Untitled - ircica

IRCICA ActivitiesIn his message, Prof. İhsanoğlu said that the patronageextended by H.E. Dmitry Anatolyevich Medvedev, Presidentof the Russian Federation, to the conference, marked thecontinuation of a process of mutually beneficial engagementbetween the Russian Federation and the OIC that wasinitiated in 2003, at the Tenth Islamic Summit Conferenceheld in Malaysia, when President Vladimir Putin becamethe first leader outside the Muslim world to address the OIC.“Russia’s relations with Islam and the Muslim world are deepseated and rooted in geography and history. Some of themost important chapters of Islamic history were contributedin this part of the world. The geographical proximity andeven contiguity with a number of OIC Member Stales hasresulted in an interwoven network of links ranging fromdemography, to culture and economy. Five OIC MemberStates were a part of the former Soviet Union and vast areasin the southern parts of the Russian Federation and in theCaucuses are predominantly Muslim populated. In factMuslims form significant component of the population inthe Russian Federation. All these facts contribute towardsthe promising prospects and vast potential attributed to thefuture of relations between Russia and the Islamic world thatform the subject of this important and timely conference.”The Secretary General pointed out that the observer statusenjoyed by the Russian Federation at the OIC indicates apositive development that will underwrite a bright future forstrong relations between Russia and the Islamic world basedon mutual benefit and rich political, economic and culturalcontent.Mr. Sergey Mikhaylovich Mironov, Chairman of the Councilof Federation of the Federal Assembly of the RussianFederation said, in his address at the ceremony, that “Therealties of the present day demand for the widening ofinternational cooperation between Russia and the Muslimcountries in different life spheres. This would contribute tofurther deepening of mutual understanding among peoplesof our countries, establishment of a favourable internationalclimate, and strengthening stability in the world.” Mr. Mironovunderlined the importance of cooperation between religiousscholars of all faiths and various countries in combatingterrorism and extremism. He said “We deeply esteem thehigh moral values of Islam that are reliable regulators of therelations between people. We are thankful to all the Russianmuftis and personally mufti Sheikh Ravil Gaynutdin for thesignificant contribution into the creation of favourable socialclimate in our country, contributing to settlement of acutevariances. With our everyday activities you, dear mufti standfor consent, tolerance, good neighborliness, kindheartednessand justice.Mufti Sheikh Ravil Gaynutdin, Chairman of the RussiaMufties Council and Chairman of the Religious Board ofMuslims of the European Part of Russia said that for manycenturies Russia as a Eurasian state has been interconnectedwith the Islamic world with traditional natural ties. “Millionsof Muslims have traditionally lived in our country and theybelieve Russia to be their motherland.” Mufit Gaynutdinsaid that earlier, in June, the President of Russia DmitryMedvedev speaking in Cairo at a meeting with permanentrepresentatives of the member states of the League of ArabStates had explained the deep strategic reasons behind therelations between Russia and the Islamic world. PresidentMedvedev had said “Islam is an indispensable part of Russianhistory and culture. Respect for the faith and traditions ofour people lays the basis of the civil peace in our country.I can formulate it straightforward – Russia does not haveto seek friendship with Muslim world. Our country itselfis an organic part of this world, because Russian Muslimsare 20 million of our people … That is why we value ourever broadening cooperation with the Organisation ofIslamic Conference.” In the same vein, Mufti Gaynutdinsaid that for their part Russian Muslims had done theirutmost within the framework of religious diplomacy topromote Russia’s successful relations with the OIC and bringRussia and the Islamic world closer to each other. Manyprograms of economic and other cooperation are underway. The Russian-Arab Business Council and its bilateralcommissions successfully function in Moscow. “Togetherwith the Islamic Bank of Development we are studying thepossibility of practical application of the Islamic banking inRussian financial system. The Council of Muftis of Russia hasworked out a program of studying the elements of Islamicfinancial institutions with the aim of implementing them inRussian banks.”Among the speakers who were invited to address theceremony, Director General of IRCICA Dr. Halit Erenhighlighted the main cultural aspects of relations betweenRussia and the Muslim world in historical perspective andpointed to areas of reflection and cooperation that can helpfurther improve mutual understanding between peoplesof the two worlds. He said that the understanding andapplications of Islamic thought among Muslims in Russia area major component of their cultural experience and heritage:this heritage constitutes the objective frame of reference forMuslims to rely upon in order to assume and realise their faithand culture in true sense, authenticity and moderation. Healso referred to Russia’s and Russian Muslims’ experience ofmulti-faith and multi-cultural coexistence. In a considerablylong part of this history Muslim populations have beenpresent in the lands of Russia and the neighbouring areastogether with peoples of all other faiths. “Today, Muslimsnations of the Russian Federation and the Muslims in Russiaform, in a way, an organic cultural bridge between Russiaand the Muslim world, a bridge that transmits the shared andthe divergent elements of cultural experiences from past topresent. … Given the respective experiences of Russia and theMuslim world as multifaith and multicultural communitiesthis cooperation can contribute towards cultural dialoguebetween the Muslim world and the Christian world. It canopen new avenues in addition to complementing the existingdialogue efforts with Europe, the USA and other regions ofthe world.”16 Newsletter September -December 2009, No: 80