On March 27, the Kazan representative office of the Bolgar Islamic Academy (BIA) hosted a roundtable titled "The Multicultural Specifics of the Volga Region in the Civilizational Dimension of Russian Statehood." The discussion was moderated by Elmira Sadykova, the Head of the Academy's Center for Interreligious Dialogue and a member of the Group of Strategic Vision (GSV) "Russia – Islamic World".
BIA Rector Farkhat Khusnutdinov opened the event by emphasizing that the Volga region has historically served as a multicultural hub and a vital cradle of Russian civilization. He noted that the Academy plays a key role in this process through its extensive experience in interreligious dialogue and spiritual education.
"The further consolidation of efforts between state, religious and public institutions is essential for the successful development of our society and the country as a whole," Khusnutdinov stated. He expressed confidence that the dialogue would yield practical insights into how the region’s multicultural heritage can strengthen a unified Russian identity.
Religious Infrastructure and Social Service
Askar Gatin, the Chief Counsellor of the State and Confessional Relations Division of the Department for Interaction with Religious Associations of the Department of Internal Policy of the Rais of the republic of Tatarstan, shared data on the region's religious landscape. As of early March 2026, Tatarstan has 2,178 registered religious organizations, including 1,625 Muslim, 466 Orthodox, 9 Old Believer, and 3 Jewish organizations, among others.
Gatin highlighted a growing trend over the last several years: religious buildings are increasingly designed as multifunctional complexes. "Mosques are becoming dualistic; they are being built as complexes that accommodate both worship and community events," he explained, noting that this shift better serves the social needs of the population.
Theological Heritage and Educational Integration
Rafik Mukhametshin, the Rector of the Russian Islamic Institute (RII) and the Kazan Islamic University (KIU), as well as Director of the Council for Islamic Education, drew the audience's attention to the specific characteristics of confessional identity among modern Russian Muslims.
"Among the vectors for future development, I would specifically like to highlight the need to consolidate our efforts and expand the theological space where various subgroups of Muslims can constructively discuss the issues that concern them. In parallel, we must study Russia’s exceptionally rich theological heritage, translating these works into Russian and publishing them. However, this raises the challenge of conceptually interpreting this heritage. Unfortunately, we still have significant work to do in this direction," Mukhametshin emphasized.
Vladimir Rogatin, the Head of the Department of Islamic Studies at the Kazan Orthodox Theological Seminary, spoke about the translation activities of the Kazan Theological Academy. According to him, a core principle — particularly relevant to the "Foundations of Russian Statehood" curriculum — is the ability to learn from the experiences of others and integrate those lessons into one's own work for the development of the state.
"When we look at missionaries, they often acted as collectors of languages, traditions, and the daily customs of various peoples. It was through this very process that a unified scientific space was formed. Today, our foreign colleagues are often struck by our traditions of neighborliness, where a church stands alongside a mosque, and where translation and academic collaboration have been realized in close tandem for years. Such an experience is both unique and logical within the framework of academic translation, allowing us to enrich Russian statehood, academic thought, and each other's religious traditions," Rogatin noted.
Iskander Izmailov, a leading researcher at the Sh. Marjani Institute of History, presented on the topic "Islam and the Multicultural Environment in the Medieval States of the Volga Region: An Assessment of Mutual Tolerance." Meanwhile, Ilshat Mukhametzaripov, the Director of the Center for Islamic Studies at the Tatarstan Academy of Sciences, focused on the socio-cultural model of Tatarstan, outlining the defining characteristics of the "Tatarstan model" of state-society interaction.
"This model is built upon three pillars: the development of the Republic's economy, the enhancement of educational and scientific potential, and the preservation of spiritual culture. These are bound together by a single political vision: to make the Republic a leading region of Russia. Central to this is the fruitful interaction between the authorities and representatives of various nationalities through national-cultural autonomies, the promotion of local language studies, the prevention of extremism and terrorism, support for religious associations, and the hosting of international economic, scientific, and cultural events," Mukhametzaripov summarized.
Mufti Ilyas Hazrat Safiyanov of the Religious Board of Muslims of Chuvashia shared the experience of establishing a robust interfaith dialogue in the Chuvash Republic. According to the hazrat, the peoples of the Republic have always lived in friendship and harmony. For instance, Orthodox Christians assist in the construction of mosques (of which there are now 55 in the region), while Muslims provide financial support for the building of churches. Furthermore, Chuvashia hosts a network of shops where all products meet Halal standards; interestingly, as the Mufti noted, the majority of the customers are Orthodox.
Concluding the roundtable, Nail Hazrat Khalikov, the Imam-Mukhtasib of the Religious Board of Muslims of the Republic of Mordovia, also shared his region's experience in fostering and strengthening interreligious cooperation.
GSV "Russia - Islamic World"
Photo: Evg Klimov/Unsplash
Based on materials from the BIA Press Service