The Muslim World League (MWL) launched the first international conference of its kind in the history of Russia, discussing concepts of mercy and peace in religious values.
The three-day conference was held in the Russian capital, Moscow, and a session took place in the Chechen capital, Grozny.
The session was held under the auspices of the Russian Federation’s government and with high-level representation of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s office, the parliament, the presidency of the Chechen Republic and ministries of foreign affairs, national affairs, and northern Caucasus affairs in the Russian government.
Titled “Islam, a Message of Mercy and Peace,” the conference included participants from 43 countries, representing senior muftis, scholars, intellects, and politicians as well as leaders from different religions.
Russian officials said Islam is an integral part of the country’s culture.
Russia was chosen to host the conference because it has been a model of religious and ethnic harmony in recent years, according to the MWL.
The conference aims at achieving the MWL’s message to promote the values of coexistence and peace and emphasize the importance of working within the humanitarian and national joint circle.
It included six main sessions. The sessions were respectively titled “Elements of Coexistence,” “Russia’s Muslims and the Peace Community,” “Terrorism and Extremism.”
The fourth session included a panel discussion by the Center for Arab-Russian Studies on the role of social and religious organizations in spreading moderation, Saudi Arabia’s efforts to combat terrorism and attempts by terrorist organizations to target youth through social media.
The fifth session, held in Grozny, discussed the foundations of religious and ethnic relations in Russia and the country’s relationship with the Islamic world.
During the sixth session, President of the Chechen Republic delivered a speech along with the Secretary General of the Muslim World League and the Chechen Mufti, in addition to reciting the conference’s final communique.
