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Putin highlights the significance of building a domestic Islamic theological seminary

According to the Russian president, traditional Islam is a major part of Russia’s cultural patterns

© Alexey Druzhinin/TASS

KAZAN, January 25. /TASS/. Russian President Vladimir Putin, who met with muftis of Russia’s centralized Moslem organization and the leadership of the Bolgar Islamic Academy in Kazan, stressed the importance of developing a domestic Islamic theological seminary, particularly in terms of training future muftis.

"In 2013, we met with many of you in Ufa. Back then we stated and now I would like to stress it once again that traditional Islam is a major part of Russia’s cultural composition and the Moslem ummah is, undoubtedly, a very important part of Russia’s multiethnic people. We also spoke back then about the necessity to revive theological Islamic education in Russia," he said, adding that the average age of the current muftis gets one thinking about who would succeed them. In his words, future muftis are to be educated domestically.

The Bolgar Islamic Academy was inaugurated on September 4, 2017 in the city of Bolgar in Russia’s Tatarstan Region. Students receive free education in two disciplines, namely Islamic Law and Islamic Thought and Faith.

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