MOSCOW, June 11 (Islamnline.net) - The Religious Administration of Muslims in Nizhniy Novgorod region, in central Russia, in collaboration with the Russian Mufti Council have issued a new Islamic magazine that deals with Shari'a sciences for imams and scholars of Islam and elaborates on religious issues and Fatwas (religious edicts).

"The magazine named Minaret (Al-Ma'azana) is particularly addressing imams, religious scholars, Islamic school students and researchers of Islam. It contains an elaboration on the different religious issues and fatwas," a source in the Media Department of the Russian Mufti Council has told IslamOnline.net.

The magazine also covers a number of issues closely related to Muslims such as the attitude of Islam towards terrorism and family issues in Islam. It handles political, cultural and social issues, according to the source of the Russian Mufti Council.

Asking not to be named, the source added that the first issue of the magazine saw the light early this month. The circulation of the magazine reached 5.000 issues, to be increased in the future. The magazine includes 150 pages with a price of 50 Russian Rubles (1 U.S. $ = 29 Russian Rubles), adding that it is a quarterly magazine.

The magazine's editors include a number of the most prominent Russian scholars headed by: chief of the Russian Mufti Council Sheikh Ravil Gainutdin, Mufti of Nizhniy Novgorod region, 500 kilometers away from Moscow, Sheikh Umar Idrisov, Mufti of Tatar Stan republic Sheikh Othman Ishaqov and Mufti of Asia region Sheikh Nafigulla Ashirov.

There are some 20 Islamic newspapers circulated in different Russian regions and provinces; chief among them is the eight-page "Islamskaya Misl" (Islamic Intellect), printed in Russian by the Russian Islamic Congress and circulates around 7.000 issues monthly.

Islamskaya Misl is one of the most important current papers in the Russian Federation, as it focuses on the Islamic world and Muslims in Russia. It also deals with cultural and social issues and publishes news materials posted by IslamOnline.net.

There is also the monthly "VSE OB ISLAME" or (Everything On Islam) paper that is published by the Russian Mufti Council and focuses on advertisement and the statements made by the Council as well as some cultural and social materials. It distributes around 35.000 issues.

The Russian Mufti Council also issues the Islamic Minbar newspaper that is only circulated in Moscow, deals with social ad religious subjects and distributes around 10.000 issues.

The Religious Administration of Tatar Stan Muslims supervises the monthly Nur Al-Islam newspaper in Qazan city and distributes around 20.000 issues in Tatar language.

In Dagestan, Asalam (Peace) newspaper distributes some 20.000 issues and is supervised by the Religious Administration of Dagestan Muslims and focuses on the educational and cultural materials.