Mr. Chairman,

In reference to the question of respect of all religious traditions and the struggle against defamation of religion, I wish to speak about the Problems of Theological Education in Russian Islam Today

The irreversible destruction of Christian Church institutions, the result of the Revolution of 1917 in Russia, was in many respects prevented by sustained processes of training theologians and priests in authoritative educational centers and active book-publishing. It is because of this continuity that efforts to revive Orthodoxy in our country are now yielding fruit, in spite of all troubles.

In addition to problems common to all denominations, the ordeals that fell to the lot of Russian Muslims were aggravated by the dismantlement of the USSR, which separated the whole ummah (Muslim community). As a consequence, world-renowned Islamic educational institutions of Central Asia, which were overcoming hardships from the very first years of the Soviet power, were left outside our country. Formerly a source of Islamic spirituality (scriptural and traditional literature published before the Revolution in Kazan and Bokhara received widespread attention in Turkey and the countries of the Middle East), Russia today has become a state that is largely dependent on foreign educational centers. Their specifics, clearly, may not always coincide with the forms of Islam, which took root in Russia throughout its history. The loss of self-sufficiency in training Muslim theologians and imams is sent back to our state as serious internal conflicts and geopolitical problems, because it opens the door to nontraditional, novelized forms of Islam, with aggressiveness, radicalism, and lack of toleration, which are incident to such forms. Today, when Islam is turning into a serious instrument of political games, including those played against Russia, profession of Islamic faith by our fellow citizens opens the possibility for their transformation from loyal Muslims into marginals and terrorists. There were no religious conflicts in the Russian Empire: as a matter of fact, it accumulated a unique experience of diverse communities of believers living together within the framework of a single state. Moreover, there are countless examples of Russian Muslims and representatives of other denominations standing up for the interests of their country shoulder to shoulder.

In order to restore the spiritual vertical, Muslims of Russia have to build anew an educational system that would be capable of training highly qualified theologians and imams independently and in conformity with the norms of traditional Russian Islam. The first step to be taken to attain this goal is the organization of book-publishing, which could provide Russian Muslims with necessary source books (in original languages and translations), and university-based special courses/faculties (involving instruction in Arabic, philosophy, history of religion, and Islamic studies), the students of which would graduate with a Master degree in Muslim theology.

As of January 2006, a total of 3668 Islamic organizations were registered in Russia. Muslims constitute the majority of the population in five subjects of the Russian Federation - Dagestan, Chechnya, Ingushetia, Karachay-Cherkessia, and Kabardino-Balkaria. In Tatarstan and Bashkortostan, they account for about one half of the population; other regions have 25% or less Muslim residents. In fact, more than one thousand mosques have been built since 1988 in Tatarstan alone. And the lack of educated and well-trained imams is felt everywhere. A first move towards solving this problem once and for all have already been made. Essentials of Islam has been taught for several years as a mandatory subject at schools - and even nurseries - of Ingushetia, Chechnya, and Dagestan, which serves to building wholesome Islamic communities, in compliance with the best traditions of pre-revolutionary Russia. As regards madrasahs (Muslim schools) and institutions of higher education, which were opened in recent years, notwithstanding their availability, the quality of instruction and the number of graduates fall far short of the due levels .

Taking into account the persisting danger of religious radicalism and international terrorism and the risk of their propagation, the problem of Islamic theological education demands undelayable resolution as a top-priority task of ensuring stability in Russia and other countries where Islam is not the creed of the overwhelming majority of the population.