Theologians treat level of Islamic education in the Caucasus as low

On October 30, Moscow hosted a scientific conference, the organizers of which announced the publication of an encyclopaedic dictionary about Islam.

On October 30, the Spiritual Administration of Muslims (SAM) of Russia held the Tenth International Scientific Conference named after Galimdjan Barudi on the topic "Islamic theology and academic Islam studies: cooperation and development prospects". Scientific readings were founded by the Moscow Islamic University (since September – the Moscow Islamic Institute) and focus on the development of Muslim education.

Some of the problems that worried Russian Muslims a hundred years ago are still relevant – equality, national languages and education, said Damir Mukhetdinov, Deputy Head of the Russian SAM and Rector of the Moscow Islamic Institute.

The insufficient level of Islamic education in the Caucasus is a consequence of the Soviet epoch's atheism, said Shapaa Matiev, Vice-Rector of the Ingush Islamic University. In his opinion, now the level of Islamic education is much lower than a hundred years ago.

The dictionary "Islam in the North-East of the Caucasus" will become a reference book on issues of the history, geography, archaeology and other sciences related to Islam in Dagestan, Chechnya and Ingushetia, said Zurab Gadjiev, a member of the editorial board of the dictionary, a former scientific secretary of the National Museum of Dagestan, a candidate of historical sciences.

"In the dictionary, Islam is presented as a civilization embracing all aspects of people's life," the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent reports him as saying.

Full text of the article is available on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’.