from their beliefs, from their traditions at the same time trying to understand and respect the traditions of their loved ones", said Metropolitan Kirill of Kazan and Tatarstan.
According to the metropolitan, such meetings, which are regularly held by the GSV "Russia - Islamic World", are another way to get to know the world in which we live.
"Tatarstan is a multicultural, multinational republic, where different cultures have coexisted peacefully for many centuries. And this is the result of a firm policy on the part of the republic's government, which extends to the everyday life of the people who live there. Such an experience needs to be studied, including in our country. I myself communicate regularly with the mufti, our priests interact with the imams, meet, become friends, and hold joint social and sports events. The way of life in Tatarstan is natural for us, when the state supports all national communities, even the smallest ones, and supports the national holidays financially. Rustam Minnikhanov, President of Tatarstan and Chairman of the GSV "Russia - Islamic World", attended all national events. This is a vivid indicator that we have one nation, which is not divided into groups," Kirill believes.
Ilmira Gafiyatullina