Mufti Sheikh Ravil Gaynutdin, chairman of the Russian Muftis Council and the Religious Board of Muslims of the Russian Federation, sent a letter of congratulation to Abdullah bin Mohammed al-Salimi, Minister of Religious Affairs of the Sultanate of Oman, on the occasion of the 50th National Day.

On November 11, a school for children living in the camp opened in a refugee camp located in the Bekaa valley region of Lebanon on the border with Syria. The building, designed for 250 students, was built and equipped with funds raised by the Zakyat charitable Foundation of the Religious board of Muslims of the Russian Federation.

On November 16, the residence of the Religious Board of Muslims of the Russian Federation hosted the Ambassador of France in Moscow, Mr. Pierre Levy, with the blessing of the religious leader of Russian Muslims, Mufti Sheikh Ravil Gaynutdin. On behalf of the Religious Board of Muslims of the Russian Federation and the Council of Muftis of Russia, the first Deputy Chairman of the Religious Board of Muslims of the Russian Federation Damir Mukhetdinov held a meeting with the French diplomat. The meeting was also attended by the first Secretary of the Embassy Johan Ure, translator Tatyana Kabulova, head of the international department of the Russian Religious Board of Muslims Ildar Galeev.

The Muslim world has suffered a great loss - the earthly life of our elder and wise brother Ayatollah Mohammad Ali Tashiri has ended. He devoted many years of his life to the activities of the World League for the Rapprochement of Madhhabs, and all recent years was an adviser to the supreme leader of Iran on issues of the Islamic world. Ayatollah Tashiri was loved and respected in the Islamic world as a theologian who made an enormous contribution to the intra-Islamic dialogue, to overcoming the mutual alertness between Muslims-representatives of various sects and madhhabs.

Mohammad Ali Tashiri was well known among Russian Muslims and our brothers in the Commonwealth of Independent States. I can confidently say that he loved Russia and the Russian Ummah, because he invariably responded to the invitation of Russian Muslims to take part in one or another significant scientific or theological event. His last visit to our country took place due to the invitation of Mufti Gainutdin to the VI International Scientific and Practical Conference "Fakhretdinov Readings" on the topic "Islam in the Global World: Muslim Heritage and Intercultural Dialogue" in September 2019. He invariably delivered a message about peace, dialogue, mutual love and harmony. The authority of Ayatollah Tashiri in the dialogue between madhhabs and Islamic movements will certainly be lacking.

Another issue of the international journal “Minaret of Islam” has come out. It contains the main results of one of our traditional annual meetings, the 15th Muslim International forum, which took place from 9-11 December 2019 in Berlin.

The commemorative event, which brought together eminent guests from practically all corners of the world, dealt with one of the most important themes of modernity – the interaction between secular and religious identities and how they coexist in contemporary Western countries. Europe is on the verge of great transformations. Muslims are becoming an active part of society with their right to vote and are displaying a lifestyle that is somewhat untypical for European society, thus giving a positive answer to the question: is there a new stage after secularism?

The materials from the conference published in this issue are devoted to analyzing this phenomenon, examining its historical premises and forecasting the future. In particular, one can read the presentations of Mufti Sheikh Ravil Gaynutdin; head of the department of religious affairs of Turkey, Ali Erbas; head of the department of fatwas at the Dar al-Ifta in Egypt, Dr Ahmed Mamduh; muftis Mevlud Dudich, Serikbay Oraz and Yusuf Murad; the now deceased president of the union of Islamic communities of Spain, Riyaya Tatari Bakri; and other prominent figures from religious and academic communities.

The new issue will soon be available on the official site of “Medina” publishing house: www.idmedina.ru