Basics of All Major Religions Practised in Russia Should to Be Taught in Secondary Schools, Supreme Mufti Says

Russian Muslims want the basics of all major religions practised in Russia to be taught in secondary schools, said Supreme Mufti Talgat Tajuddin.

"Everything must be collected in one book, as any educated person should be aware of the country's traditional denominations," he stressed. At the same time, the mufti pointed to "the great respect of Muslims" for the Russian Orthodox Church and the Russian people. "We should not forget that Russians and Orthodox make up 80% of this country's population," he said.

According to him, the issue of interethnic dialogue was discussed at the two-day conference titled The Polyethnic Resource of the Russian Statehood which opened in Moscow on Monday under the patronage of Presidential Plenipotentiary Representative in the Central Federal District.

The Supreme Mufti highly appreciated the forum and called on "not to stop and to implement the recommendations worked out in its course". He agreed that it was necessary to work out the idea of Russian multinational statehood and a system of education in the spirit of tolerance.