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Association of Muslims of Russia – or just selected “Duma members”? | News | News |

unification processes in principle could not be easier and as such are not – it is obvious from voiced in recent statements and publications. There, on the one hand, the desire to change the status quo, but on the other – the absence of a complex interplay of culture, when everything – different, but all – are united. To reach this result, it is necessary to overcome a lot.

Congress of Muslims of Tatarstan, has become unexpectedly from expected-routine events – exciting, progressive, showed once these two trends. And there also was first proposed by the reaction of staff of the Kremlin administration, which has sounded very loose definitions. But I suggest sharper look at our reality.

One, which recognize three …

Let us recall the vivid statement of the chairman SMR Ravil Gainutdin: “If Muslims do not perceive this as a single person, the chief mufti, it will not be mufti, he will not have any credibility among co-religionists in the country, nor in the Islamic world abroad.” Ideally, the way it should be – but Russia’s reality is very far from being able to manifest such an ideal. What I mean? Let us look at who the “co-religionists in this country” and will respond immediately to such questions. Do all coreligionists included, firstly, in the structure of the unifying force in the direction of SMR, and TSDUM CCMNC? – No.

exact statistics, probably nobody will not be able to give, nor within the Islamic community (from historians and analysts working on a series of encyclopedic dictionaries “Islam in Russia”) or without ( from academic institutions to Islamophobia-statistics Roman Silantyeva, hang out in his Network “map confessions Russia”). Reality of the Ummah today’s Russia is that besides the three named “super-Mufti, there is a unspecified number of independent from anybody, but at the same time registered by the State” Mufti “who do not belong to any of the three supreme structures – SMR, TSDUM, KSMSK — and does not try to take their “authority”. Rather the contrary. However, for them – if not hundreds, then tens of thousands of parishioners. And yet, as far as we can see, no one even raised the issue of bringing them to a unifying wave.

In addition, Russia currently operates a large number of communities, for various reasons did not wish to register as “religious associations of citizens”, but such in fact and in its way of life, the spirit being. Such “crypto-community” are in the form of public organizations, publishers, charitable, educational and advocacy organizations, and many do not register. Why do people not want to register RUM – Muslim religious organizations – must figure out each time individually. Someone out of habit, reaching a distance, generally eschews un-Islamic “cleric”, considered that “the mullahs, the turban, Mufti” alien to the Ummah, they are all spoiled by the proximity of the root is to the imperial authorities from the time of Catherine II, the pro-Soviet orientation, then current and the proximity to the authorities and to the “gray business.” All of this amount, according to these people, prevent recruitment of Islamic purity and makes it impossible to build a normal Muslim way of life. And to think this way is not “extremists”, “asocial”, “terrorists”, and representatives of Russia’s Muslim intellectuals. And this position is attractive for those looking for young people. Many are successfully working on ways for the sake of Allah and the Ummah – namely a conscious distance from the “clerical circles. Moreover, working in almost all spheres of life: from the services of mutual aid, social care – to an MP of all levels, not excluding the State Duma of Russia.

Why all this? And in order to identify the crucial issue: the union is “to three” and need some one who recognized … three? It is obvious that the real authority of the Muslim country can be the one who put the question and decide to act together to attract not only “three-clerical, but also the possibility of actually working in the Islamic field.

And who does not get to the “troika»?

Returning to the question on the other side. If is difficult to give even the statistics on all public and informal communities, which can be called a “crypto-community” if you can haughtily turn away from them and called the “fringe of Islam”, “community leader, unable to work in the mosques …” – that in fact is more than a dozen perfectly legal “Mufti” who live their own life. They are legal to the state and openly declare themselves just as “religious organizations of Muslims”, but “the supreme trio” not notice them. Or pouring last words (those that have previously been inside one of the structures “troika”).

So, more than 5 “Mufti” in Russia in general independent. The largest of them – Perm mufti, who heads Muhamadgali Huzin. It includes 150 communities, registered as religious organizations and about 50 – as religious groups. That is, on the fact – 200 communities. In the Perm Muftiate – 91 mosque, and this figure is quite comparable in size to the SMR, and TSDUM CCMNC. However, the imam Huzin (for obvious reasons) – an outcast for TSDUM, and as a consequence now in the unification process “and to SMR, and CCMNC. We also have Ulyanovsk, Irkutsk, and a number of other, far rather big and completely independent “Mufti”. What would you do with them?

They are generally not involved in the processes taking place in the Muslim “clerical environment, as well as the views of the previously mentioned” crypto-community “. Their opinion was never taken into consideration, including one of the important issues – union. On what then “Grand Mufti of the” can you talk about when five “Mufti” of hundreds of communities that are outside of its administrative-territorial jurisdiction? If the “overboard” – and tens of thousands of activists of the Islamic work among the “community members” across the country? Or are they all – hermits, marginal, renegades and outcasts? ..

Spicy and bitter to hear about this recent speech “right hand” Tajuddin – Khuzina: “Today’s attempt unification process more are in the nature of collusion or bargaining between clans, who are trying to redraw the spiritual space of Russia in favor of the interests of one family and a few clans. Such steps, where no one bothered to ask the opinion of the regional communities, Muslim intellectuals, elites, public associations, will ultimately lead to the aggravation of Muslim disunity of the country ».

Sheikh Qaradawi too disappointed – but in the global Ummah

Frankly, I thought that the fragmentation of the Ummah and civilizational backwardness in Russia – is unique and is the result of years of persecution since the days of Ivan Terrible to the USSR. However, this view can not change after such information. In those days, when we talked about Russia’s unification process, on February 5 in the Qatari capital of Doha was the International Forum of students Sheikh Yusuf al-Qaradawi, head of the International Association of Islamic Scholars (IUMS). Sam Sheikh announced the purpose of the meeting – discussion of educating leaders for the future of the Ummah, stressing that it will change for the better only in that case, “if it will be directed by scientists, not charlatans».

Yes, literally so, accurately and directly, he said not “outlaw, outcast, reclusive” from uncontrolled “Mufti”, and one of the most influential people of the world of Islam among the Sunnis! He discussed the realities that we all understand the difficulty and almost do not know – but as a matter of fact they are close to our reality! “We are gathered here in order to create future leaders of the Ummah. Umma change for the better only if it will lead scientists. Currently Ummah run rogues who know nothing about religion and life in general. It would be nice if Ummu led by strong and visionary leaders “- said Al-Qaradawi. He expressed his pride for his students in senior positions in various countries, and said: “Not necessarily, to my students all agree with me. I want them to follow the path of knowledge. He also stressed that there are some values that should guide all those who seek knowledge: “purification of intent for the sake of Allah, the constant pursuit of knowledge and reverence for the teacher».

K According to the wise Sheikh, really – nothing to add. Note finally, more precisely, to explain – why I used the text word “muftiat” in quotation marks: in the post-Soviet Russia in the conditions of unprecedented freedom for Muslims, we have replaced the notion of “mufti” realities “business manager”, “manager”, “administrator”. A substitution of concepts, the distortion of the meaning of Islamic terms – neshutochnye transgressions. Not in front of philology or Arabists – but before the Ummah, to the Almighty.

So – go back to the bright statement Ravil Gainutdin – let’s look for associations not only “for three” let’s go back the true meaning concepts of “mufti” and “muftiat, let’s listen to a true Islamic scholar – Sheikh Yusuf al-Qaradawi.