Benghazi— The Mufti of the Islamic Society of Belarus, Sheikh Abu Bakr Shabanovich, and his deputy, Sheikh Hasanevich Rustam, visited Libya on an official invitation from the Parliament-appointed government in eastern Libya aiming to strengthen religious ties between the two countries.
Mr. Shabanovich, head of the Islamic Association in Belarus, attended the ceremony of the 13th edition of the Libya International Award for the Memorization and Recitation of the Holy Quran in Benghazi. The participants in this edition included 120 competitors who came from 75 countries.
The Minister of Endowments and Islamic Affairs Mr. Atef Abdul Wahid Al-Obaidi received the Belarusian delegation on 27 September and during the meeting, the minister stressed that the visit was an important step toward a new beginning in mutual cooperation.
For his part, the Mufti of the Belarusian Islamic community expressed his gratitude to Libya for the warm welcome. About one percent of the Belarus’ population are Muslims with a history that is spanning more than six centuries.
Al-Obaidi affirmed Libya’s commitment to a moderate approach and said that the Ministry is ready to send imams and Quran memorizers to Belarus and open Libya educational institutions to Belarusian students wishing to study Islamic studies.
A memorandum of understanding was concluded between the Libyan Ministry of Endowments and the Religious Authority of Muslims of the Republic of Belarus, opening new horizons for fruitful cooperation between the two countries, according to a statement by Ministry.
This visit also comes within the framework of following up on the outcomes of previous meetings in the context of coordinating the sending of 3,000 copies of the Holy Qur’an to the Islamic Association in Belarus.
