Muslim Boy Reading The Qu'ran

Russian Cleric Expresses Outrage Over the Banning of Qur’an Translation

Muslim Boy Reading The Qu'ran

A district court in Russia has made a ruling that has caused an outcry among the Muslim population in Russia, a decision that will lead to the destruction of a translation of the Qur’an.

A Russian Islamic cleric, Ravil Gainutdin has expressed outrage at the ruling by a provincial court that a Russian translation of the Qur’an must be destroyed because it has been judged that the translation is “extremist”.

It has been decided that the translation of the Qur’an – which was written by Doctor of Philosophy Elmir Kuliyev – was in violation of strict federal laws that bans the distribution of “extremist materials.”

Ravil Gainutdin met with the Russian President, Vladimir Putin, in early September before the court decision was made. The Islamic cleric has since written an open letter to the Russian President expressing his outrage.

The ruling was made on September 17, 2013. In a response to the decision by the court, the Russia Muftis Council issued a statement calling the decision “even more blasphemous the last year’s ruling of Leninsky district court of Orenbur.” The council went on to state the decision would shake Muslims’ faith in the Russian justice system.

In the statement, the Council argued that the ordering of the destruction of the Qur’an was a “gross violation” of the Constitution of the Russian Federation. The council also argued that the decision by the district council was a violation of international laws on freedom.

It was also stated that the translation was written in accordance with Russian laws and the Russian tradition. This makes the decision by the district council even more difficult to understand.

Many people are unaware that the Muslim religion is in fact the second biggest religion in Russia. A survey showed that 6% of Russians consider themselves Muslim; Muslim minority groups make up 14% of the Russian population.

It has also been speculated that the ruling by the court will cause Russian Muslims to turn to other translations of the Qur’an, which the Russia Muftis Council says might be “unprofessional” and there are also concerns that the decision could lead to unrest in the country.

The ruling to ban the translation of the Qur’an and destroy any of the printed copies was made in accordance with Russian laws and is unlikely to be revoked. The Council ended the statement by calling on the Russian Government to stop the “disgraceful practice” of banning Muslim literature.

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