Rawil Ğaynetdin

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Rawil Gaynutdin is a Russian Muslim leader and scholar based in Moscow. He was born on August 25, 1959, in Shali, Tatarstan, then part of the Soviet Union. Since July 1, 1996, he has served as Grand Mufti of Russia and as the chairman of the Russian Council of Muftis. He is a Volga Tatar who follows Sunni Islam in the Hanafi tradition and is associated with Islamic neo-traditionalism. He signed the open letter A Common Word Between Us and You, calling for peace between Muslims and Christians. He is seen as a key link between the Kremlin and Russia’s Muslim population and has spoken about Russia’s history, noting that Moscow’s greatness owes much to the legacy of the Golden Horde’s khans.