Rafik Mukhametshin: “We want to mold advanced conservatives from our students. What was discussed on the sidelines? — How many doctors of Islamic sciences are there in Russia

MUHAMETSHIN Rafik Mukhametshovich - Rector of the Russian Islamic Institute

RII RECTOR ABOUT WHO COULD HEAD THE BULGARIAN ACADEMY, THE ROLE OF RAMZAN KADYROV AND THE PROSPECTS FOR RUSSIAN MUSLIMS ASSOCIATION. PART 1

“Our ancestors lived far from the main centers of Islam, so they always looked for answers to the most pressing questions of life,” says RII Rector, Deputy Mufti of the Spiritual Muslim Board of the Republic of Tatarstan Rafik Mukhametshin, calling to revive the greatness of Tatar theology. Also during an Internet conference with BUSINESS Online readers, he told how the Bulgarian Islamic Academy is going to fight radicalism, and recalled that 5,000 out of 8,000 mosques in Russia are in the North Caucasus.

“IN THE NEAR TIME WE WILL HAVE CANDIDATES OF THEOLOGY RECOGNIZED BY WACOM”

— Rafik Mukhametshovich, what is the main goal of establishing the Bulgarian Islamic Academy?

- Creation of a highly qualified stratum of Muslim theologians who would meet international requirements. We must cook them according to the same standards as it is accepted all over the world.

— Why is it impossible to make post-university education for theologians on the basis of the RII, which is proposed to be done at the Bulgarian Islamic Academy? RII is not able to train theologians and therefore it is necessary to create everything in Bolgar from scratch? (Ayrat Akhmetzyanov)

- Firstly, the Bulgarian Islamic Academy (BIA) is supposed to be a single educational platform for all Muslim educational institutions in Russia. It will be a religious educational institution for the preparation of masters and doctors in Islamic sciences. We must gather the best scientific forces of the country in one place in Russia and invite them from abroad to one place. Today it is not possible for every university to organize the training of masters and doctors at the proper level.

Secondly, BIA is not a competitor for RII. Within the framework of RII, we are already implementing master's programs in theology, linguistics, and soon in Islamic economics. Therefore, at RII we will develop another wing of theological science, already within the framework of state standards. I hope that in the near future we will have candidates of theology recognized by the Higher Attestation Commission. And in the BIA there will appear candidates and doctors of Islamic sciences, recognized by all the largest Muslim centers of the Islamic world. Therefore, these are two wings of the revival of Islamic theology in Russia. By the way, we also have a faculty of Islamic sciences, we will prepare bachelors for BIA as well.

And teaching abroad today is quite problematic. Because there is no guarantee that our students will not find themselves in the networks of various religious groups and movements that exist in all countries, and students of a foreign educational institution can, in addition to their basic education, under the guise of additional training be under the influence of sectarians of any kind. Nursists or Ikhvans from Egypt, tabloids from Malaysia, not to mention the countries of the Persian Gulf, from where we have already got a bunch of problematic graduates of Islamic universities. Therefore, the BIA will to some extent remove these problems as well. Although it is no longer possible to hide from alien influences anywhere today.

Are there recognized theologians in Russia today?

- There are young graduates of foreign Islamic universities, who today are already the backbone of the teaching staff of Russian Islamic universities, members of the councils of alims (scholars) of various DUM. But, unfortunately, we have not yet matured to a full-fledged revival of the traditions of Tatar theological thought. True, there are already promising young scientists who are seriously engaged in theological science.

Why do modern Tatars need theologians?

— The Sunni Islamic world consists of madhhabi spaces: Hanafi, Maliki, Shafi'i and Hanbali. Muslims have different questions every day. And the theologian is needed so that they fill the theological and legal space with intellectual judgments, answers, so that there are no misinterpretations, so that a barrier to radicalization appears.

- That is, a theologian is needed to answer completely different questions - from everyday to deep spiritual ones?

— Quite right. Even such questions exist, such as "is it possible for a Muslim to drink Pepsi-Cola." To answer this question, you need to do a lot of research on the ingredients, the production process, etc. Not to mention such serious problems like division of inheritance, divorce, etc.

— How many theologians do you need for Tatarstan?

A theologian is a scholar in the field of a particular religion. How many scientists does Tatarstan need? Today in Russia, even masters of Islamic sciences can be counted on the fingers, and even fewer doctors of science. Theologians should work in Islamic educational institutions as teachers, and theologians should also be imams in large mosques. Each DUM has its own council of scientists; theologians should also work there. So there must be many.

“IN MAY 2016 THE FOUNDATION OF THE ACADEMY WILL BE LAYED”

- How is the process of creating the Bulgarian Islamic Academy going after the signing of the decree by the President? Where did they start? (Marchida)

- Let me remind you that the academy has three founders: the Central Spiritual Administration of Muslims (TsDUM), the Spiritual Administration of Muslims of the Russian Federation (DUM RF) and the Spiritual Administration of Muslims of Tatarstan (DUM RT). Among the founders there is still no SAM from the Caucasus, but this does not mean that in the future it will not be.

In May 2016, the foundation of the academy will be laid, construction will begin, but in parallel we must start the work of the academy. It seems to me that at the initial stage it is necessary to use the form of double diplomas, that is, in the first graduations (and maybe even further) to issue diplomas from two universities: BIA and one of the famous universities in the Muslim world. This would raise the prestige of the academy and would make it possible to solve the problem of invited teachers. In any case, we must invite foreign teachers at the initial stage.

— How many years will the training at the academy be? How many people will study there?

— The master's program is designed for two years, doctoral — three years. This is the international standard. As for the number of students, we assume that 75 people can study at the same time. Approximately 15 masters, 10 doctors. At the same time, other events will be held on the basis of the BIA: advanced training of the management staff of the DUM, scientific conferences, round tables, master classes, etc.

Is the academy's budget already clear?

— The budget is not yet clear. While there is no main building, it is too early to talk about a full-fledged budget.

- Who will finance - the federal, republican budgets or the Ummah?

- The issue of personnel training is important not only for the Ummah, but for the whole society. Those who study at universities in foreign countries and come here with radical ideas or ideas that are not traditional for Russian Muslims create a problem not only for the Ummah, but for the whole society. Therefore, BIA is a very important project for Russia. It is no coincidence that Russian President Vladimir Putin supported the idea of ​​creating the Bulgarian Islamic Academy.

“There has never been a PARTICULAR HOT DISPUTES ABOUT THE RECTOR”

- From the very first days, as it was announced about the launch of the Bulgarian Islamic Academy, there has been a dispute about who will become its rector. Who will be the rector - you or Talgat Tadzhuddin? Has the circle of candidates applying for this position already been determined?

- In fact, there has not yet been a particularly heated debate about the rector. But there really is a problem. I certainly do not apply for this position, until I retire I see myself only in the RII. Although who knows. Everything is the will of the Almighty. But I believe that the rector should be a young scientist, no less than a candidate of sciences, living in Russia, since this is a Russian educational institution. With a good knowledge of the Arabic language and with a good knowledge of theological sciences. The list of candidates is small, it cannot be large: for now, there are three or four people on it. On whom to choose, let the founders discuss. I think there will be some disputes, but within reason.

