EDITOR’S NOTE: The character of this new Interfaith center is not evident yet. It looks like it initially has a limited scope: to celebrate Russia’s achievement or the remarkable co-existence of Christians and Muslims, among other religions. This contrasts the problems the European Union has, where Muslims are still in their ghettos and have not integrated into the broader society. Before comparing it to the Abrahamic House in Dubai, we should wait and see where this goes. So far, it does not look like a monstrous “pan-religion” project.
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INTERFAITH CENTER WITH CHURCH, MOSQUE, JEWISH AND BUDDHIST TEMPLES TO BE BUILT IN MOSCOW
Moscow, January 18, 2024
Photo: kalabugin.ru
Construction on an interfaith cultural and educational center in the Kommunarka section of Moscow will begin this year.
The site will include an Orthodox church, a mosque, a Jewish temple, and a Buddhist temple, representing what the Russian constitution recognizes as the four traditional religions of Russia.
The site will also include a social center for public activists, people with disabilities, and the elderly, and a school for the blind. It is also planned to hold educational events, workshops, and exhibitions. In addition, the interfaith center will be involved in patriotic education, reports TASS.
“We believe that this project will be an important contribution to strengthening interethnic and interreligious harmony,” Mufti Albir Krganov, head of the Spiritual Assembly of Muslims of Russia, said at a meeting with President Vladimir Putin and the Public Chamber of the Russian Federation in November.
