On January 20, 2021, Center for Arab and Islamic Studies held the Round Table “State and Religious Organizations in Algeria and Russia”.

 

The Russian side of the discussion was represented by President of the Institute of Oriental Studies RAS, Full Member of RAS Prof. Vitaly Naumkin, Head of CAIS Dr. Vasily Kuznetsov, Head of the Central Eurasia Research Center Prof. Vladimir Bobrovnikov, Professor of Higher School of Economics Leonid Syukiyainen and other researchers. The foreign participants included Professor of University of Algiers 2, Director of Religion and Society Laboratory Zoubir Arous, Representative of Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung in Algeria Dr. Nora Beljoudi, Professor of University of Algiers 2, Researcher of Religion and Society Laboratory Siham Cherif, President of International Sociological Association, Professor of American University in Beirut Rashid Maymouni, Director of Center for Social Anthropology and Culturology Prof. Jilali Al Moustari, Professor of Sociology of Setif 2 University Hasan Bousarsub.

 

The Round Table was dedicated to instruments used by the states to build relations with Muslim communities, ways to achieve balance between national interests and the autonomy of society’s religious life, and issues of self-organization among Muslim communities in Russia.

On January 21, 2021, Center for Arab and Islamic Studies held another Round Table “State-Islamic Relations: Cases of Russia and Egypt”, where similar issues were discussed in relation to Russian and Egyptian societies.

 

The event attracted a number of renowned Egyptian experts, such as Director of Hiwar Center for Political and Information Studies Prof. Ahmad Tahir, Professor of History and Political Studies at Alexandria University Jalal Zanati, religious extremism and international terrorism researcher Mounir Adib, journalist and political Islam researcher Mahir Farghali, Cairo University researcher Amr Abdelmunim, journalist, scholar, advisor on media to ex-Interim President of Egypt Adli Mansour, Ahmad Al Muslimani.