Iran, Russia Discuss Religious, Cultural Cooperation
Iran’s cultural attaché to Russia Masoud Ahmadvand held a meeting with Mufti Demir Mukhetdinov, First Deputy Chairman of the Muslim Spiritual Administration of the Russian Federation and the head of the Moscow Islamic Institute.
The Russian mufti hailed the role and effects of Iran’s culture and civilization on Muslims in Russia, noting, “The Persian language was among the main languages among Russian Muslims and prior to the Soviet era, and most Muslim scholars knew Arabic, Persian, and Turkish.”
According to the remained evidence, he continued, at least three muftis used Persian in their bilateral letters.
Noting that Islam entered the region through Bukhara and Transoxiana, Mukhetdinov stressed that these areas were Persian-speaking.
Despite the far geographical distance, there was a strong link between Khorasan and Volga regions, he added.
He also explained some of the plans that the administration is set to perform on the occasion of the 1100th anniversary of the adoption of Islam.
For his part, the Iranian envoy expressed readiness to cooperate with the Russian organizations for introducing influential Iranian Muslim scholars during the upcoming event.
Reflecting on the mufti’s remarks about the Persian language, Ahmadvand said Iran’s cultural office is ready to reopen the Iran Room at Moscow Islamic Institute for teaching Persian to students while also sending them to Iran for complementary courses on the Persian language.
