The Tatars number about 7 million and live in Tatarstan, Bashkortistan and other regions of Russia. Their language belongs to the Turkic language family. The Tatars are Muslims / Orthodox Christians.

A large number from the Tatar diaspora were assembled at the House of Nationalities in Moscow for the public release of the first New Testament in the Tatar language. Earlier a similar presentation had successfully taken place in the Tatar capital, Kazan, and now we wanted to repeat the event for the Tatars living in Moscow. However, this time several ardent Muslims were in the audience and started to violently question the new book. The atmosphere became tense and hostile, and finally one person said in a loud voice: “It would be my duty to do away with any Tatar who abandoned the Muslim faith!” How would we find a way out of this difficult situation? “Arguing will not bring us anywhere. Please, let us just listen to the Bible text itself!” suggested the moderator of the event, trying to calm down the angry participants. A Tatar woman went to the front and in a clear voice started to recite from the 6th chapter of Luke’s Gospel: “Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God, blessed are you who hunger now, for you will be satisfied…” Slowly the atmosphere in the room changed. People nodded and smiled as they listened to the beautiful words in Tatar. With the help of the Bible words themselves, the event ended in peace.