- But the teachers will be foreign? There is no fear that they will teach something wrong?

- Of course, there are fears. But everything will depend not only on the ideologically "wrong" (if suddenly one comes across) teacher, but also on students - graduates of Russian Islamic universities. If we prepare bachelors capable of critically evaluating all information, then the problem of perceiving unnecessary ideas will be reduced to a minimum. It is very dangerous to send children to foreign countries to study immediately after school, because it is there that they form their worldview. And our graduates should already have clear ideas about madhhabs, about our traditions, about our scientists and about their contribution to the development of theological thought.

Therefore, when selecting foreign teachers for the Bulgarian Academy, one must proceed not only from whether he belongs to the Hanafi madhhab, but also from what kind of scholar he is in his field. True, there are areas of theological knowledge where madhabi traditions are very important. For example, the Islamic faith.

- Do you already have agreements with specific teachers?

“Negotiations are already underway. For example, Damascus University, Karaouine University in Morocco. In February-March, trips to Egypt, Morocco and Jordan are planned.

"WORK IN THE ACADEMY WILL BEGIN ALREADY IN THE AUTUMN"

— The Bulgarian Academy does not yet have walls, and if its work is already started, where will the first students study? And when exactly will the first set be?

- There is a complex of the White Mosque, where 30 people can live and study at the same time. Therefore, there is an initial base. Moreover, over time, the White Mosque and BIA will be included in a single complex. In some format, work at the academy will begin in the fall. This will already depend on our agreements with our foreign partners.

- When will the legal entity of the Bulgarian Academy appear?

— Entity it is planned to register in Moscow approximately by the end of February. The Bulgarian Islamic Academy will officially be called an educational institution of higher religious education.

Do all founders prepare documents?

- The charter has already been agreed with the founders, and all the documents necessary for registration are practically already in place.

- Have you been entrusted with the coordination of work at the organizational stage?

- In principle, yes, but I do this not so much as the rector of the RII, but as the deputy mufti of the Spiritual Muslim Board of the Republic of Tatarstan. At the same time, I do not hide the fact that and as the rector of the university I am an interested person. There is a problem of further education of our graduates, so the appearance of an additional educational platform is very important today. It is also important that you need to set the bar high from the very beginning, otherwise you can slide down to the level of ordinary courses.

“OUR ANCESTORS LIVED FAR FROM THE MAIN CENTERS OF ISLAM, THEREFORE THEY ALWAYS LOOKED FOR THE ANSWERS…”

- For the Bulgarian Academy, the minimum program is to protect us from non-traditional Islam, but what is the maximum program? Become a global intellectual center?

- Goals should be ambitious. The Tatars have always strived for knowledge, they had a powerful theological school. Take only Marjani. Today, well-known theologians of the Muslim East not only know him, but studied from his books. Therefore, we have something to revive. Our ancestors lived far from the main centers of Islam, so they themselves were always looking for answers to the most pressing questions of life. Since the time of the Volga Bulgaria, we have known the greatest theologians. These traditions continue until the 1930s. Why not become the largest center of Islamic learning even today? We have all intellectual possibilities. If there were also complete mutual understanding with the secular intelligentsia, then these problems would be solved easier and faster.

— Leading Islamic universities have a century-long history, but the example of Malaysian universities shows that even in decades it is possible to become a noticeable leader in the field of theology?

- Yes, the educational centers of Malaysia and Indonesia have found their niche in the education system - there is a strong school of Islamic economics. But we can also find our place, for example, Islam and Sharia in a multi-confessional, multi-ethnic society.

- Could Jadidism become our niche? Or was it already 100 years ago and is irrelevant today? In any case, Tatarstan intellectuals of our time are proud of Jadidism...

— Jadidism is an ideology aimed at developing models for the functioning of Islam in the conditions of Russian Empire, on the adaptation of Muslims to the realities of Russian reality. The Jadids opened madrasas so that their graduates could find their place not only in a religious environment. Jadidism will never lose its relevance as a tool for finding answers to the challenges of any era. But the question is different. To what extent the Jadids, in developing models of adaptation of Muslims to the realities of society, intrude into the very dogma of Islam, or this is unacceptable for them. This is really, fundamentally in understanding the essence of Jadidism: does it remain only an ideology that uses the dogmatic potential of Islam, or is it already a kind of new version Islam with updated dogma. That is why there is a very common statement about Jadidism as Tatar Islam. In my understanding, Jadidism is a very effective ideology for the Muslim community, which played a huge role in the formation of a highly developed Tatar nation.

- And today the theme of adaptation of the norms of Islam is relevant?

- Yes, it is relevant. But not in terms of revising the basic postulates of Islam, but in the form of a search in Islam itself for answers to the challenges of the time.

- So you do not agree with the theory of Rafael Khakimov, who says that the whole world is archaic Islam, and the Tatars created "Euro-Islam", which will respond to modern world challenges?

- The basis of Islam is made up of unshakable dogmatic postulates, by which it is certainly conservative, well, let it be archaic. But this does not mean that Islam does not contain tools for comprehending new realities. Tatar theologians, deeply studying the dogmatic foundations of Islam, looked for answers to questions in them. Euro-Islam is the modern version of Muslim reformism.

RUSSIAN ISLAMIC INSTITUTE IS 18 YEARS OLD

— How many years has the Russian Islamic Institute existed?

- RII has existed since 1998, this year marks its 18th anniversary. This December it will be 10 years since I headed the university.

- How many students do you have?

– Together with correspondence students, there are 1,100 people, of which there are about 400 full-time students. We teach under the bachelor’s program for four years, but there are already master’s programs in theology and linguistics – that’s another two years. Next year we will open a master's program in economics. This year we are graduating journalists for the first time. Our university has passed state accreditation, so graduates receive a state diploma.

— What is the budget of RII? Who finances - the federal center or Tatarstan?

- RII is a non-state university, so the state does not directly participate in the formation of the budget. The founders of the RII are the Spiritual Muslim Board of the Republic of Tatarstan, the Council of Muftis of Russia and the Marjani Institute of History of the Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Tajikistan. Our budget is small - about 80 million rubles a year. Budgeting, in fact, is not so simple. But today the state has an understanding of the need for such educational institutions as RII.

- Don't Muslim patrons sponsor you?

- No Unfortunately. We have a Board of Trustees, but I cannot say that it takes part in solving our financial and other problems.

- I remember that earlier among the teachers of the RII there were also Saudis. Are they gone today?

- First of all, we complete the teaching corps on a professional basis. It seems to me that an appropriate ideological atmosphere has already been created in our university, and therefore it is quite difficult to be a black sheep. For 10 years of work at the university, I have not fired anyone for ideological reasons. Everyone left on their own.

Concerning teaching staff RII, here the indicators meet all the requirements of an accredited university. The total number of faculty members at the moment is 74 people, with a total of 37 people with academic degrees (50 percent); doctors of sciences, professors - 9 people (12.2 percent); candidates of sciences - 28 people (37.8 percent).

