On July 26, 2024, in Kazan the capital of the Republic of Tatarstan, took place a meeting of the Religious Leaders of Muslims of the BRICS countries, to sign a collective resolution. The initiator of the meeting was the Chairman of the Religious Board of Muslims of the Russian Federation and the Council of Muftis of Russia, a member of the Council for Interaction with Religious Associations under the President of the Russian Federation, Mufti Sheikh Ravil Gainutdin.
In addition to the religious leader of Russian Muslims, the meeting was attended by: Mufti of Tatarstan, Chairman of the Religious Board of Muslims of the Republic of Tatarstan Kamil Samigullin; Rector of Mohammad Bin Zayed University for Humanities (UAE), Dr. Khalifa Mubarak Az-Zahiri; Chairman of the Theological Seminaries of Iran, Member of the Guardian Council of the Constitution, Vice-Chairman of the Council of Experts Ayatollah Alireza Arafi; Egypt's Minister of Awqaf, Dr. Osama al-Azhari; Chairman of the Chinese Islamic Association Yang Fa Ming; Head of the Supreme Council of Islamic Affairs and Imams of Brazil, Dr. Khaled Rezk Taki El- Sayed El-Din; Head of the Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs, Head of the Council of Scholars, Head of the Organization of Interreligious Dialogue of Ethiopia, Mufti Haji Ibrahim Tukhfa; Director of the International Islamic University of India, Dr. Huzaifa Ghulam Mohammad Al-Wastanawy; Head of the Islamic Education Organization of South Africa, Dr. Ahmed Yusuf Lukhat. The meeting was moderated by the First Deputy Chairman of the Council of Muftis of Russia, Deputy Chairman of the Religious Board of Muslims of the Russian Federation, Mufti Rushan Abbyasov.
As Mufti Sheikh Ravil Gainutdin noted in his greeting to the meeting participants, the Islamic aspect in the BRICS association is strengthening due to the accession of countries such as the UAE, Iran, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Ethiopia to the organization. On the eve of the summit with the participation of the heads of the BRICS countries, which will be held in Kazan in the fall, Muslim religious leaders expressed a desire to support the efforts of the leadership of the member countries of the organization in the name of greater integration, creation and development of relationships in various fields.
“Based on the results of this meeting, we are adopting a resolution. There will be an appeal to the BRICS secretariat so that the points of our resolution are included in the final documents”, - Mufti Sheikh emphasized.
The resolution of the meeting of the Religious Leaders of Muslims of the BRICS countries consists of nine points. The first of them expresses high appreciation for the dynamic development of the association as a multifunctional international organization, covering not only politics and economics, but also the cultural and humanitarian sphere. The second point reflects the responsibility of Muslim leaders before God and the peoples of countries in protecting spiritual and moral values in the face of modern challenges. The great role of leaders of traditional religions in maintaining dialogue and harmonious coexistence of different faiths and peoples is emphasized by the third paragraph of the resolution.
The fourth and fifth points of the collective decision are aimed at supporting the efforts of the leaders of the BRICS countries to strengthen the association based on the intercivilizational nature of the organization, as well as to ensure just peace and stability in conflict regions of the world. Islam, like other religions, doesn’t accept terrorism and extremism in any of its manifestations, as indicated in the sixth paragraph. The seventh point reflects the intentions of Muslim religious organizations to strengthen horizontal ties.
The eighth and ninth points express gratitude to the leadership of Russia, as well as to the organizers of the event represented by the Religious Board of Muslims of the Russian Federation, the University of Humanities named after. Muhammad bin Zayed (UAE), the Government of the Republic of Tatarstan and the Religious Board of Muslims of the Republic of Tatarstan. It is important to note that the text of the resolution pays special attention to the location of the meeting - the capital of Tatarstan, the city of Kazan, as one of the first centers of printing the Quran in the Islamic world.
“Every resolution has a purpose. First of all, we will send our decision to the secretariat of the summit of the leaders of the BRICS countries in order to remind them of the importance of preserving spiritual, moral and ethical values, as well as to familiarize them with the statements of religious leaders - not only theologians, but also ministers of Islamic culture. Secondly, this is an appeal to our society and the world community, since the word of religious leaders should be heard throughout the world”, - Ravil Gainutdin shared with reporters after the meeting.