on May 17 rector Farkhat Khusnutdinov met with deputy secretary general of the Organization of Islamic cooperation Ahmad Kavesa Sengendo at the Kazan office of the Bolgar Islamic Academy.

Mr. Ahmad Kavesa Sengendo arrived in Kazan to participate in the XIV International Economic Forum “Russia – Islamic World: KazanForum 2023”.

During the working meeting Mr. Sengendo noted that the Academy’s responsibility not only for the Muslims of Tatarstan, but also for the entire Muslim Ummah of Russia and CIS countries, as well as for stable inter-ethnic and inter-confessional relations in the country.

“The Bolgar Academy needs funding to create new programs, to pay the teaching staff. At the same time, the Academy should be able to conduct scientific research, especially in the field of the history of Islam, to show how Islam developed in the USSR and in Russia, how it survived in times of persecution of religion,” the OIC deputy secretary-general said.

The guest also expressed confidence in the need to create a center together with the state authorities and muftis, which would inform the general public about the intellectual , cultural diversity and beauty of Islam.

“There is a need for such an organ, which would unite all Islamic educational institutions in Russia and allow to combine efforts, including in the sphere of interaction with other foreign organizations. Together we can do a lot without global financial investments, especially if we share our own experience in order to develop and solve joint problems in the educational sphere,” Mr. Ahmad Sengendo stressed.

In turn, rector Farkhat Khusnutdinov presented the scientific and educational activities of the Bolgar Academy to the guest and thanked him for understanding the challenges facing the Academy and Muslim education in Russia as a whole.

“Our main task is to increase the attractiveness of the Academy so that our graduates work and become in demand all over the world. In this direction, we have the support of the Rais (Head) of the Republic of Tatarstan Rustam Minnikhanov and close co-operation with the Spiritual Administrations of Muslims of Russia,” the rector noted.