Of these, 40 teachers of religious disciplines and the Arabic language, who studied at the University of al-Azhar, Malaysia, Jordan, Turkey, Indonesia, Tunisia, Syria. By number and professional level teachers of the religious bloc, we are not inferior to any (and not only religious) higher education institution in Russia that implements the Islamic theological educational standard.

- Do we still have Turkish teachers after the "divorce" of Russia and Turkey? (Vasil)

We don't have teachers from foreign countries. We practice inviting teachers from other countries for a short period - up to one month. This makes it easier to invite well-known theologians who are unable to travel for long periods of time.

HAC ALLOWED THE DEFENSE OF DISSERTATIONS IN THE SPECIALTY "THEOLOGY"

Is there a big competition for admission to RII? What regions do you study from?

- The competition is small. We accept almost all comers to the religious faculty. You can do it within a year right choice of them, therefore, by the second year of the 40-50 people of the religious faculty, less than half remain. But we are confident in the correctness of the choice of the remaining ones. In this case, such indicators as sincerity, piety, morality are also very important. A pompous honors student or a God-fearing drummer - which of them will serve the ummah with zeal? The question is also interesting. On correspondence department students from 45 regions of central Russia study, full-time students from 25 regions. Tatarstanians make up about half of all students. There are not so many Islamic universities in central Russia - in Kazan, Ufa and Moscow.

Do your students receive scholarships?

— Yes, we pay students of religious directions a scholarship from 1.5 to 3 thousand rubles.

— Where do RII graduates find jobs? (Farid)

- Every year we graduate about 100 people, and last year 59 percent of them were employed. Our graduates work in mosques, schools (linguists), in the office of the President of the Republic of Tatarstan, in the spiritual administration of Muslims of the Republic of Tatarstan.

— What is the reason for the transformation of an Islamic institute into a university and vice versa? Failed to keep the university bar? (Anonymously)

- We are non-state educational institution, so we can be called whatever you like, because this name does not oblige to anything. We were the first Islamic university in Russia. The word "Russian" in the name can be obtained only by government decree, even if the university is non-state. We received such permission and began to work as the Russian Islamic University.

But when a problem arose with the state accreditation of a university, the recognition of our diplomas, naturally, the Ministry of Education of the Russian Federation set certain requirements for us, for example, in order to be called a university, we must have a master's degree and a postgraduate degree. But not a single Islamic educational institution in Russia has them. And Islamic universities, which took the name "university", after accreditation are equated to institutions.

There was no malicious intent here, this is a completely natural process. It can be said that from a non-binding name we have come to specific content and today we meet the requirements of the Ministry of Education of Russia, which it imposes on accredited institutions. Universities that are not accredited may remain universities, but their diplomas will not be state-recognized.

Therefore, it cannot be said that we have been demoted, on the contrary, we have entered the Russian educational space. And we opened a master's program in a number of areas, the Higher Attestation Commission has already allowed the defense of dissertations in the specialty "theology". By the end of this year or the beginning of the next, we plan to create a dissertation council together with some university and we will develop further - to the high title of "university".

TALGAT HAZRAT WANTS TO LEAVE HIS SON INSTEAD OF HIMSELF?

- From the topic of educational institutions, I propose to move on to issues of the ummah. The following question was received by our reader: “Talgat hazrat Tadzhuddin at the end of last year announced that he was resigning the powers of the supreme mufti of the Central Spiritual Muslim Board and transferring them to the chairman of the Spiritual Muslim Board of the Republic of Tatarstan Kamil hazrat Samigullin. What does it mean? How can events develop further? (Andrey Fedorov)

- Five years ago, Talgat Hazrat already raised the problem of the unification of Russian Muslims. This time, with the idea of ​​unification, he turned not only to Kamil Hazrat Samigullin, but also to Ravil Hazrat Gainutdin (Chairman of the Council of Muftis of Russia - ed. note). Hazrat Ravil immediately publicly refused Tajuddin's proposal, saying that in this form they were not ready for unification. And Khazrat Kamil replied that he needed to think. The idea of ​​unification again remained only the proposal of Talgat Hazrat.

In fact, the idea of ​​uniting Russian Muslims may need to be discussed in a slightly different format, taking into account Caucasian Muslims as well. If there are more than 8,000 mosques in Russia, more than 5,000 of them are located in the Caucasus. Naturally, the problem of unification or the creation of a confederation should also be discussed with the Caucasus. By the way, one can also use the platform of the Bulgarian Islamic Academy to discuss this problem.

— How many Muslim centers are there in Russia today?

- A lot of. About 80 Muftis. The main centers are the Council of Muftis of Russia, the Central Spiritual Administration of Muslims of Russia, the coordination center of the Muslims of the North Caucasus. A special place is occupied by the Spiritual Muslim Board of the Republic of Tatarstan, which unites 1.5 thousand parishes.

- Do you think that Muslims in Russia need an intra-confessional vertical of power?

- This is not an easy question, because there has never been a vertical in Islam. Islam is democratic in matters of building a vertical, dogmatically it is not spelled out anywhere. Therefore, no one can say how many spiritual directorates of Muslims should be in Russia or what configuration of relations between the SAM is optimal.

- Talgat Tadzhuddin suggested that Khazrat Kamil become the Supreme Mufti of Russia, and he will head several Muslim centers of the country?

- It turns out that the power of the Supreme Mufti of Russia will extend to the Central Spiritual Board and Tatarstan.

- Or does Talgat hazrat want to leave his son instead of himself?

- So far, there has not been a congress of the Central Spiritual Muslim Board, but, as Talgat hazrat said, his son Muhammad hazrat will become the chairman of the Central Spiritual Muslim Board and will deal with all financial and administrative issues, while Talgat hazrat himself will remain as a spiritual leader - the sheikhul of Islam. Khazrat Kamil is supposed to be the Grand Mufti. What powers does he have? Moreover, the chairman of the council of ulema is supposed to be. Let's wait for the congress of the TsDUM, which is scheduled for May this year.

- At the country level, this project has not been given the go-ahead?

“Sometimes, as an expert, they ask for my opinion. This time everything passed me by.

- If, nevertheless, the congress of the Central Spiritual Muslim Board decides that Kamil Khazrat should become the country's supreme mufti, is this decision mandatory for the Spiritual Muslim Spiritual Directorate of the Republic of Tatarstan?

— DUM RT is not included in the TsDUM. Therefore, of course, legal conflicts will arise.

- Talgat Tadzhuddin was not elected by anyone, he is self-proclaimed. And in Imperial Russia how was it determined who would be the supreme mufti?

“That's not entirely true. There is a congress of the TsDUM, which elects both the supreme mufti and other leading positions of the TsDUM. In the Russian Empire, muftis were appointed by the emperor. Only in 1917 was the Mufti elected for the first time. These were the largest and most democratic elections in the history of the Muslim Ummah of Russia. The first elected mufti of Russia was Galimjan Barudi.

IN ISLAMIC COUNTRIES RUSSIA IS REPRESENTED BY THE PRESIDENT OF TATARSTAN

— Do you think that the status of Islam in Russia has been on the rise lately? What is the general role of Muslims in our country?

— The President of Russia has repeatedly stressed that Islam in the country is one of the traditional religions and the history of Islam and Russian Muslims goes far into the history of the country. Therefore, the state leadership has a clear understanding of the role and place of Islam in Russia. This is the most important thing in the formation of a correct confessional policy.

