On 17 August, the VI International Summer School “Bolgarian Dialogue of Cultures” opened at the Bolgarian Islamic Academy. The theme of the current meeting of young people was “The Personal Model of Interreligious Dialogue”.
The Summer School is organized together with the Group of Strategic Vision “Russia – Islamic World” and the Academy of Youth Diplomacy.
At the beginning of a plenary session, Ainur Timerkhanov, Acting President of the Bolgarian Islamic Academy, delivered his welcoming speech. He noted that the theme of the current forum was particularly relevant in the context of acute global challenges facing Russia. According to him, religion has always been an important factor influencing health of society, and maintaining inter-confessional and international dialogue is the key to successful development of a country.
Executive Director of the Foundation for Strategic Dialogue and Partnership with the Islamic World, a member of the Group of Strategic Vision “Russia – Islamic World”, Head of the Centre for Interreligious Dialogue at the Bolgarian Islamic Academy, Elmira Sadykova, who moderated the plenary session, read out a welcome address by Farit Mukhametshin, member of the Federation Council of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation, Deputy Chairman of the Group of Strategic Vision “Russia – Islamic World”. He stressed the importance of the chosen theme of the forum: “Today, in the current geopolitical realities, the demand for dialogue of such a format is becoming urgent”. He also told about the Group of Strategic Vision “Russia – Islamic World” and the work it does for the development of interreligious and international dialogue in the country and in the world. He also thanked the leadership of the Bolgarian Islamic Academy for their unfailing and constant support of all the Group’s initiatives and wished the participants fruitful work and interesting discussions.
Rushan Abbyasov, First Deputy Chairman of the Council of Muftis of Russia, joined the meeting in an online format. He conveyed greetings from Mufti Sheikh Ravil Gaynutdin. Rushan Abbyasov noted: “Humanity, humanism and respect for people, regardless of their religion and nationality, are the qualities that formed the basis of Islam. Interreligious dialogue is not only communications between religious institutions, but also interpersonal interactions between representatives of different religions. The substantial program of the Summer School allows participants to enhance the ethics of intercultural dialogue, broaden their horizons, and express their position on the most acute social issues and current trends”.
He added that the Summer School had a unifying educational function and that the competition of projects held there would enable them to reveal their managerial potential and vision in the field of interreligious and international interaction.
Rushan Abbyasov urged the participants to be active and at the end of his speech he added a Tatar proverb: “There is good in constant motion”.
Rector of the Russian Islamic Institute, Deputy Chairman of the Spiritual Administration of Muslims of the Republic of Tatarstan, Doctor of Political Science, a member of the Group of Strategic Vision “Russia – Islamic World”, Rafik Mukhametshin, made a welcome address on the unique Russian experience. He also passed on his instructions to the young participants of the Summer School and shared his scholarly experience in the field of reviewing articles on Orthodoxy. The scholar highlighted that it did not contradict his world view in any way. In his opinion, the most important thing in inter-confessional dialogue is understanding, even if we do not share religious views of our opponent.
“During the 1000-year history of Islam, Russia has already built a model of coexistence of representatives of various peoples and confessions, which is, one might say, a model of peaceful coexistence all over the world,” the scholar added.
The event was joined via video link by Waseem Kaladjie, social and political activist, Adviser to the Prime Minister of Lebanon and member of the Group of Strategic Vision “Russia – Islamic World”. In his speech, he addressed the topic of freedom of choice in religion and recalled an ayat of the Holy Quran, which states that there is no compulsion in religion (“Al-Baqara”, ayat 256). “The irreproachable arguments of Islam will themselves lead a person to Islam. People themselves, without any compulsion, must come to Islam. Allah Almighty explains if He had willed, He would have led all people in a straight path, but God gave us an opportunity to choose,” the speaker noted.
What brings of people of different confessions and religions together? According to Father Gregory (Matrusov), Chairman of the Expert Council under the Patriarch for Cooperation with the Islamic World, it is not so much events which take place at the level of spiritual institutions and educational establishments, but rather relations between neighbors, friends and colleagues. He suggested that efforts should be made to organize and hold joint celebrations which would unite regular people: “For Tatarstan there is nothing surprising about this, but for the rest of Russia it is important to determine simple but effective algorithms of interaction and cultural exchange. I think that current Summer School will contribute to this”.
Then Archpriest Vladimir Ponamarev read out a welcome address by Metropolitan Kirill of Kazan and Tatarstan, in which the Metropolitan mentioned the merits of Mintimer Shaimiev, the First President of the Republic of Tatarstan, in reviving and preserving the historical and cultural heritage of the country. He also stressed the fruitful interaction between the Kazan Theological Seminary and Muslim universities of Tatarstan in the field of science and education.
