Press Release
Role of Tatarstan in Russian Policy

On 21 May 2014, the president of Tatarstan Rustam Minnekhanov congratulated Tatarstan inhabitants on the next anniversary of Volga Bulgaria's conversion to Islam.

Rustam Minnekhanov's congratulations reflect the priorities of the secular society where Islam is artificially isolated from life. In such a society, one can celebrate as much as he wants over the fact that once Islam was a state religion of Volga Bulgaria and then of the Golden Horde - it does not change the position of Tatarstan's inhabitants. The worldview of the present generation follows steadily degrading Western society, with its vile values that are measured with the image created in their culture. An example of this rapid degradation is the recent Eurovision song contest.

The Muslim peoples shall be thankful to Allah (swt) for their achievements - this fact can not be ignored and Rustam Minnekhanov mentioned this at the very beginning of his congratulation. However, in the continuation he put the nationalist theme, mentioning that this year Kazan is "the cultural capital of the Turkic world". Then he said about Bulgar as a "pilgrimage pearl" of the international scale that is also in contradiction with the Islamic principles.

Islam is a living religion, that wins more and more the consciousness of people around the world for its ability to solve problems in the field of spiritual and material spheres. An attempt to show this religion as some ancient monuments can only come from those who are trying to fit Islam in the limited framework, not treating it as a legislative system for the whole mankind.

The Russian government assigned to Tatarstan the role of the "bridge" between Russia and the Islamic world, because it is in much need of investments especially against the threats of tightening economic sanctions from the EU and the USA. In early June, there will be the next economic summit of OIC countries (Organization of Islamic Cooperation) in Kazan, on which the Kremlin hopes to make a breakthrough in this direction. Russia can by means of Tatarstan rouse OIC countries businessmen's interest, but if we talk about building the relationships with the Islamic Ummah, so for Russia it is necessary to stop its criminal anti-Islamic policy in and out the country. To present day they continue to arrest and torture the Muslims of Chistopol. And despite the facts of tortures such as amputation of some body parts, broken spinal bones and internal organs; none of the perpetrators of these crimes have not yet been brought to justice. And this is the real situation of the region which inhabitants were congratulated by Rustam Minnekhanov.

 Media Office of Hizb ut Tahrir in Russia