- Do you have the feeling that Ramzan Kadyrov is "pulling the rope" on himself in the Islamic issue?

- No. I think that Tatarstan is the most attractive region for building effective relations with Muslim countries. It is also a multinational republic, where Muslims live in harmony with other peoples, and this is a great economic potential. And the Caucasus shows that there are also regions in Russia where Muslims make up almost 100 percent of the population.

- And yet Kadyrov can be called a certain leader of Russian Muslims?

— President of Tatarstan Rustam Minnikhanov represents Russia on official trips to Islamic countries. I think Kadyrov's role in Russia is also huge, because it is not easy to regulate complex political and other processes in such a region. You can treat him as you like, but what he did in this region is worthy of respect. They say that a lot of federal money has been invested in Chechnya. But Chechnya, in terms of building infrastructure and establishing peace and order, consolidating the entire population, is certainly an example for this region. I think this is also very important for Russia.

- How do you feel about the fact that a whole campaign was launched against Kadyrov on the Internet after he called the opposition "traitors worthy of the chamber and experienced doctors"? And the information duel continues...

- In relation to the opposition, Kadyrov said what he thinks. Perhaps he speaks harshly. But it is more than clear that modern Russia Kadyrov occupies a very worthy niche. This should be appreciated and treated with understanding, because North Caucasus very difficult region. It is clear that the overseas version of liberalism is not an effective method of maintaining peace and order, as well as the integrity of Chechnya. It seems to me that many understand this, including those who criticize Kadyrov today. Let them try to put themselves in his place. Ramzan Kadyrov is in his place today.

Can Muslims become one of Putin's pillars?

- Certainly. Muslims will always support the President, who is the guarantor of the Constitution of a federal state, where the equality of traditional confessions and freedom of conscience are clearly spelled out. Confessional politics in modern Russia over the past decades has gone through a rather difficult path from declarative to specific. Of course, it cannot be said that everything is simple in this area. Bans on religious literature, the costs of building mosques in the regions, and building relationships with numerous spiritual administrations highlight the problem areas of this policy. But today there are quite sane subjects of confessional politics, with whom one can professionally discuss any problems and find ways to solve them.

— Vladimir Putin, in his confrontation with the West, has chosen the defense of traditional values ​​as his credo. Perhaps this appeals to Muslims, because they are traditionalists by nature?

- The way it is. The result of the elections in the republics with the main Muslim population shows this. The confrontation with the West, although there is nothing good in it, in any case characterizes our president as a defender of values ​​traditional for Russia, which is Islam.

Tatyana Zavalishina

Video: Maxim Timofeev

Photo: president.tatarstan.ru, dumrt.ru, kazanriu.ru, BUSINESS Online archive

420049, Privolzhsky federal district, Republic of Tatarstan, Kazan, st. Gas, 19

Tel. reception: +7 (843 ) 277-55-36

Opening hours: Mon. – Fri.: 9:00 – 17:00

Mukhametshin Rafik Mukhametshovich- Doctor of Political Science (2001), Professor (2006), Rector of the Russian Islamic Institute (since 2006), Chairman of the Council for Islamic Education of Russia (since 2012), Deputy Chairman of the Spiritual Administration of Muslims of the Republic of Tatarstan for education and science (since 2014 ), full member (academician) of the Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Tatarstan (2016).

R. M. Mukhametshin as an Islamic scholar is widely known to the scientific community in Russia and abroad. The range of his scientific interests is extensive: the history of Tatar social thought, Islamic studies and political processes in Russia and the modern world. He is the author of about 120 scientific papers, including 10 monographs.

IN scientific research 1970-90s R. M. Mukhametshin analyzed various aspects of Tatar social thought, features of the development of spiritual culture and the role of the religious factor in these processes.

Since the mid-90s, the research interests of R. M. Mukhametshin have been concentrated in the field of Islamic studies. His searches in this direction are reflected in the monographs “Tatars and Islam in the 20th century — (Kazan, 2003) and “Islam in the social and political life of the Tatars and Tatarstan” (Kazan, 2005), which were highly appreciated in the academic community. R. M. Mukhametshin is a member of the authors' teams of a number of international publications. In 1997, under his editorship, the collection “L’islam de Russie” (Paris, 1997) was published, in 2002 R. M. Mukhametshin participated in writing the monograph “Islam Post-soviet Russia. Public and private faces". (London and New York).

RM Mukhametshin is a participant of international scientific conferences in Japan, USA, Turkey, Germany, Great Britain, France, Finland and practically in all Muslim countries.

Under the guidance of R. M. Mukhametshin, 24 PhD theses were defended.

Laureate of the State Prize of the Republic of Tatarstan in the field of science and technology (2005), awarded the State Medal of the Republic of Tatarstan "For Valiant Labor" (2015).

RII Rector on recruitment to the Bulgarian Academy, Rustam Batrov and Arslan Sadriev, as well as the role of Jadidism for Tatar society

Whom should the Bulgarian Islamic Academy train - conservatives or reformers? Why is Jadidism not Tatar Islam? Why does the imam need the Tatar language? Rafik Mukhametshin, Rector of the Russian Islamic Institute, answered the most pressing questions of BUSINESS Online readers during an Internet conference.

Rafik Mukhametshin: “I’m already tired of saying: if you want to educate new Bigievs, give them the opportunity to receive a full-fledged theological education, including at the Bulgarian Academy” Photo: Elena Selezneva

"It's BETTER TO BE A CONSERVATIVE THAN A REFORMER"

— Rafik Mukhametshovich, in his material blogger Rustam Batyr called you« troubadour of Islamic conservatives. For what? This question is also asked by our reader:I read Rustam Batyr's blog in BO - it's interesting.And is it really so - Islamic studies was born as a colonial science? Fromand that Batyr called you " troubadour of Islamic conservatives? Is it really so important today - sadaka, zakat, prayer? The main thing is God in the soul... Sorry if I accidentally offended your religious feelings with my questions. Are you really a deep believer? It seems to me that among the Soviet people of our generation there are few true believers - atheism was brought up painfully actively in us. (Yuriev A.N., pensioner)

- Let's go in order. Firstly, the “troubadour of Islamic conservatives” is actually from a series of frivolous journalism. But since they are trying to stick this nickname on me, I will try to answer. In principle, in the Islamic world one can speak of the presence of various theological and ideological currents, including the conservative direction. But Russian Islamic theology is still going through a period of formation, so it is quite difficult to clearly define any currents in the Muslim Ummah of Russia today. Therefore, I am most likely a troubadour of some mythical Russian conservatives. But Batrov awarded me this “high” title in connection with my position on the conceptual foundations for the creation and functioning of the Bulgarian Academy.

I see the future of the Bulgarian Academy primarily as a university that revives the traditions of Russian Islamic education. In Islamic education, the fundamental, centuries-old principles of transferring knowledge really prevail. In this regard, this system is really conservative. This means that I, as a defender of this system, am a conservative. This is where it all comes together. By the way, in this system it is better to be a conservative than some kind of reformer. Not because I like or dislike reformism, but because reformism itself is a product of traditional Islamic education. Therefore, I am already tired of saying: if you want to educate new Bigievs, give them the opportunity to receive a full-fledged theological education, including at the Bulgarian Academy.