Sofia Mustafina, Deputy Minister for Youth Affairs of the Republic of Tatarstan, welcomed the participants and guests to the conference on behalf of the entire ministry and herself. She recalled a recent event that certainly says a lot about how traditional culture is honored and preserved in Tatarstan, while making use of modern technological advances. It was about the opera “Kara Pulat”, staged by the Tinchurin theatre on the site of the Black Chamber archaeological monument in the city of Bolgar: “We cherish our traditions and pass them on from generation to generation. We always support events aimed at the spiritual development of young people”.
First Deputy Mufti of the Republic of Tatarstan Ilfar Hazrat spoke online. Referring to the theme of the Summer School “The Personal Model of Interreligious Dialogue”, he noted that “there is no need to speculate about new models in this matter” and for centuries this model has been clear. “All people, regardless of their nation, have one ancestor – Adam. The Quran says: “O humanity! Be mindful of your Lord Who created you from a single soul, and from it He created its mate, and through both He spread countless men and women. And be mindful of Allah, in Whose Name you appeal to one another, and honor family ties. Surely Allah is ever Watchful over you (Surah An-Nisa, ayat 1).
“All nations share common human values, which we must preserve,” the Deputy Mufti of the republic of Tatarstan added.
“And one of His signs is the creation of the heavens and the earth, and the diversity of your languages and colors. Surely in this are signs for those of sound knowledge (Surah “Ar-Rum”, ayat 22). With this ayat, Ilfar Hazrat highlighted that national diversity was the foundation for the establishment of peace and harmony among all people in the world.
“Our people have a special national trait – a benevolent attitude towards our neighbors. There is even a saying: “Your neighbor’s right is God’s right”. The Republic of Tatarstan is a unique example of good neighborly relations between the Tatars, Russians, Mari, Udmurts and others for all subjects of multinational Russia. Much credit is due to the leadership of the republic. However, we do not want to use the word “tolerance”, which means “toleration”. Since we do not tolerate but respect and love each other,” Ilfar Khasanov concluded his speech.
Deacon Zachariah Begdash, Specialist of the Synodal Department for Relations with Society and Mass Media of the Russian Orthodox Church, Department for Work with State Structures, gave his welcome speech to the Summer School in Bolgar and said that the School was a significant venue with excellent projects that would find continuation not only in Russia, but also in other states. He also touched upon the role of family traditions in preserving the spirituality of society.
The participants were shown a video presentation by Dilbar Sadykova, a member of the Public Chamber Commission on Culture, Director General of the Centre for Tourism Development of the Republic of Tatarstan and Chair of the Academy of International Diplomacy. In her address to the participants of the Summer School she told about a great achievement of Kazan, which became the OIC Youth Capital. In addition to it, she invited everybody to the upcoming Kazan Global Youth Summit which will be held on August 27-30, 2022 as part of the Kazan – Youth Capital 2022 International Program. The Summit is organized by the Ministry for Youth Affairs of the Republic of Tatarstan (the Russian Federation) and the Islamic Cooperation Youth Forum (ICYF), in partnership with the Academy of Youth Diplomacy and the Republican Youth Public Foundation of the Republic of Tatarstan “Selet”.
Dilbar Sadykova also noted that the Republic of Tatarstan was a comfortable place to live for people of all nationalities and confessions. “There are more than 173 nationalities in the republic. International partners state that they feel comfortable when they come to Kazan”. She added: “The fact that this city has become the OIC Youth Capital, among others, is a credit to the Group of Strategic Vision “Russia – Islamic World”. The upcoming summit has a wide geography, wider than that of the OIC. We have received 135 applications. The aim of our work is to create joint initiative and projects between the youth of Russia and the Muslim world”.
After the speakers’ presentation, the Summer School projects participants told about their projects that they had prepared. For instance, the project by Sofia Mysina, a student of Dobrolyubov Nizhny Novgorod State Linguistic University, was devoted to the attitude of the Russian youth to Islam and common stereotypes about Islam.
Rector of the Bolgarian Islamic Academy Ainur Timerkhanov noted that the Academy signed a cooperation agreement with Dobrolyubov Nizhny Novgorod State Linguistic University last year and that a number of events had already been held to promote relations between the universities. He said the following about the project: “Undoubtedly, the project is interesting and useful. In the recent past our colleagues in the West wanted to find out the image of a regular Muslim person, which is formed on the basis of school textbooks in Germany. A Muslim is presented there as a bearded savage who is ready to take up a gun in order to kill. There is endless scope for you and me to promote truthful information about Islam and break down these stereotypes”.
In her project, Ludmila Nabiullina, Head of the UNESCO Department at the Sviyazhsk Island Town State Historical and Architectural and Art Museum-Reserve of the Republic of Tatarstan, touched upon religion as the basis of art and culture and stressed the importance to tell about objects of traditional religious cultures.
Marina Shavrina, Head of the Department for Work with Non-Muslim Religious Organizations at the Spiritual Administration of Muslims of the Russian Federation (Sankt Petersburg), talks in her project about the opportunities that the Moscow Interreligious Youth Forum can offer, namely the provision of platforms for the development of interreligious contacts.
