Tatarstan president wins King Faisal International Prize

Mintimer Shaimiev has won the King Faisal International Prize in the Service to Islam nomination, said Prince Khalid Al-Faisal, Governor of the Saudi Asir province and Director General of the King Faisal Foundation. Shaimiev has done a lot for the revival of Islamic culture, as well as for teaching Islamic principles and canons in Tatarstan, he said.

Over 1,000 mosques, including 40 in Kazan, have been build in the republic over recent years. The Koran and Islamic books have been published, medreses have opened, and Islamic societies have been formed. Besides, Tatarstan hosts the Russian Islamic University.

This prize can be compared with the Nobel Prize of the Islamic world, given for the outstanding achievements in the field of allegiance for the Islamic world and humanity in the whole. Mintimer Shaimiev is the first representative of Russia who was afforded this honour.

On January 15 Mintimer Shaimiev had a telephone conversations with Secretary General of the Organization of Islamic Conference Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu and Director General of the King Faisal Foundation Prince Khalid Al-Faisal. Tatarstan President thanked them for Prize.