By Vestnik Kavkaza
In Moscow at the Memorial Mosque on Poklonnaya Hill the grand opening of the traditional Ramadan Tent took place. This is a unique educational and charitable project acquainting Muscovites with Muslim culture and traditions. It is expected that during its entire opening it will be visited by more than seven thousand people. It is organized by the Spiritual Board of Muslims of the city of Moscow with the support of the Council of Muftis of Russia and Moscow Government. The door of the tent will be open to all comers, regardless of nationality or religion, from July 31 to August 7, 2013.
“For the eighth time in the capital of our multi-ethnic, multi-religious state, we open the Tent of Ramadan,” Mufti Sheikh Ravil Gainutdin, said. “I particularly emphasize that in our multicultural and multi-religious country a few days ago, when Orthodox Christians celebrated the 1025th anniversary of the Baptism of Kievan Rus', our president, Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin, receiving the representatives of the Orthodox Church, emphasized that Russia is a multi-ethnic and multi-religious state. In this state, we, Muslims, have lived for centuries.”
Deputy Mufti of Moscow's cultural and educational programs Rashid Akkaziev spoke about the unifying mission of the Ramadan tent. “The Ramadan Tent is necessary to tell our fellow citizens about the culture of the Muslim peoples, their traditions, so that between the nations, between the ethnic groups who live in Russia, there is a cultural exchange, so that we know each other and each other's traditions better. From this point of view, the Ramadan Tent is educational in nature.”
According to Shamil Alyautdinov, imam of the Memorial Mosque on Poklonnaya Hill, in Moscow in recent years the number of people visiting the mosque has significantly increased. “For the past 15 years I have been working as the imam of the Memorial Mosque in Moscow. Of course, in the beginning there were fewer people than now. They fill every small little corner, every square meter of all five floors of the Memorial Mosque, which is about two thousand square meters in total. In addition, about one thousand people pray in the street. So, of course, the issue of the mosque in Moscow has long been overdue and urgent, but so far the believers themselves have not matured to convince the authorities that it is necessary to pay special attention to this in a civilized way. As for the tent, this is the eighth year we have been holding it. Of course, this is a very good platform for meeting people of different nationalities and cultures, different religions. I think that the effect of this is quite big.”