Secondly, I do not quite understand Batrov's negative attitude towards Islamic studies. Islamic studies today is one of the leading branches of Oriental studies. For many centuries, this direction has been formed as a branch of academic and fundamental science. Indeed, it emerged as a branch of knowledge at the height of the colonial wars as a source of information about Islam and Muslim countries. Islamic studies existed in various guises in subsequent centuries. For example, in Russia there was both academic and missionary Islamic studies. Today, this branch of knowledge is successfully developing in the largest universities of the world and Russia. But Batrov's dislike for Islamic studies arose due to the fact that for some reason he decided that he was called an Islamic scholar, they say, this belittled his status as a Muslim theologian. But personally, I once told him that he uses the scientific tools of Islamic studies, but at the same time calls himself a theologian. I believe that this is unacceptable, since any science must rely on its basic postulates. I told him about this in connection with the fact that he began to write very frivolously and rather critically about the main sources of Islam. I reminded him that secular branches of knowledge, including Islamic studies, can afford it. But if Muslims themselves question the authenticity of the main sources of Islam, what will it be? Reformation, modernism, sectarianism? Here is the question.

- The reader asks: are you really a deeply religious person?

— To be the rector of an Islamic institute and at the same time to be an unbeliever — it is difficult to invent a greater sin! Of course, I am a believer.

At what point in your life did you become a believer? IN Soviet time almost all of us were atheists...

“Our generation, born in the 1950s and 1970s, still managed to get the education of people who were bearers of traditional religious values. My grandmother read five prayers, my mother was a believer, she always wore a headscarf. The spirit of pre-revolutionary religious traditions is being lost precisely in our generation. We, unfortunately, are the first generation to be fully brought up in the spirit of atheistic ideology. By the way, after the revolution, the Bolsheviks did not touch religion for 10 years, and only in 1927 did consistent atheistic propaganda begin, and the traditions of Islam were able to nullify, in fact, only by the 1950s.

“Many remembered what their grandmother taught and became believers, just like you. And then what generation will become a believer?

- The grandchildren of my and the next generation were not lucky, since their grandparents were mostly formed as carriers of an atheistic ideology. But the new generation is already being formed in other conditions, so it will be much easier to revive Islamic traditions at the family level.

“I see the future of the Bulgarian Academy primarily as a university that revives the traditions of Russian Islamic education” Photo: Maxim Timofeev

"RELIGION DOES NOT FORCE A PERSON TO LIVE WITH LOOKING BACK"

- Many scientists and prominent people remain atheists, considering religion to be some kind of Middle Ages. Do you think being a believer means looking back or looking forward?

— To be a believer means to have an appropriate ideological attitude. This is fine. Religion does not force a person to live in retrospect. Of course, religion in the form of fundamental dogmatic principles clearly defines some boundaries of worldview attitudes. But in no way does it make a person somehow backward or limited. There is some kind of wrong belief in the minds of the layman that, they say, science has long since answered all the key problems of the universe. But it's not. Where are the unequivocal answers to the problems of the origin of the world, man, etc.? There is none of them. Therefore, a believer can argue with any scientist on many problems of the universe on an equal footing.

For more than 10 years I have been reading the subject “Philosophy and History of Science” for graduate students at the Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Tatarstan. I cannot say that in recent decades science has turned its face towards religion, but in the methodology of science such directions have appeared that leave room for completely different approaches. There is the concept of a bifurcation point, when completely new moments can appear in the knowledge of an object of science. Why? As a believer, everything is clear to me where the outside interference comes from. In general, today about 70-80 percent of the population consider themselves believers. And where is the "beneficial" influence of scientific and technological progress?

- Where does this data come from?

— Sociologists conduct polls all the time. These figures are fairly stable.

— And how many practicing believers?

- In 2001 in Tatarstan there were about 4 percent, now, maybe, about 12 - 15 percent.

Photo: Igor Dubskikh

“THIS STORY HAPPENED WITH SADRIEV...”

- All these "passions" around Arslan Sadriev - an elementary struggle for power and influence?! It's sad... Whose "ears" do you see in this story with his alleged dismissal? What is actually going on in the Ummah of Russia today? (Ilgizar Z.)

- Perhaps, there is an element of the struggle for power in the Moscow region in this story. To be honest, I don't know, and I didn't want to go too deep. But there are moments in this story that go beyond the specific region. This is the role and place of a religious figure in a particular religious organization. Any religious organization functions on the basis of its statutes, which clearly spell out, in addition to organizational issues, and the theological and legal principles of the activities of the organization itself and the imams who serve in this organization. If the charter says that an organization adheres to the Hanafi madhhab, how can the imam of this organization preach other theological traditions or give this madhhab his own “enlightened” approach? No, he can't do that. He, if the statutory provisions of his organization do not suit him, must leave it and find his place in another organization, engage in science or, in the end, write blogs.

With Sadriev, such a story turned out. The centralized organization where he served decided that his position was contrary to its statutory principles, and therefore this decision was made, or at least it was announced. As a matter of fact, if the decision of the Spiritual Muslim Board of the Russian Federation would be formalized as a decision of the Ulema Council, I think there would be much less talk about this story. I am sure that the minbar of the mosque is not the most successful platform for the promotion of reformist ideas. Why? In the mosque and in general, the imam is expected to explain the generally accepted norms of Islam. And reformist ideas always require their critical reflection. Therefore, one must be honest with oneself and with the ummah, and one should voice one’s ideas that do not quite fit into the generally accepted norms of Islam not as an imam, but as another representative of the ummah, unless, of course, they have taken you outside the ummah.

"TALKS ABOUT JADIDISM BECOME RELEVANT AGAIN"

— Why do you propose not to absolutize and idealize “Jadidism”? You spoke so sharply about him: “You wavered with Jadidism.” Why doesn't it suit you? (Ilnur Akhmetshin)

— I have already voiced my vision about Jadidism more than once. In connection with the opening of the Bulgarian Academy, conversations about Jadidism again acquired a certain relevance: they say, we have our own Islam, our own Jadidism, we are ahead of the rest, and therefore only our own Islam needs to be cultivated in the BIA. Jadidism is a brilliant project of the Tatar society in the middle of the 19th century. It was aimed at creating new opportunities for the Tatar, and later for the entire Turkic youth, to receive not only religious, but also secular education.

Thanks to the Jadid educational institutions, we have received a brilliant constellation of Muslim intelligentsia, not only theologians, but precisely the intelligentsia. Thanks to Jadidism, by the beginning of the 20th century, Tatar society managed to create a whole network of means mass media, a Muslim faction in State Duma, the Ittifak al-Muslimin party, etc. Therefore, I have no reason to reject Jadidism. Vice versa. But I'm talking about something else. In the scientific community there is a certain absolutization of the role and place of Jadidism in the life of the Tatar society, elevating it to the category of the essence of Tatar Islam. This approach is completely unacceptable. Jadidism played a huge role in expanding the intellectual boundaries of Tatar society, but it did not set the task of forming some kind of special Tatar Islam. Therefore, BIA today does not aim to create a Jadid educational institution in its classical sense on its basis. From the perspective of the BIA, other, no less brilliant, traditions of Islamic education in Russia are more interesting - as a traditional system of Islamic education, where fundamental theological knowledge was given.

