Timur Dzyba Re-Elected as Mufti at 6th Congress of Abkhazian Muslims
Timur Dzyba was re-elected as the Mufti of Abkhazia by a majority vote.
SUKHUM / AQW'A ― The 6th Congress of the Muslims of Abkhazia recently convened at the mosque in Sukhum, as reported by the EDUMA (Unified Spiritual Assembly of the Muslims of Abkhazia) website.
The agenda of the congress included three key topics: a report by the incumbent Mufti on the work accomplished over the past five years, the election of a new Mufti or re-election of the current one, the election of two deputy Muftis, and members of the EDUMA Council.
During the congress, two new candidates were nominated for the position of Mufti. However, after withdrawing their candidacies, Timur Dzyba was re-elected as the Mufti of Abkhazia by a majority vote.
In his report, Dzyba highlighted the significant work undertaken during the last five years, emphasising the strengthening of external relations with Muslim organisations, primarily in Russia, and with the Abkhazian diaspora abroad.
The EDUMA leader acknowledged the material support from Muslims in Russia and the Abkhaz-Adyghe diasporas in Turkey and Jordan, which enabled EDUMA to purchase and renovate premises for expanding the Sukhum mosque.
Mufti Dzyba notably commended the leadership of EDUMA and Deputy Mufti, Imam of the Gudauta city mosque, Alkhas Nanba, for their efforts in securing a plot in Gudauta for constructing an administrative complex for EDUMA. Preliminary construction work has already begun on the allocated site.
Among other achievements of EDUMA mentioned by the Mufti were the opening of the "Minaret" madrasa at the Sukhum mosque for teaching children and adolescents the fundamentals of Islam, the establishment of a press service, and the creation of an official website and social media pages for EDUMA.
Dzyba emphasised the ongoing efforts in developing new qualified religious personnel from the youth for EDUMA. For this purpose, a group of young people, who had undergone interviews and received initial education in the mosques of Abkhazia, were sent for further religious education to official Islamic educational institutions in Russia, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and Kuwait, aimed at enhancing their religious education and facilitating their employment within EDUMA.
The Mufti also noted that the leadership of Abkhazia has always been respectful and supportive of the Muslims in the republic, ensuring their religious rights and freedoms, a stance highly regarded by the EDUMA leadership.
"Dziba explained, "Much of this is due to the leadership of EDUMA and every Muslim individually, who prevent any unlawful activities within the Muslim community. We always support the country's leadership in all noble deeds to maintain peace, stability, order, and prosperity in our republic. We condemn and distance ourselves from any words and actions that could lead to tension and division in our society and contradict the traditions of our religion."
Concluding the congress, Dzyba thanked his deputies and Council members for their collaborative work during the past term and wished the new team continued fruitful cooperation.
At the end of the congress, delegates elected two deputy Muftis, Abdurrahman Dzhugeliya and Alkhas Nanba, and ten members of the Council.