Dagestan branch of the Russian Union of Journalists has announced a contest to commemorate Zagir Arukhov, a prominent statesman who served as Minister for National Policy, Religious Affairs and External Relations of the Republic of Dagestan. This event coincides with the 65th anniversary of Arukhov's birth.

The competition will take place in two stages. Applications will be accepted between May 23 and June 30, 2025. The jury will assess the submissions and announce the winners between July 1 - 11, 2025.

Journalists and bloggers based in Dagestan are invited to participate in one of two categories: "The Life and Creative Journey of Zagir S. Arukhov" and "The Contribution and Achievements of Zagir S. Arukhov in Combating Terrorism and Extremism in the Republic of Dagestan." Winners will receive monetary prizes.

Dagestan minister Zagir Arukhov was killed by an explosion in his apartment building in Makhachkala on May 20, 2005 after arriving home from work. Arukhov was a well-known researcher of contemporary Islam whose doctoral dissertation was on the subject of “Jihad and politics in the Islamic conception of law and order” and the author of a number of books, including “Wahhabism and the clergy in the political structure of Saudi society: problems of interrelations of government and opposition” and “Extremism in contemporary Islam”. He was a senior research fellow with Russian Academy of Sciences’ Center for Ethnopolitical Research and deputy head of the Center for Islamic Studies of the North Caucasus at Dagestan State University.