On 24 May in Bolgar Islamic Academy within the framework of the V International Bolgar Forum started the International Student Conference “Civil Identity of Today’s Youth: Religious and Educational Policy in the Context of Socio-Cultural Realities”. More than 50 delegates from 7 countries from near and far abroad are taking part in the event. Among them are representatives of state authorities, heads of religious associations and public organizations, young researchers, theologians and teachers of educational institutions.

According to Farkhat Khusnutdinov, Rector of the Academy, the conference will discuss a wide range of issues touching upon various aspects of strengthening the civil identity of today’s Muslim youth.

“The civil identity of young Muslims based on education, morality, intellectual activity will be the foundation of our future development. For its part, the Academy pays great attention to the issues of successful socialization of young people and the formation of positive forms of social interaction in the Muslim community of the country. Thus, to date, two fundamental scientific works have already been published, aimed at revealing the theoretical foundations of civil identity of youth. One of them is the work of our respected professor Ali Vyacheslav Polosin “Civil Identity of Muslims in Russia”. The second work was prepared by the respected mufti, deputy chairman of the Spiritual Administration of Muslims of the Russian Federation Rushan khazrat Abbyasov “SocialDoctrine of Muslims in Russia: topical issues of discourse”, – said the rector.

In addition, welcoming the conference participants, Farkhat Khusnutdinov emphasized that the Bolgar Academy strives to develop scientific and humanitarian relations with colleagues from domestic universities and foreign countries.

The relevance and importance of the topic highlighted by the deputy chairman of the spiritual administration of Muslims of the Russian Federation, chairman of the spiritual administration of Muslims of the Moscow region Rushan Hazrat Abbyasov. He recalled the words of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) about the importance of using youth before old age.

Noting the activity of youth in all activities and endeavours, Rushan khazrat called for strengthening cooperation in the sphere of interaction with the younger generation, including preventing the spread of radical ideas.

Albert Dirzizov, head of the department for interaction with religious associations of the department of internal policy of the Rais (Head) of the Republic of Tatarstan, addressed the conference participants with words of greeting. The speaker emphasized that the Islamic way of life contributes to the preservation of traditional values, and such meetings are significant events in the religious, scientific and cultural life of Muslims in the country.

It is not the first year that the Bolgar Islamic academy has been actively co-operating with the ministry of youth affairs of the Republic of Tatarstan. This close co-operation is especially relevant today, as the issue of civil identity of youth is acute not only in Russia, but also in the whole world. This was stated by the minister of youth affairs of Tatarstan Rinat Sadykov. He stressed that such events are a good tool for levelling the negative influence on the minds of young people and demonstrating wide opportunities to realize their potential inside the country.

Ramil Khairullin, Deputy Minister of Education and Science of Tatarstan, also spoke about the importance of developing patriotism among the younger generation. In particular, he drew attention to one of the main tasks of the youth state policy of Russia – education of patriotic youth with the ability to think critically, take responsibility for independent decision-making.

Dr. Sheikh Osama Al-Azhari, Advisor to the President of Egypt on Religious Affairs, in his turn, noted the role of the Bolgar Academy and its events in preserving the invaluable religious heritage of Muslims in Russia, as well as the civil identity of Russian Muslims. The speaker also added that special attention is paid to inculcating patriotism in the Academy. This is very important, as love for the Fatherland is one of the postulates of faith.

“The staff and teachers of the Academy fill everything around them with a bright light radiating knowledge. Our cooperation agreements with international Muslim organizations and educational institutions have a huge impact on the development of Islamic education. Such meetings are also important as a huge number of scholars, thinkers, and sheikhs gather here to discuss To discuss current issues of our time, to find new methods of teaching”, Al-Azhari explained.

Rafik Mukhametshin, chairman of the council for Islamic education and rector of the Russian Islamic institute, welcomed the colleagues online. In his speech, he noted that the discussion of civil identity in modern realities is extremely important, as it is not a regional, but a global problem.

Rector of the Russian Islamic university Artur Khazrat Suleymanov agreed with him, emphasizing that Muslims should be integrated into the society in which they live.

“If we turn to the past, we will see that Islam and Orthodoxy have more than 1,000 years of history. During this time, we have always helped each other, defended our homeland. And today we must fight for strengthening our civil identity and preserving our spiritual and moral foundations,” Suleymanov explained.

Rector of the Islamic institute of the city of Sunzha Dzhabrail Mukhloev also greeted the participants of the event.

The conference will continue its work within the framework of two sections – “civil identity in modern Muslim theology” and “foundations of civil identity formation in the system of religious education”. Also on the 25th there will be a panel discussion on “civil identity and forms of subjectivity”.