— Do you think they can modern society and the state effectively coexist democracy and traditional Islam?(Timur Sharipov)

- The question is actually not easy, because under democracy, as a rule, we represent the values ​​that were formed in Europe. Western European democratic values ​​were formed only taking into account the peculiarities of Europe itself, therefore it is impossible and unnecessary to automatically transfer them to the Muslim East. Unfortunately, the West, speculating on the alleged lack of democratic values ​​among Muslims, is solving its strategic tasks of weakening the Muslim East. Iraq, Afghanistan, Libya, and now also Syria are a clear example of this. Therefore, European-style democracy has become a bargaining chip for solving big political problems. Islamic civilization has its own face, therefore Eurocentrism, which prevails in almost all humanities with its representation of democracy, not a very good form for understanding the essence of Islamic values.

- Recently in Russia, theology was officially recognized as a branch of knowledge. Why is it so important today, what is the practical meaning? (Damir Mustafin)

- All over the world, theology as a branch of knowledge is recognized, it is taught in many universities. The Muslim community in our country also needs a scientific understanding of many problems of theology. Therefore, the recognition of theology as a special branch of knowledge opens up new opportunities for us in the formation of our highly professional staff in the person of candidates and doctors of theology.

What will change in practice after the recognition of theology? Will there be chairs?

- Theology as a subject has long been recognized in Russia, and there are corresponding departments or faculties in almost 80 universities of the country. We at the RII also prepare bachelors and masters of Islamic theology. The last decision was to recognize the theology scientific discipline with the opening of dissertation councils. And the first council is already functioning on the basis of three universities: Moscow State University, the St. Tikhon Orthodox Institute and the Higher School of Economics. In the autumn, Moscow State University plans to create its own dissertation council, and I will most likely become a member of this council.

“I AM INVOLVED IN THE PREPARATION OF THE GROZNY FATVA”

- Last year, the DUM of Chechnya initiated the adoption of the Grozny fatwa, which was joined by the chairman of the DUM RT Kamil Samigullin. And Ravil Gainutdin, chairman of the Spiritual Muslim Board of the Russian Federation, disagreed in principle with the interpretations of the Grozny fatwa and adopted an alternative fatwa on sects. Based on what fatwa will the curriculum of the Bulgarian Academy be built? Whose approaches are closer to you - Samigullina or Gainutdin? (Almira)

— I am involved in the preparation of the Grozny Fatwa. She didn't come out of the blue. After many years of Islamic revival, the Muslim ummah really faced the problem of defining its theological guidelines more clearly than before. Moreover, the result of the Islamic revival was the penetration and spread of various movements and religious trends on the territory of Russia. How should the Muslim ummah determine its attitude to the whole range of teachings and trends? The principle “we are all Muslims, let's live together” has become nothing more than a non-binding call. So the Grozny fatwa set this task - to determine the boundaries of true Islam for Russian Muslims.

— How does the fatwa of Ravil Gainutdin differ from the fatwa in Grozny?

— The Grozny fatwa was conceived as a document purely for internal use. It takes into account the centuries-old religious traditions of Russian Muslims. But her appearance in the Muslim world, especially in the Persian Gulf countries, caused very strong irritation. This was due to the fact that the peculiarities of Islam in this region were not taken into account. For example, how to relate to Wahhabism? For Russian Muslims, it is unacceptable as an ideology and as a theological teaching. And for a number of countries it is the state ideology. On this basis, disagreements arose over the definition of the content of true Islam. And the fatwa of the DUM RF levels out these theological differences and, in principle, reduces it to a call: Muslims, let's live together!

— What fatwa will form the basis of the curriculum of the Bulgarian Academy?

- The main goal of the Bulgarian Academy is the revival of the national theological school, and it was formed and developed on the basis of two madhhabs - Hanafi and Shafi'i, so the academy will first of all have to create conditions for a deep and versatile study of these madhhabs and the Maturidi and Ashari aqida. But the Bulgarian Academy involves the implementation of master's and doctoral programs, so special attention should be paid to the historical and comparative analysis of various madhhabs.

- I read in BO the news about the creation of a new structure - the All-Russian Union of Muslim Ulema - the Bulgarian Council of Ulema. What are its functions, who will enter it? (Ilham)

- When the concept of the Bulgarian Islamic Academy was being prepared, the creation of a council of ulema was also discussed. The Ulema Council is supposed to be one of the most important tools for recreating the Russian theological school. Its main task should be to identify, discuss and make theological decisions on key and topical issues Muslim Ummah of Russia. Why in Bulgaria? Because the issues discussed by the ulema council should find their place in the educational programs of the BIA, since students should have clear ideas and correct answers to those theological challenges that have Russian specifics.

- Who will be included in the All-Russian Council of Ulema?

— The principles of the formation and work of the council are still being discussed, but it will include well-known theologians with a good knowledge of the Arabic language. In this case, we are not talking about "wedding generals".

“THE BULGARIAN ACADEMY SHOULD WORK NOT ONLY FOR STUDENTS”

— On September 2, the Bulgarian Islamic Academy will begin its activities. Who will teach? Where can you find curriculum? Who took part in its development? What is its feature? (Nurislam Yakhin)

— There is a council for Islamic education in Russia, which includes 10 Islamic universities and about 25 madrasahs, that is, almost all the leading Islamic educational institutions of the middle and higher levels. Behind last years we have developed and adopted the all-Russian standards of Islamic education - secondary vocational education for madrasah, Bachelor of Higher Islamic Education in Religion. Recently adopted the standard of the master's program.

— Islamic educational institutions of the Caucasus also work according to this standard?

- All! We primarily discussed these issues with the Caucasian regions, they are very interested in this. We had more disagreements with universities Central Russia than with the Caucasus.

The master's program standard was developed specifically for the Bulgarian Academy. The subjects are also defined, and it is written for them which of the foreign teachers we can invite. Some of the subjects will be taught by Russian teachers. It's primarily a secular bloc: the basics Russian legislation, history of theological thought, political thought in Islam, sociology of religion, history of religion, etc.

- Is there a list of teachers who agreed by name?

- There are foreign teachers. Most likely, three or four teachers will work on a permanent basis, and 15 people will come to read certain courses as visiting professors. We invite very famous theologians who are unlikely to be able to come for a whole year.

Is the enrollment of students already underway?

- Interviews with potential students are underway.

— Where can I get acquainted with the training program, is it published on the website?

— BIA will soon receive a license for educational activities and publish all documents on its website.

- What is your forecast: what will be the competition for the first admission to the academy? How many people will be accepted?(Denmark)

— There are already a number of Islamic universities in Russia, and there is no need to copy them, so it was initially planned conceptually that the Bulgarian Academy is more high level training of specialists - magistracy and doctoral studies, and this will be a "piece goods". If this year we accept 30 people, then it will be normal. It was planned to accept about 100 people in three years: every year 15-20 masters, 10 doctors. Although the Bulgarian Academy is designed for 250 people in terms of area. But we believe that teachers and senior students from other Russian Islamic universities should be invited to lectures by famous foreign theologians, regional mukhtasibs and conferences can be held there. The Bulgarian Academy should work not only for students.

