Ufa, Russia—The leader of UPF-Russia gave a talk in a well-known mosque during a conference on religious education.
The conference, titled “A Person Cannot Be Called Educated without Religious Education,” was held on November 9, 2019, in the Ikhlas Mosque in Ufa, the capital of the Russian Republic of Bashkortostan, whose residents are mostly Muslims.
The conference was attended by about 200 people, among whom were the Muslim elite of Ufa and representatives of other cities of Bashkortostan.
In her talk, Maria Nazarova, the secretary general of UPF-Russia, emphasized the peacemaking role of mothers as Ambassadors for Peace, as exemplified by the co-founder of the Universal Peace Federation, Dr. Hak Ja Han Moon.
The moderator of the conference, Hazrat Alfred Davletshin, who recently became the imam-khatib of the Ikhlas Mosque, introduced a new young spirit into the leadership of the mosque.
The opening speech was made by the distinguished Mukhamethazrat Gallyamov, the chair of the Mejlis (parish meeting) of the Ikhlas Mosque.
Ayuphazrat Bibarsov, the deputy chair of the Spiritual Administration of Muslims of the Republic of Bashkortostan, and Ruslan Dianisovich Karamyshev, the deputy chair of the Council on State-Confessional Relations under the Head of the Republic of Bashkortostan, gave welcoming speeches.
Speeches also were given by Rizaitdin Fakhretdinov, Mukhlis Bubi, Maryam Sultanova and Vily Kazykhanova, well-known public figures of Islam. They talked about the roles of the family, the wife and the mother.
Among the speakers were PhD. Dilyara Gabdlkavievna Gimranova, the director of the Rizaetdin Fakhretdin Memorial Museum in the neighboring Russian Republic of Tatarstan; Marsil Nurullovich Farkhshatov, the head of department, Institute of History, Language and Literature at the Ufa Scientific Center of the Russian Academy of Sciences; and Rozaliya Idrisovna Halikova, who is the chair of the Muslim Women’s Association in the Republic of Bashkortostan and also the head of the educational section of the Ikhlas Mosque.
Much has been said about the need to reconsider attitudes toward women in Muslim society in order to enable women to contribute to social life.
At the conference we heard interesting statistics that, according to modern research, more than 60 percent of young students in Bashkortostan consider religion to be an important part of their lives. In recent years a significant rejuvenation of the muftiate has occurred. This indicates that young people are increasingly interested in religion and that they understand the importance of faith in their daily lives.
The elders of the mosque were awarded special certificates for 20 years or more of service to the Almighty.
The Ikhlas Mosque today is a modern type of mosque and the spiritual center of the city and the republic, where, in addition to religious events and ceremonies, conferences, educational courses and much more are held. This attracts the attention of believers.