Penza, 5 December 2016. PenzaNews. The Muslim clergy should play greater role in the resistance to religious extremism in the Penza region. Such opinion was expressed by the governor Ivan Belozertsev.

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“The word of a religious leader is very valuable, it helps to keep young people away from the pernicious influence of ideology and aggression,” he said during the board meeting on interaction with Muslim religious and social organizations, which was held in the regional government on Monday, December 5.

The head of the region shared his opinion about private education that became a common practice in some families in rural areas.

Ivan Belozertsev noted that it is not prohibited by the law, however, there is the federal state educational standard, which must be followed.

“I am worried about the quality of education that is received in private, and by limited social circle of such pupils. I order the regional ministry of education and the government of the Penza region to pay attention to this issue – to establish control over the state educational standard fulfilment over the whole territory of the region,” the press service of the regional government quotes the governor.

According to the official data, 86 Muslim religious organizations are registered in the Penza region.

They operate within three centralized organizations: the regional Muslim spiritual administration of the Penza region (a member of the Central Muslim Spiritual Board of Russia), the centralized Muslim spiritual administration of the Penza region (a member of the Muslim Spiritual Board), and the Muslim spiritual administration of the Penza region (a member of the Russian Mufties Council).