“Launching a new university, finding funding is not something everyone can do. Therefore, such an experienced leader as Iskhakov is quite logical " Photo: Maxim Timofeev

"ISKHAKOV IS COMPLETELY LOGICAL"

- As far as I understand, you oversaw many issues related to the formation of the Bulgarian Islamic Academy, and today, it seems, everything is in charge there. O. rector Kamil Iskhakov. How do you share functions and powers with him? Of course, he is a good organizer, but he is not an Islamic scholar! (Aidar)

- The appearance of such an experienced administrator in order to launch the Bulgarian Academy, it seems to me, is very important. Rector is the first effective manager, administrator, organizer educational process. Launching a new university, finding funding - not everyone can do this, so such an experienced leader as Iskhakov is quite logical. In addition to organizing the educational process, there is also a large number of other questions.

- How do you share functions with him?

- I do not hold any position in the Bulgarian Academy. The RII team prepared drafts of almost all educational programs and organized their discussion at the Islamic Education Council. And this is quite natural, since BIA does not yet have its own resources to solve these problems.

- Initially, they said that the rector would be a Russian citizen, but surely it is possible to give citizenship to one of the foreign scientists? Footballers are given...

— The main task of the Bulgarian Academy is not just the training of highly educated theologians, but also the revival of the national theological school. Not a single Arab, no matter how high a professional he may be, is unlikely to be able to perform this function, because you need to know our history, mentality, etc.

Why don't you want to become the rector of the Bulgarian Islamic Academy yourself? You have 10 years of experience as a rector of a university, you understand Tatar theological thought, who better than you to be the head of the academy? And you can leave one of your colleagues as rector of RIU. (Ainur Muratov)

— This issue was discussed, but in response I say: the link that I head, the Russian Islamic Institute, from the theological, political point of view, is no less significant than the BIA, because it is at the level of madrasahs and universities that theological ideas and worldviews are formed young man. Whom we graduate (I mean not only the level of knowledge, but also the theological ideas of the graduate), they will go to the BIA. And that's where deep knowledge comes in. Therefore, who the universities will supply - a Hanafi, a Shafiite, a Wahhabi, a sectarian, etc. - the theological face of the BIA will depend on this. If there are weak graduates at the level of RII and other universities, then the meaning of the BIA will practically come to naught. Therefore, from the level of training in Russian universities, including RII, depends, in fact, on the fate and image of the BIA.

— Why not make Rustam Batrov Vice-Rector of BIA? Here he criticizes initial stage academy, so let's let him do it in order to eliminate what he criticizes in the future academy. (Lenar Minikaev)

— To organize the work of such a fundamentally new structure for Russia as the BIA, criticism is not enough. It is necessary to have a conceptual vision of the prospects for the development of BIA. Otherwise, you yourself can become a troubadour of Islamic reformers, near-Islamic barkers, sectarians, etc.

“The rector is first of all an effective manager, administrator, organizer of the educational process” Photo: Irina Erokhina

“BECOMING A DOCTOR OF THEOLOGY IS A VERY LONG WAY”

— How many doctors of Islamic sciences are there in Russia?

— Two or three, but there are no Tatars among them. Becoming a doctor of divinity is a very long way in the Islamic world.

- Who will finance Bulgarian Academy - salaries, scholarships, maintenance of buildings, housing and communal services?(Khairullin)

- This is a religious educational institution, so there will be no budget money, but from some funds. For this reason, a very solid board of trustees is being formed, which will include rich and influential people in Russia.

- For example, Alisher Usmanov?

“We are also negotiating with him. If everyone with whom negotiations are underway agrees, then the academy's budget will be easier to form.

— What issues of the formation of the Bulgarian Academy are currently stalling and causing concern?(Boris)

- All questions are alarming, because this is a fundamentally new undertaking, there is no analogue in Russia. We studied various options for organizing the educational process at home and abroad. For example, in St. Petersburg european university there are no departments, lectures are given by visiting professors. Most likely, the first year of the BIA will also work through the institute of visiting professors, without chairs. It's not all that simple...

- It turned out to be much faster and easier to build a building than to build an academy ...

- This is true. But work with applicants is underway, two summer schools, so on September 1, students and teachers will already be at the academy. Classes will start on September 2nd.

- RII graduates will enter the academy?

- How will the selection take place - through an exam?

- There will be an interview. During the summer camp, monitoring and questioning were carried out - they found out the level of knowledge, and it will already be clear who to accept.

- Will the works of Musa Bigiev be studied at the academy? Batrov and Sadriev stand up for this ...

- One of effective methods the revival of the national theological school, of course, will be a deep study of our theological heritage, including the works of Musa Bigiev. Again returning to my conservatism, I can say that it was I who initiated the publication of the Anthology of Tatar Theological Thought series. We have already published more than 10 volumes of this series. So far, all the works of the Tatar reformers, including four volumes of the works of Musa Bigiev. So, in terms of the content of this anthology, I am far from being a conservative. BIA, of course, should become scientific laboratory discovering, researching and printing our theological heritage.

“GETTING A JOB IN THE RELIGIOUS SPHERE IS EASY - THERE IS A DEMAND”

- 45 percent of RII graduates do not work in their specialty. Explain why.(Renat Timershin)

- 45 percent is not bad! Even in Soviet times, when there was a distribution of graduates, employment rates in the specialty were not so high. The problem of graduate employment in our country, like any university, depends on many factors: stable salary, social package, housing and prospects professional growth. According to these parameters, we, unfortunately, are inferior to any secular university, so these percentages are not so low. Our output is small, so we know each of our graduates, we work personally.

- And how many graduates do you have annually?

- This year, together with correspondence students, there were 180 graduates, of which 60 people graduated from the religious department, 15 people graduated full-time. We send several people to study in Morocco, some will go to the Bulgarian Academy, some will go to work as imams. It is not difficult to find a job in the religious sphere - there is a demand. We have students from 45 regions of Russia and we are approached almost daily with a request to send imams.

— RII has announced the enrollment of students for the next academic year. Are any expected changes in the curriculum - new disciplines, new departments, etc.?(Almaz Khakimov)

We introduced a new syllabus in religious direction, and today it meets the requirements of foreign Islamic educational institutions. In the first year, students must master the Arabic language as a teaching tool, and from the second year, they must listen to lectures in Arabic. This is the direction we are going.

— When do you plan to start training specialists in the field of Islamic finance? Will knowledge of Arabic be required to study this course? (Ilfat)

- We have been training specialists in economics for a long time - in the direction of "world economy", and specialization - "Islamic economics", and we issue a state diploma. This year we are opening a master's program. We have a center for Islamic economics and finance, we have joint educational programs with the Islamic Development Bank. Our graduates are already studying in Malaysia - we send them there to receive master's and doctoral degrees. In terms of language, English is the working language for training economists. But knowledge of the Arabic language will not hurt either - then the specialist will be of a very high class.