Ildar Sadykov, teacher of history and social studies at Aksakov Gymnasium №1 and student at Bashkir State Pedagogical University named after M. Akmullah, points out in his project the role of culture, ethics and religion as an important part in education of the youth. As a teacher, he, with the help of his project, is planning to implement the goals and tasks set in it.
The program continued with a film about the Centre for Interreligious Dialogue at the Bolgarian Islamic Academy.
At the end of the first part of the plenary session, a memorandum was signed online between the Bolgarian Islamic Academy and the Nazarbayev Centre for Development of Inter-Faith and Inter-Civilizational Dialogue (Kazakhstan).
During the video conference, Bulat Sarsenbayev, Chairman of the Board at the Nazarbayev Centre for Development of Inter-Faith and Inter-Civilizational Dialogue, informed about the congress of representatives of traditional religions from 50 countries on September 14-15 in Nur-Sultan. Tatarstan will be presented by Kamil Hazrat Samigullin at the congress.
The text of the memorandum was signed by the both representatives in a solemn atmosphere.
Ainur Timerkhanov added that the development of interreligious dialogue was a common goal. He expressed his gratitude and appreciation for the interest shown to the Academy.
In the second part of the plenary session, Ainur Timerkhanov was presented with the Quran in the Bulgarian language on behalf of the Tatars of the Republic of Bulgaria. The Holy Book was given by Raisa Safiullina, member of the Public Council at the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Tatarstan and Advisor to the Minister of Culture.
Ainur Timmerkhanov stressed that thanks to joint efforts, the collection of Qurans in the Academy was expending every year.
Abdullatif Al-Bahrawi, Chairman of the Moroccan-Russian Friendship Society, participated in the plenary session. He noted that traditional religions positively influenced the society, since they shared moral values. He also mentioned UNESCO’s experience in the field of interreligious dialogue.
Rimma Idrisova, Scientific Secretary at the Sviyazhsk Island Town State Historical and Architectural and Art Museum-Reserve, spoke about the special attitude towards religious sites in cultural tourism. From her presentation the participants of the Summer School learned why it was not allowed to take photos against the background of some religious sites and other nuances of such tourism.
Suhail Farah, founder of the Lebanese-Russian House, Professor at the Lebanese University, academician at the Russian Academy of Education, shared his experience of establishing interreligious cooperation by video link. During 35 years the scholar has been involved in the dialogue of cultures and has written a number of books in four languages on this subject. They include “Dialogue of Cultures: Experience of Russia and the Levant East”, “Russia and the Arab East: Meeting of the Two Cultures” and others. Some books were published in Tatarstan. Suhail Farah was awarded the Pushkin Medal for his great contribution to the consolidation of friendship and cooperation with Russia.
Continuing the theme of cooperation between Russia and the countries of the Middle East, Ruslan Zakharov, staff member of the Foundation for the Promotion of Strategic Dialogue and Partnership, postgraduate student at the Institute of Oriental Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences, told about the experience of schools of the Imperial Orthodox Palestinian Society in Syria and Lebanon in spiritual and moral upbringing in secular education. He said that the Russian Empire had a great influence on those countries and trained personnel to organize free “Moscow schools” where children were taught in the Arabic language.
Marat Gatin, Head of Rossotrudnichestvo in the Arab Republic of Egypt, shared his research on Russian-Egyptian relations through the Russian Orthodox Church with the participants of the Summer School. It is known that the Russian Orthodox Church supports Coptic churches in Egypt.
The plenary part of the first day was ended with a presentation by Gulchokhra Seidova, Head of the North Caucasus UNESCO Chair in Comparative Studies of Spiritual Traditions, Specifics of Cultures and Interreligious Dialogue for the North Caucasus (Derbent), Professor at the Department of Legal and Humanitarian Disciplines at Branch of Dagestan State University in Derbent. She told about the work being carried out in the North Caucasus, in particular in Dagestan, in the field of interreligious interaction. Thus, the first cross procession was attended by both Muslims and Jews in order to support their Orthodox brothers, whose community was rather small for such a procession.
“The North Caucasus is an interweaving of cultures and peoples united by the common history. Once Ramsul Gamzatov said: “In Dagestan, I am an Avar, in Russia, I am a Dagestani, and abroad I am a Russian!”. And when today I witness the attempts to abolish Russian culture in the West, I, a representative of Azerbaijani and Jewish peoples, say that I am a Russian,” Gulchokhra Seidova concluded her speech.
The VI International Summer School “Bolgarian Dialogue of Cultures” will continue until August 19. The participants will present their projects, and the Prospects of Interreligious Dialogue in the Republic of Tatarstan round table will be held at the Bolgarian Islamic Academy.
GSV "Russia - Islamic world"