The closing ceremony of the International Conference on “Unity of the Source of Messages against Extremism and Terrorism for Peace and Cooperation,” hosted by the Russian Islamic University affiliated with the Central Religious Department of Muslims of Russia, in Ufa, capital of the Republic of Bashkortostan, witnessed the announcement of the establishment of the ICESCO Chair for Arabic Language in the Service of Dialogue and Coexistence at the University.

Procedures for signing the agreement on the Chair’s establishment between ICESCO and the Department should be completed in the days ahead. The Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) took part in the fourteenth session of the Conference, which was held within the framework of the celebrations marking the 1100th anniversary of the adoption of Islam as an official religion in the historic Kingdom of Bulgar, Russian Federation.

The event is part of a series of international scientific meetings organized by the Department and its affiliated University, with the assistance of the Presidency of the Republic of Bashkortostan, and in cooperation with the Fund for Support of Islamic Culture, Science and Education.

The opening ceremony took place on September 21, 2022, in the presence of His Eminence Sheikh Al-Islam Talaat Safa Taj Al-Din, General Mufti, Head of the Central Religious Department of the Muslims of Russia, representative of the Presidency of the Republic in Bashkortostan, and a host of scientific and intellectual figures from Russia and the Islamic world.Mr. Adel Bouraoui, Advisor to the Director-General for ICESCO’s External Centers and University Chairs in the field of Arabic Language, represented the Organization in the opening ceremony and delivered an address in which he noted that the Conference’s theme lies at the core of ICESCO’s concerns. He emphasized that ICESCO places dialogue, peace, coexistence and rejection of extremism at the heart of its educational, cultural and communication strategies and action plans, reviewing a number of the Organization’s achievements in this field.