Putin visited a mosque with a capacity of 10,000 people, which was honored by the name ‘Akhmad Kadyrov’ in Grozny before its opening.
Putin emphasized the importance of the dialogue between the religions and said, ‘The dialogue between the religions is very important. It is especially important for a country that has many religions and nations like ours.’ Putin also commented on the ‘Islam is the Religion of Peace’ conference held at the opening of the mosque and said: “This is a very nice work. It is also very relevant to organize such a conference at the opening of the mosque. Islam is the religion of peace. This is a very nice message that is delivered all around the world by this conference.”
In his opening speech, Mr. Kadyrov, who is known to be close to Vladimir Putin, mentioned the Russian Prime Minister as the hope for all the Muslims of the world. Kadyrov said, ‘Although his schedule was very busy, Putin visited the mosque. It is a very big gesture. And here I am announcing that I see him as the hope for all the Muslims of the world. The mosque was declared as ‘Europe’s largest mosque’ and was built according to the will of the former President Akhmad Kadyrov who was killed by a suicide bombing in 2004. After Mr. Kadyrov visited Konya in the 90’s, he was very impressed by the mosques and he wanted to build the same ones in Chechnya. The construction of the mosque started in 2006. The mosque and the yard are built on a 14 hectare area. The mosque, which is going to be the center of Islam, also contains an Islamic Institute, a madrasah, a religious library, a guesthouse and a student hostel.
About 200 invited guests from 25 countries attended the opening of the mosque. For the opening, strong safety measures were provided in Grozny. Highways were closed to automobiles and mass transit. Also more than 2,000 police officers and a special troop patrolled in the city for security.
About 20 million Muslims live in the Russian Federation.
