Tatarstan Mufti Kamil hazrat Samigullin and the Metropolitan of Kazan and Tatarstan Cyrill congatulate Mintimer Shaimiev with his birthday

On 20 January in the Kazan Kremlin the Tatarstan State Counselor Mintimer Shaimiev had a meeting with Tatarstan Mufti Kamil hazrat Samigullin and the Metropolitan of Kazan and Tatarstan Cyrill who came to congratulate him with his birthday celebrated today.

On behalf of the Holy Patriarch of All Russia and Moscow, the Metropolitan of Kazan and Tatarstan Cyrill handed in Mintimer Shaimiev a jubilee medal of the Russian Orthodox Church “In memory of 100th anniversary of restoration of Patriarchy in the Russian Orthodox Church, while Kamil Samigullin handed him in the Order of Shigabutdin Mardjani, which is the highest award of Muftiyat, for great services to the Muslim Umma.

Mintimer Shaimiev thanked the religious leaders for their congratulations and dedicated service to the people.

“Thank you for coming together. This is another proof that we live in peace and concord. During these years we together with you have walked a long way. No matter what happened we have always been able to find common ground. This is for the good of everyone both Muslims and Orthodoxy. This is serving the people and we serve together. We have already restored many valuable and historical cathedrals and continue to build new ones. We celebrated the 1100 anniversary of adoption of Islam together. The fact that we have this mutual understanding is pleasant for us. It is a safe bet. It is creation through mutual understanding. We should continue cherish and pass this valuable experience to new generations,” Mintimer Shaimiev emphasized.