Moscow Halal Expo 2014

By Vestnik Kavkaza


On July 8 in Moscow the 5th international Moscow Halal Expo exhibition came to the end, having been held in the All-Russia Exhibition Centre territory with support from the Council of Muftis of Russia. In 4 days the event was visited by thousands of people. That interest is growing every year in the exhibition confirms the fact that in Russia the halal industry is a promising sector.
 
In the 5 years of its existence "Halal-Expo″ has become an important event of Islamic life, both in Russia and throughout the entire former Soviet Union. This year at the exhibition there were 20 delegations from various countries of the world, including Turkey, Great Britain, Azerbaijan, the United Arab Emirates and Iran.
 
The mufti sheikh Ravil Gaynutdin, chairman of the Board of Muftis of Russia, spoke about sources and the vector of development of the halal industry in Russia: "The Council of Muftis of Russia was one of the first to propagandize the halal industry, to support those who started developing halal produce and to educate society in this area in our country. I am convinced that for market development of halal products and services worldwide it is necessary to possess certain knowledge. For this reason, this year we decided to devote the majority of the exhibition to education, to special seminars and training."
 
The capital's administration also supports holding relevant activities in the halal sphere. Konstantin Blazhenov, the head of the department of interregional cooperation, regional policy and link with the religious organizations of Moscow city hall, spoke about the role of the Moscow Halal Expo and the attitude of the authorities towards it: "All the years that the exhibition has been held in Moscow, the capital authorities have supported this largest forum in this sphere, because the Moscow Halal Expo showed an efficiency in interaction with businessmen producers from different countries and different regions of the Russian Federation. In addition, this action promotes the acquaintance of Muscovites and guests of the capital with the traditional values of Islam, to the creation of an international dialogue in our multinational city."
 
The event was visited by religious figures from Europe. Tomas Mishkevich, chairman of the Muslim Religious Council of Poland, emphasizes the importance of cultural exchange and friendship among different peoples and religions: "The people of Poland and the Russian people are neighbors and brothers. Tatars who have lived in Poland for six hundred years and Tatars of Russia are brothers. And when something goes the other way in politics, we have to understand that in the fields of culture, economics - we  are one family, we are together."
 
A special place in Islam is taken by charity. The organizers of the exhibition didn't avoid this question - at the exhibition several charity foundations were represented, such as "Solidarity" and "Revival and Hope". Irina Bogacheva, the president of the "Revival and Hope" fund, noted the special importance of the development of interaction of cultures: "For the first time we have worked at this exhibition, and I represent the "Revival and Hope" fund, which supports the Council of Muftis of Russia. This direction of interaction and immersion of the cultures of two spiritual faiths with each other, because children are our future, and we raise them for there to be peace on the earth, so they grow up developed and kind. I am very grateful to Mufti Ravil-hazrat Gaynutdin for being so attentive to the interaction of all spiritual directions, because we not only represent orthodox cultures and traditions, but also we teach children to learn high culture.