In the Name of God, Most Gracious, Most Merciful!

Dear Vladimir Vladimirovich!

On behalf of the Russian Muslim citizens and myself, I heartily congratulate you on your convincing victory in the first round of the presidential elections of the Russian Federation, March 4, 2012.

I am confident that to my sincere congratulations millions of our fellow citizens join - all those who voted in the elections, sympathized and empathized to you as a candidate for president of Russia. We prayed that these elections were held peacefully and in full accordance with our notions of stability and prosperity of our country.

We certainly intend to continue to offer up prayers to the Creator, that He protected our country from the sorrows and tribulations, turmoil and conflict, that He gave to our country and the entire Russian people, happiness, prosperity and success. We hope that under your control the Russian Government will continue the course towards the restoration of its former power and glory with the necessary strengthening of civil society, human rights and the rights of many nationalities living in our vast country. Voting for you, we chose the equality of the traditional religions of Russia and the qualitative result of state-confessional relations.

We hope that millions of votes for your candidate were representatives of the Muslim community in our country, will lead eventually to a significant breakthrough in the construction of a Muslim infrastructure, intensified training of scholars on Islam and the release of Muslim literature.

Together with the entire Russian community Muslims of the multinational Federation need to strengthen internal unity and the progressive development forward, trusting you to lead this process.

We dream that the Muslim community in Russia will become an important actor in the international arena, which is impossible without the participation of the state. About these aspirations you know firsthand from the spiritual leaders of Russian Muslims, you have heard about them visiting the Moscow Cathedral mosque, you know about them from our communications. I sincerely hope that each of these areas of social development of Russian citizens receive adequate and detailed response from the newly elected President. I wish you and your family good health and success in this important post!

Mufti Sheikh Ravil Gaynutdin

The Chairman of the Russian Muftis Council

MOSCOW March 5, 2012