23rd April saw the convening of a congress of the Spiritual Directorate of Muslims of the Saratov Region at the Saratov Islamic Centre. The first deputy of the Chairman of the Spiritual Directorate of Muslims of the Russian Federation, Mufti Sheikh Ravil khazrat Gainutdin, Damir khazrat Mukhetdinov, delivered a welcome address. He expressed deep gratitude to the founder and long-standing head of the Spiritual Directorate of Muslims of the Saratov Region, Mufti Muqaddas khazrat Bibarsov.

In turn, Mukaddas khazrat delivered a report on the activities of the Spiritual Administration of Muslims of the Saratov Region for the reporting period.

On behalf of the Rector of the Bolgar Islamic Academy, the Vice-Rector for Educational Activities of the Academy, Rustem Gilmutdinov, greeted the attendees. He noted that the Muftiate of the Saratov Region is one of the strongest in the Volga region, emphasizing the active activities of the Spiritual Administration of Muslims in the educational, enlightenment and upbringing areas.

Rustem Gilmutdinov also reminded about the activities of the Academy in preserving and popularizing the theological heritage of the Muslim peoples of Russia and called for active cooperation in the training of new religious personnel.

The main agenda of the meeting was the election of a new chairman of the Spiritual Administration of Muslims of the Saratov Region. The delegates representing the local religious organizations of the region and the Presidium of the Spiritual Administration of Muslims of the Saratov Region unanimously voted for the candidacy of Rasim khazrat Kuzyakhmetov, a master’s student of the Bolgar Islamic Academy and the director of the Medrese “Sheikh Saeed” under the Spiritual Administration of Muslims of the Saratov Region, and his first deputy became another master’s student of the Academy, Abdulkhakim Khazrat Yafarov.

For reference: Rasim khazrat Kuzyakhmetov was born on 7 December 1976 in the village of Sulyaevka, Lopatinsky District, Penza Region. From 1993 to 1995, he studied at the Medrese “Nurul Islam” (Republic of Bashkortostan, Oktyabrsky). From 1996 to 2005, he received knowledge at the International Islamic University “Al-Azhar” (Cairo, Egypt) at the Faculty of Theology, majoring in Hadith Studies.

From 2005 to 2011, Rasim khazrat continued his education at the Volga Academy of Public Service named after Stolypin, Faculty of State and Municipal Administration. At the same time, he received a degree in “Fundamentals of Didactics: Methods, Forms and Psychological Features of Learning” at the Institute of Additional Professional Education of the Saratov National Research State University named after Chernyshevsky.

From 2022, he has been studying in the master’s programme of the Bolgar Islamic Academy in the field of “Theology”.

Since 2002, he has held the position of Imam-Khatib of the Saratov Cathedral Mosque. He is also the director of the Medrese “Sheikh Saeed” at the Spiritual Directorate of Muslims of the Saratov Region and a member of the Council of Ulema of the Spiritual Directorate of Muslims of the Russian Federation.