The Speaker of the Federation Council met with the Secretary General of the Muslim World League
Speaker of the Federation Council Valentina Matvienko met with Secretary-General of the Muslim World League Muhammad bin Abdul Karim Al-Issa.
Referring to the Islam, a Message of Mercy and Peace international conference on religion that is being held in Moscow, Valentina Matvienko said: “Traditional Islam is an important part of the Russian cultural and spiritual heritage, and a millions-strong Muslim community is part of the Russian people. Russia is always open to dialogue and has vast experience in building balanced inter-ethnic and inter-faith relations.”
Ms Matvienko said that the spiritual component in the life of Russian Muslims had been on the rise in recent years as the government is providing targeted support for Muslim education and hajj missions, including with the participation of Crimean Muslims. “The Federation Council attaches great importance to these issues,” Ms Matvienko said. “We see our ethnic and religious diversity as an asset that is essential for the development of our country.”
According to Valentina Matvienko, solutions to a host of issues in the world require inter-ethnic and inter-faith dialogue, in particular in fighting terrorism and religious extremism. Therefore, Ms Matvienko believes it is possible to develop uniform and stringent international rules and standards to prevent terrorist ideas from spreading on the global electronic network.
Muhammad bin Abdul Karim Al-Issa emphasised that the Russian Federation was an example of religious harmony and accord.
The Secretary General of the Muslim World League thanked the Federation Council for its contribution to the efforts to consolidate peace and prevent human-hating ideologies from spreading.
The meeting was attended by Chair of the Federation Council Committee on Foreign Affairs Konstantin Kosachev, member of the Federation Council Committee on the House Rules and Parliamentary Governance Suleiman Geremeyev, member of the Federation Council Committee on Agriculture and Food Policy and Environmental Management Belan Khamchiyev, member of the Federation Council Committee on Economic Policy Musa Chiliyev, Deputy Chairman of the State Duma Committee on Issues of Public Associations and Religious Organisations Magomed Selimkhanov, Deputy Chairman of the Government of the Chechen Republic and Envoy of the Chechen Republic to the Russian President Bekkhan Taimaskhanov, Mufti of the Chechen Republic Salakh-Khadzhi Mezhiyev and Deputy Mufti of the Chechen Republic Turko Daudov.