New Muslim organization founded in Russia

The Muftiate of the Stavropol Territory took part in Moscow in the inaugural conference, which today has created a new centralized religious organization of Muslims - the Russian Association of Islamic Accord (All-Russian Muftiate).

The organization is the fourth centralized Muftiate in the country after the Central Spiritual Muslims' Directorate, the Russian Mufti Council and the Coordinating Centre of Northern Caucasus Muslims.

According to Mr Khuzin, the reason for its creation was, "a long-standing need and importance of consolidating the Muslim community of Russia," the "Interfax" reports.

The statement adopted at the founding meeting expresses, in particular, the members' position regarding the need to build mosques in Moscow.

"We can build mosques without scandals. In such cities like Samara, St Petersburg, Cheboksary, Pyatigorsk and Perm our temples were built in benevolent atmosphere and without protests from the non-Muslim population. We should be ready to negotiate and calmly defend our own position and admit reasonable compromises," the Information and Analytical Centre "Sova" quotes the statement.