Russia Hosted Republican Iftar Attended By More Than 12,000 Guests
KUALA LUMPUR, April 1 (Bernama) -- Over 12,000 Muslims from Russia and Islamic countries attended the Republican Iftar held in Kazan, the capital of the Republic of Tatarstan in Russia, on March 29.
According to the statement from Russia-Islamic World: KazanForum 2024 secretariat, the event saw representation from countries such as Palestine, Saudi Arabia, Turkiye, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain, United Arab Emirates, and other countries across the Islamic world.
“Ambassadors and consuls of a number of Islamic countries and representatives of international organisations attended the Iftar.
“The event showed that Kazan is becoming one of the most important centres for the development of Islam and Russia's ties with the Islamic world,” the statement added.
According to the secretariat, the collective iftar usually participated by thousands of Russian Muslims and guests of honour is an annual event. This year it was held for the first time under the auspices of the Russia-Islamic World Strategic Vision Group and has acquired an international status.
The statement said the Republican Iftar served as an important event before one of the main events in Russia on May 14 to May 19 - the XV International Economic Forum Russia-Islamic World: KazanForum 2024 which is the largest event in Russia with the participation of delegations of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) states.
Referring to the forum, the focus will be on halal industry development and Islamic finance, the statement added.
The statement said the event held at Kazan Expo began with sermons on family values as part of the Year of the Family announced in Russia. This was followed by iftar and prayers where guests also made a collective prayer for the people of Palestine.
The memorable gift for participants of Republican Iftar was a copy of mushaf - an updated edition of the Quran namely Kazan Basmasy. The edition of the same name was first published in 1803 in the Asian Printing House in Kazan and went down in history as the first printed Quran that received theological recognition in the Muslim world, the statement quoted the Spiritual Administration of Muslims of Tatarstan.
According to the statement guests of Republican Iftar were feted with traditional dishes such as pilaf, dried fruits, and oriental sweets.
Food and beverage preparation for Iftar Republican guests includes about 3 tonnes of meat, 1.5 tonnes of rice, more than 1 tonne of dried fruits and 2 tonnes of vegetables, about 2,000 litres of juice and 12,000 bottles of water and lemonade.
Mufti and Chairman of the Spiritual Administration of Muslims of the Republic of Tatarstan Kamil Samigullin said the Republican Iftar has already become a world-class event with guests and consuls from foreign countries.
“We will think about how to expand the geography next year. Here people see each other, hug each other, iftar unites believers,” he added.
-- BERNAMA
