UIN Jakarta holds public lecture by Russia’s Deputy Chairman of the Muftis Council

Diorama Room, UIN News Online – UIN Jakarta through the Center for International Cooperation (CIC) holds public lecture by Deputy Chairman of the Russia Muftis Council Rushan Abbyasov, at Diorama Room, Campus I of UIN Jakarta, Wednesday, (02/27/2019).

Present in the event, Vice Rector for Coperation Andi M Faisal Bakti, Academic Administration and Cooperation (AAKK) Bureau Chief Khoirudin, Head of CIC UIN Jakarta Rachmat Baihaky, and hundreds of students from various faculties and study programs at UIN Jakarta.

Rushan in his presentation described the history of Islam in Russia. “In the mid-7th century, Islam penetrated into the Caucasus region, parts of which were later incorporated by Russia. The Dagestani people converted to Islam after the Arab conquest of the region in the 8th century,” said Rushan.

Rushan also discussed Islam in Russia during the USSR era. During USSR era, the management of spiritual affairs of the Muslim population in Russia was carried out by four independent spiritual administration boards: The Spiritual Administration for Central Asia and Kazakhstan (Tashkent), The Spiritual Administration of Muslims for the Caucasus (Baku), The Spiritual Administration of Muslims for the Northern Caucasus (Buynaksks), and The Spiritual Administration of Muslims for the Transcaucasia (Ufa).

“They lasted until the fall of USSR in 1991,” he said.

Today, Russia is home to as many as 25 million Muslims of various ethnic backgrounds (18% of the Russian population). There are several Islamic universities in Russia, such as Russian Islamic University and Moscow Islamic University.

For information, the Russia Muftis Council is a centralized religious organization of Russian Muslims that unites religious boards of Muslims and various religious organizations in the Russian Federation. Since its foundation in 1996, the Russia Muftis Council has been headed by mufti sheikh Ravil Gaynutdin. (usa)