Bashkir imams will be certified

Bashkir imams have to be certified, the deputy chairman of the Central Clerical Muslim Dept RB Ruslan Sayakhov reported to the news agency “Bashinform” today.

“Before the Department certified only the pedagogues, reading the lectures under the mosques” – he said – “But now it is decided to certify all imams in Bashkiria but first we have to prepare the juridical base and work up the requirements for the imams and the certification itself is scheduled on the next year”.

Those imams, who fail to pass the certification from the first attempt because of insignificant shortcomings, may pass the certification once again. The Clerical Muslim Dept RB gives them such chance and those religious employees, whose level of qualification doesn’t meet the requirements, will be replaced by more qualified.

“Every imam will receive the special document after successful certification” – Ruslan Sayakhov said – “And later the municipal administrations will work only with the certified imams, provided with the special documents. The religious employees without such certificates will be considered the impostors”.

Such certification will be held for the first time not only in Bashkiria but in the country too. The idea of such certification, offered by the Clerical Muslim Dept, was approved by the Council for state and inter-religious relations under the President RB.

“The certification permits us to solve the problem with the so-called “floating” imams” – the chairman of the Council Vyacheslaw Pyatkov believes – “If every imam on the territory RB passes the certification and thus obeys either to the Central Clerical Muslim Dept RB or to the Central Clerical Muslim Dept of Russia, the municipal administration will be able to allocate the lands for the religious purposes only in agreement with the religious center. Every imam has to possess a certain volume of knowledge and has to know how to work with the parish, meeting quite exact moral requirements. It is quite possible that the idea of certification will be grasped by other religious centers in the future”.