Many theologians in the Islamic world consider Russian Muslim thought to be the only one capable of bringing new ideas to the agenda of Islam in the 21st century, Damir Mukhetdinov, rector of the Moscow Islamic Institute (MII) and first deputy chairman of the Religious Board of Muslims of Russia, said on Thursday.
"Many professors say: if anyone can save Islam in the 21st century, bring something new to the world agenda - it is only Russian Muslims, who already have their reflection developed, tested and worked out on the territory of the Russian Empire," he said at the presentation of the book series "Al-islakh wa-t-tajdid" ("Revival and Renewal") at Kazan Federal University (KFU).
He said that by 2025 the Russian Religious Board plans to publish collections of works by three prominent theologians who came from the Russian Empire. "We hope that by 2025 we will publish the complete epistolary heritage of Musa Bigiev - it is more than 60 works - in three languages: in modern Tatar, Russian and in the original language in which the author wrote. Work is also being done on Reza Fahretdin and I hope to do the same on Shigabutdin Marjani. So: the president said that it is necessary to comprehend the domestic theological heritage - we say 'we will do it!'," Mukhetdinov added.
In January 2018, Russian President Vladimir Putin at a meeting with muftis of centralized Muslim religious organizations in Russia and heads of the Bulgarian Islamic Academy in Kazan noted the importance of developing a domestic Islamic theological school, including training a replacement for the current muftis. Traditional Islam, he then noted, is the most important part of the Russian cultural code, and the Muslim Ummah is an important part of the Russian multinational people. The revival of theological Islamic education in Russia, the president stressed, is necessary.
The book series "Revival and Renewal" consists of three chronological subseries: "19th Century Thinkers", "20th Century Thinkers" and "21st Century Thinkers", with ten books in each. Most of the books are being published for the first time in Russian, the press service of the Russian Religious Board said. Authors from Afghanistan, Algeria, Australia, Egypt, India, Indonesia, Iran, Morocco, Tunisia and Turkey are included. The series is jointly run by the Center for Islamic Studies of St. Petersburg State University and the Moscow Islamic Institute, together with the "Medina" publishing house.
GSV "Russia - Islamic World"
Photo: Sergey Bobylev / TASS
Based on materials from RIA Novosti