22 September 2003, 22:06
Russian Council of Muftis
The Russian Council of Muftis is an Islamic religious center uniting on a voluntary basis heads of Muslim spiritual boards around the country. It was set up on July 2, 1996, at a meeting of muftis, heads of Muslim spiritual boards from a series of Russian regions. The Charter of the Council was registered with the Russian Justice Ministry on August 21 the same year.
According to the Charter, the key aims of the Russian Council of Muftis are: a) organizational consolidation of Russia's Muslim religious unions with a view to joint solution of the most important problems concerning the entire Muslim community in the country; b) coordination of activities and mutual assistance of its member organizations in their relations with institutions of central and local government, organizations representing other religions and international and foreign organizations. To achieve these goals, the Council provides assistance in the design, construction, and maintenance of Islamic meeting-houses: manufactures, exports, imports and disseminates religious objects, literature and other reference materials of religious content; sets up various schools, educational institutions and groups for teaching Islam to children and grown-ups; establishes higher and secondary educational institutions to train clergy; and participates in developing laws and other Russian legal acts regarding problems of the social and religious life of the Russian Muslims. The Council is open for leaders of regional Muslim unions across the country. Spiritual boards preserve complete independence when their leaders join it.
Mufti Ravil Gainutdin, chairman of the Muslim Spiritual Board of European Russia, is elected chairman of the Russian Council of Muftis.
