The Ramadan Marquee is opened in Moscow

Solemn opening of the Ramadan Marquee has taken place in Moscow near the Memorial Mosque on the Poklonnaya Hill. The Russian Muftis Council holds this ceremony for already the fifth year with the assistance of Moscow Government and the cultural-educational Fund “The Hope”. Since 2010 the Moscow authorities included the opening of the Ramadan Marquee in the list of the mass Muslim actions.

The ceremony began with the Koran reading and after that the chairman of the Russian Muftis Council Ravil Gainutdin took the floor.

The members of the Moscow Government, State Duma deputies, senators, representatives of regional authority, public associations and centers came to welcome all Muslims. Michael Orlov – the chairman of the committee on relations with Moscow religious organizations congratulated the Muslims on behalf of the Moscow Mayor Uri Luzkov and said that “the Ramadan Marquee unites Muscovites, helping everybody to learn the multiformity of our city’s culture”.

The Vice-Premier of Tatarstan Government, Minister of culture Zilya Valeeva mentioned in her speech that holding of the Ramadan Marquee became a good tradition in life of the Russian state. Representatives of other religious organizations also took the floor with the words of welcome. “The fact that we share our feasts says that we observe very special and very kind practice of peaceful coexistence between the representatives of different religions in Russia” – the head of the Synodal Dept on interrelations between the Russian Orthodox Church and the society, the archpriest Vsevolod Chaplin said.