Russia not Interested in Tensions between West and Muslim World – Putin

Voices of Russian Muslim figures should sound louder on an international level as well as in the global Muslim community, Putin said at a meeting of the Council on Interethnic Relations.

“Today tension between Western powers and the Muslim world is growing. Some politicians try to take advantage of it adding fuel to the fire. We’re not interested in it,” Putin claimed during a meeting with muftis in Ufa on Tuesday.

The Russian leader also noted that today the necessity in “Russian presence is growing” in the Middle East in particular and in the Muslim world in general.

“We should act more actively unmasking harmful for mankind projects which aim at manipulating countries and peoples, information and public opinion,” Putin stressed.

Vladimir Putin assured that Russian wasn’t only not interested either in a split or “reshaping of the Muslim world” but, on the contrary, tried to pursue a consistent and hard line for consolidating its unity.

Politicization of Islam

The leaders of Russian Muslim organizations must resist the politicization of Islam jointly with the government, said Putin.

"A politicization of religion - not always positive - is going on among various tracks in Russia, including in Islam. The government and the Russian Muslim community are facing new problems and tasks in this setting, which can only be resolved jointly," Vladimir Putin added.

He also pointed out that "some political forces are making use of Islam - to be more exact its radical trends, which, by the way are untypical of the Russian Muslim community - in order to weaken the state, to create conflicts, governed from outside, to split ethnic groups within the Muslim community and to incite separatism in the regions."

The attempts to divide should be countered by the Russian Muslims' devotion to their historical traditions, he said, adding that despite a variety of schools and trends in Islam, Russia's Muslims "have always been united in their service to the public and the state."

Putin urged Russia's Muslims to establish partnership relations with other religions, first of all the Russian Orthodox Church.

Russia's Islamic theologian school

The president has proposed restoring Russia's Islamic theologian school: "If the present-day challenges are to be tackled effectively, the high authority of Russia's Muslim clergy and of the Islamic theologian school should be maintained."

Russia's Islam has ample capabilities to play its role in promoting the rich theologian legacy, guided by the centuries-old national experience in the system of religious education, Putin said.

"Among the most important tasks is that of recreating the national Islamic theologian school that would guarantee the sovereignty of the Russian religious space," the president added.

This school should respond quickly to the most acute developments in Russia and in the world as a whole, and make assessments "that would be clear and respected by believers."

Putin urges to stop inter-ethnic conflicts at the initial stage

In this respect he called on local authorities to react actively to citizens’ inquiries.

"One-time emergency measures to prevent inter-ethnic conflicts are not effective. We need to find modern systematic methods and approaches which are envisaged by the new National Policy Strategy. It will start working to its full extent only when regions are interested in it and take it as a guiding principle in actions and thorough systematic work aimed at strengthening inter-ethnic peace," Putin said.

He underlined that substantial and active efforts made by local authorities and their willingness to implement a strategy were of particular importance.

“However, we need to admit the work has been proceeding slowly. Only nine Russian regions drew up draft plans for implementation of a Federal Strategy. I repeat that we’re speaking only about plans and first necessary measures. If we analyze the actual work done I guess the situation will appear to be even more frustrating,” Putin added.

“As far as actual strategic documents are concerned, 21 Federal subjects approved them. But it was done not as we wanted it to be as the majority of documents are out-of date,” Putin said.

Vladimir Putin has also warned against disregarding unlawful deeds committed by immigrants.

“It is unacceptable to tolerate unlawful actions by visitors violating the immigration law and committing offences," Putin said at a meeting of the Council on Interethnic Relations.

National policy

Russia should gradually resolve problems of its national policy without stopping in the face of difficulties, Russian President Vladimir Putin has said during a session of the Russian International Affairs Council.

“This topic is very important and not only to us but to all the developing countries,” he stated.

Putin mentioned that problems in this field arouse in many developing countries.

“Some of our foreign colleagues are speaking about the failure of their national policies,” he noted. “We can’t speak about it. Moreover, we have no right to even think about it,” the Russian President added.

Ethnic relations

Vladimir Putin claimed that ethnic harmony has always been a feature of Russian society.

"Our fathers and grandfathers never discriminated against each other on the basis of ethnicity or faith," Putin said at an event on Tuesday marking the 225th anniversary of Russia's Central Muslim Spiritual Administration, the governing body of the country's large Muslim community.

"They valued mutual respect, supported each other in joy and sorrow, and have left us a legacy of great, invincible friendship, friendship that we will allow no one to destroy or blacken," he said.

Putin also credited the Muslim community with a special role in Russia's ethnic relations. He insisted that younger generations be imbued with respect for other ethnic groups and with a sense of co-citizenship, patriotism and pan-national self-awareness.