Russian Muslims intend to raise the question of introducing a vice president post to have their own representative in the Russian government, head of the Muftis Council Ravil Gainutdin was quoted by Ekho Moskvy radio as saying.
Such an official will be needed if "the number of Muslims in Russia increases at the current pace, while the demographic situation changes for the worse," Gainutdin said.
In his opinion, Muslims deserve to have their interests "represented on the highest level."
However, the major Russian mufti said the country currently does not need a so-called chief mufti with the same power as the Orthodox patriarch. But an organization that will unite Russian Muslims would be worthwhile, Gainutdin said.
Recently a group of 400 Muslims from the Russian internal republic of Kabardino-Balkaria sent an open letter to President Vladimir Putin asking him to let them leave Russia for any Asian or European state where "human rights are respected." They also tried to ask the Russian leader the same question during a nationwide phone-in show Tuesday, but no messages from the republic were voiced during the live broadcast. |