- Will the knowledge demanded in our time be taught at the RII and other educational institutions of the republic of a religious orientation - programming, Information Security, marketing, project management, work with social networks- at least in the form of master classes? Or educational institutions see themselves as a source of only conservative knowledge - theology, religious foundations and the like? (Ainur Nigmatullin, Ufa)

“Muslim youth, like no other, must be advanced. On the one hand, she is the bearer of traditional Islamic values.” Photo: Maxim Timofeev

- All these subjects are presented at our university, because we also understand very well that Muslim youth, like no other, should be advanced. On the one hand, it is the bearer of traditional Islamic values. On the other hand, in order to be accepted in modern secular society, they must be more advanced than others, otherwise it will be very difficult to find their niche and realize themselves as a professional. From our students we want to sculpt advanced conservatives.

- Is RII going to cooperate with other educational institutions, including foreign ones, in the future?(Radmil)

- WITH foreign universities we cooperate very actively. We worked with Turkish educational institutions, concluded an agreement with the Egyptian al-Azhar University - they agreed to recognize our bachelor's degree, now we will seek recognition of the master's degree, including the Bulgarian Academy. Our task is not just to send our students somewhere, but to send them to those universities where they will be accepted to the master's program with our bachelor's degree. This year, our graduates will go to the master's program in Malaysia, Morocco, Jordan. We are proud that they are up to the challenge.

— Will there be short courses on individual items and introduce online education, as in modern world universities? (Radmil)

- In theology, we have a distance learning system, this year was the first graduation, including about 20 people from Kazakhstan. This is a very effective learning system. Perhaps, according to Islamic theology, it is the best in Russia in our country.

- What is the price distance learning?

- Purely symbolically - 20 thousand rubles a year. We work almost at cost.

Imam who does not know Tatar language, not only in Tatarstan, but in Central Russia is completely unclaimed" Photo: Elena Selezneva

“WITHOUT THE TATAR LANGUAGE THE IMAM IS NOT EMPLOYED”

— Why are there only Tajiks and Uzbeks among RII students, especially among students studying the Koran?(Anonymously)

- This is outdated information. Firstly, from these countries we accept only in the direction of the state or religious organizations Secondly, the admission of applicants from foreign countries today is only 7 percent, and there are practically none at all in the religious department.

— Does RIU plan to do programs for learning the Tatar language?(Danil)

“Two years ago, we opened a department of the Tatar language at the RII, prepared textbooks with religious specifics. But mastering the Tatar language is very difficult even for the Tatars themselves, because those who go to an Islamic educational institution have a different motivation - they go to study Arabic. But we are trying to convey to our students that knowledge of the Tatar language, above all, makes them competitive in the labor market. An imam who does not know the Tatar language is not in demand at all not only in Tatarstan, but in Central Russia. Without the Tatar language, the imam is not hired.

— How do you feel about the works of Gayaz Iskhaki?(Aidar)

— Gayaz Iskhaki is a classic of Tatar literature of the early 20th century, so I have deep respect for him and, by the way, I have read all of his main works. But for me, as a reader, the early Galimdzhan Ibragimov, who introduced the spirit of romanticism into Tatar literature, is more interesting. By the way, Ibragimov in poetry gave preference not to Tukay, but to Derdmend. I agree with him to some extent. Derdmand's poetry fascinates with its philosophical depth. But Tukay is the poetic soul of the Tatar nation.

- Will your institute start its own online media and carry news about the life of the university, about new programs, etc.? (Ildar)

- At the request of Rosobrnadzor, each university must have its own website, and there are very high requirements for it. All documents, schedules, news, etc. should be presented on the site. If the university does not have a website, then it can even revoke its license for educational activities. The Russian Islamic Institute (kazanriu.ru) and the Kazan Islamic University () have a website, where we publish all the news. Today there is every opportunity to find interesting information for yourself.

— Rafik Mukhametshovich, thank you for the interesting conversation!

Mukhametshin Rafik Mukhametshovich was born on February 19, 1955 in the city of Burnak, Baltasinsky district of the Republic of Tatarstan. Graduated from the Faculty of History of KSU (1977). Doctor of Political Science (2001). Professor (2006). Author of 120 scientific papers, 6 monographs. Member of two doctoral dissertation councils in history, political science and sociology, member of the expert council at the Council for Religious Affairs under the Cabinet of Ministers of the Republic of Tatarstan, academician of the Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Tatarstan.

1977 - 1984 - junior researcher at the Institute of Language, Literature and History. Ibragimov Academy of Sciences of the USSR.
1992 - 1995 - senior fellow of the Institute of Language, Literature and History. Ibragimov.
1996 - 2006 - Head of the Department of Scientific and Methodological Work of the Institute of the Tatar Encyclopedia of the Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Tatarstan.
Since 2001 - Head of the Department of Social Thought and Islamic Studies of the Institute of History of the Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Tatarstan.
Since 2006 - Rector of the Russian Islamic University.
Since September 2010 - Director of the State budget institution Center for Islamic Studies.
Since May 2012 - Chairman of the Council for Islamic Education.

• In 1977 he graduated from the Faculty of History of Kazan State University.
• From 1977 to 1984 - junior researcher at the Institute of Language, Literature and History. G. Ibragimov Academy of Sciences of the USSR.
• From 1992 to 1995 - senior fellow of the Institute of Language, Literature and History. G. Ibragimova.
• From 1996 to 2006 - head of the department of scientific and methodological work of the Institute of the Tatar Encyclopedia of the Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Tatarstan.
• Since 2001 - Head of the Department of Social Thought and Islamic Studies at the Institute of History of the Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Tatarstan.
• From December 2006 to the present - Rector of the Russian Islamic University.

Scientific activity

The main areas of scientific activity of Rafik Mukhametshin are concentrated in the field of Islamic studies. R. M. Mukhametshin as an Islamic scholar is widely known to the scientific community of the Republic of Tatarstan and Russia. The range of his scientific interests is extensive: the history of Tatar social thought, Islamic studies and political processes in Russia and the modern world. He is the author of about 120 scientific papers, including 6 monographs with a total volume of more than 100 pp.

More than a dozen doctors and candidates of sciences have been trained under the guidance of Rafik Mukhametshin. He is the author of several monographs, including the fundamental "Tatars and Islam in the 20th century" (Kazan, 2003) and "Islam in the social and political life of the Tatars and Tatarstan" (Kazan, 2005). R. M. Mukhametshin is a member of groups of authors in a number of international publications. In 1997, under his editorship, the collection “L`islam de Russie” (Paris, 1997) was published, in 2002 Rafik Mukhametshin participated in writing the monograph “Islam in Post-Soviet Russia. Public and private faces” (London and New York).

Rafik Mukhametshin took part in many international scientific conferences in Japan, USA, Turkey, Germany, Great Britain, France, Iran, Uzbekistan.

R. M. Mukhametshin is a member of two doctoral dissertation councils on history, political science and sociology. Member of the Expert Council under the Council for Religious Affairs under the Cabinet of Ministers of the Republic of Tatarstan.

Awards

Laureate of the State Prize of the Republic of Tatarstan in the field of science and technology (2005).