Almira Adiatullina was born in 1938. In 1959 she enrolled at Kazan State University to study journalism. On graduating from the university, she worked as a journalist until her retirement in 1993. In 1995, Almira founded the NGO Zhenshchiny za dukhovnoye vozrozhdieniye (Women for Spiritual Revival), whose aim is to protect the freedom of religion in Russia and to defend the rights of Muslims. She is the leader of the Muslim women’s movement in Tatarstan. Since 1997, she has been editor-in-chief of the Muslim women’s newspaper ‘Muslima.’

For the past half century, Almira Adiatullina has been living and working in Tatarstan. After having completed the Hadj in 1993, Almira devoted herself wholeheartedly to the revival of Islam in Tatarstan. In 1995, she founded the first Muslim women’s organization Zhenshchiny za dukhovnoye vozrozhdieniye (Women for Spiritual Revival) with the aim of educating the younger generation in the spirit of religious values. Over the years, this organization has accomplished quite a lot. First and foremost are the annual contests for children in reciting the Koran, bringing together Muslim believers from all over Tatarstan and nearby regions. At this annual festival, children get the opportunity to show their mastery in reciting the Koran, while receiving additional knowledge on the moral foundations of their religion. Almira has always been tireless in her social work. In 2002 and 2003, she and some other members of her organization actively fought to protect freedom of religion in Russia. Under Almira’s leadership, a broad-scale PR campaign was successfully conducted on the protection of the rights of practicing Muslims in Russia. As a result of continuous court battles stemming from the lawsuits filed by Almira’s organization against the Russian authorities, the prohibition of the Russian Ministry of the Interior Affairs on picturing Muslim women in their passports wearing a headscarf was abolished. This victory became the first successful attempt to enforce and defend religious rights of believers in post-Soviet Russia. Almira’s cause was supported by world human rights organizations and the international media.

Soyuz zhenshchin-musulmanok Tatarstana (SZMT) Zhenshchiny za dukhovnoye vozrozhdieniye (Women for Spiritual Revival)

Europe | Russian Federation