About MII

The Moscow Islamic Institute (MII) is one of three Russian Islamic educational institutions and the only one in the city of Moscow, which provides an educational training for specialists in the field of Islamic theology in a three-level higher education system – bachelor’s, master’s and postgraduate studies.

The Moscow Islamic Institute was founded in 1999 on the basis of the Moscow Higher Spiritual Islamic College, founded in 1994 under the Religious Board of Muslims of the European part of Russia. Since 2001, the educational activities of the Moscow Islamic Institute have been carried out in accordance with the federal state educational standard of higher education in Russia. Since 2013, the MII has had state accreditation in the field of bachelor’s degree training, and since 2022 — master’s degree training.

In 2022, as part of the celebration of the 1100th anniversary of the official adoption of Islam by the Volga Bulgarian peoples, with the support of the Moscow Government and philanthropist Suleiman Kerimov, the institute complex was reconstructed and re-equipped, and the adjacent territory was improved. The opening ceremony of the renovated complex of the Moscow Islamic Institute took place on September 23, 2022, with the participation of Mufti Sheikh Ravil Gaynutdin, Deputy Prime Minister of the Russian Federation Marat Khusnullin, representatives of the Moscow City Hall, foreign government officials, heads of foreign religous institutions, representatives of foreign and Russian scientific and educational centers, representatives of traditional religions of Russia, as well as Muslim clergy.

The Center for Islamic Studies operates at the MII, which includes: the Center for the Study of the History of Islam in Russia, the Center for the Development of Islamic Education, the Center for the Study of Islamic Art, the Center for the Study of the Heritage of Abu Hanifa, the Center for the Study of the Heritage of Musa Bigiev, the Center for the Study of Manuscript Islamic Heritage, the Sheikh Muhammad Sadyk Muhammad Yusuf Educational and Enlightenment Center, the Center for the Preservation and Development of Tatar Culture, the Museum of Islamic Culture, and the Library and Museum named after H. Faizkhanov.

Teaching at the MII is conducted in Russian, with some forms of inclusion in Arabic and Persian. The MII implements programs of additional professional education, including courses on the programs “History and Culture of Islam”, “Reading the Holy Qur’an” and “Foreign (Arabic) Language”.

Over the past 30 years, the Moscow Islamic Institute has trained about 500 specialists who work in the clergy in Russia, Finland, the Republic of Belarus, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan and other countries. Today, more than 230 students from different regions of Russia, as well as from near and far abroad, are studying at the Moscow Islamic Institute. In addition, about 200 students are studying in additional education programs.

MII maintains an extensive network of international contacts with scientific and public organizations. The parameters of cooperation are set out in documents in the form of an agreement or memorandum. The Institute is a co-organizer and initiator of all-Russian and international scientific and practical conferences, round tables, forums, seminars, advanced training courses, etc.