2nd December 2020, an international scientific and practical conference dedicated to the 145th anniversary of the birth of the outstanding jadid Mahmudhoji Behbudi was held in an online format. The event is organized by the international Islamic Academy of Uzbekistan. First Deputy Chairman of the Religious Board of Muslims of the Russian Federation, Executive Secretary of the Muslim International Forum, Director of the center for Islamic studies of Saint Petersburg state University, doctor of theology Damir Mukhetdinov made a report at the plenary session.
Mahmudkhoja Behbudi (1875-1919) is considered the founding father of jadidism in Turkestan. Visiting at the end of the XIX century. Crimea, the Volga region and the capital cities of Russia (St. Petersburg and Moscow), he became involved in the idea of renewal the education system and socio-political life of the Ummah. As an active public figure and educator, he was elected to the State Duma of the Russian Empire, publishing periodicals in the languages of the peoples of Central Asia.
The conference speakers, including scientists from Uzbekistan, Russia, Kazakhstan, Germany, Turkey, and other countries, reveal the socio-political, intellectual, and cultural processes in the Central Asian region in the early twentieth century through the personality and historical role of Mahmudkhoji Behbudi. As the participants of the scientific event convincingly showed, the renewal movement of jadidism, founded by Tatar philosophers in the middle of the XIX century and later implemented by Ismail Gasprinsky in the Crimea, and then spread to all regions of the compact Muslim population of the Russian Empire, is one of the most important layers of cultural and religious relationships between Muslims and communities of the Eurasian area. Jadidism has become a powerful platform for mutual intellectual exchange between the Muslims of the Russian Empire and still retains its role as a body of common intellectual and historical heritage of the peoples of the Commonwealth of Independent States, connecting both the Muslim clergy of our countries and scholars of the humanities.
In his speech at the plenary part of the conference, Damir Mukhetdinov conveyed greetings to the participants on behalf of the Religious leader of Russian Muslims,general secretary of the Muslim International Forum mufti Sheikh Ravil Gaynutdin. He emphasized the importance of in-depth study and development of tajids ideas in relation to modern reality. The Religious Board of Muslims of the Russian Federation, the center for Islamic studies of St. Petersburg state University and the Medina Publishing house are working in this direction. One of the flagship projects in this direction is the book series "Islah wa tajdid" ("Revival and renewal") and" Islamic thought in Russia: revival and reinterpretation", which in 2021 is planned to publish at least 50 books, including scientific translations into modern Russian and Tatar languages of Musa Bigiev's works, works of Rizaetdin Fakhretdin, national and foreign philosophers. The publication of these works is timed to the beginning of the celebration of the 1100th anniversary of the adoption of Islam by the peoples of Volgian Bulgaria in 922 by the Gregorian calendar.
The conference was attended by rector of the International Islamic Academy of Uzbekistan Rustem Kasimov, General director of the Research Center for Islamic history, art and culture of the Organization of Islamic cooperation (IRSICA) Halit Eren, Director of the Institute of history of the Academy of Sciences of Uzbekistan Azamat Zie, Professor of the international Kazakh-Turkish University named after Ahmed Yasavi Hazratali Tursun, Professor of the Department for the study of Islamic civilization of Kazan Federal University Aidar Khabutdinov, Professor of the International Islamic Academy of Uzbekistan Saidakbar Agzamkhodjaev and others.