RUSSIA
RELIGION NEWS
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Draft of report from the working group of the presidium of the State Council of the Russian Federation on questions of combating religious extremism in the Russian federation, 30 October 2002.
"On improvement of the activity of state and public institutions in combating manifestations of religious extremism in the Russian federation."
The problem of the spread of political and religious extremism against the background of recent global changes has become one of the key factors causing a weakening of Russian statehood and the increase of instability in society.
The public in Russia has become aware to an ever greater extent of the danger that is caused by extremism to the social welfare of citizens.
The growth of extremist manifestations is accompanied and intensified by separatist attitudes in various constituent elements [subjects] of the Russian federation and it is directed to the creation of favorable circumstances for extremists to achieve their goals and purposes, including the use of terrorist methods.
Extremism in all its manifestations leads to the infringement of the rights and freedoms of citizens, and it undermines public security, the integrity of the state, and the international authority of Russia, and it creates a real threat to the bases of the constitutional order and interethnic and interconfessional peace.
The basic tasks and priorities of state policy of the Russian federation in combating political and religious extremism are defined in the Doctrine of National Security of the Russian federation that was confirmed by decree of the president of the Russian federation on 10 January 2000, No. 24.
First of all, they consist in the maintanence of the stability of the constitutional order and institutions of state authority, in the guarantee of civil peace and national harmony, territorial integrity, unity of the legal space, legal order, and in the neutralization of the causes and conditions that facilitate the emergence of political and religious extremism, national separatism, and their consequences--social, interethnic, and interreligious conflicts and acts of terrorism.
The resolution of the tasks that have been defined is assured by the responsible agencies of state authority working with public and religious institutions.
Until recently, the legislation of the Russian federation did not contain a juridical definition of extremism and extremist activity. The federal law "On combating extremist activity" removed this lacuna and contains specific criteria of this concept, obviating any arbitrary interpretation.
According to the law, as far as religious associations are concerned,
extremism is understood to mean activity of religious associations in planning,
organizing, preparing, and carrying out actions directed to
--violent change in the bases of the constitutional order and violation
of the integrity of the Russian federation;
--undermining the security of the Russian federation;
--creating illegal armed formations;
--conducting terrorist activity;
--inciting racial, national, or religious strife, as well as social
strife associated with the use of force or advocacy of the use of force;
--demeaning ethnic dignity;
--conducting mass disorders, acts of destruction, and vandalism for
reasons of ideological, political, racial, ethnic, or religious hatred
or hostility with respect to any social group;
--preaching exclusivity and the superiority or inferiority of citizens
on the basis of their relation to religion or their social, racial, ethnic,
religious, or linguistic affiliation.
Such actions inherent to various religious associations also are manifested in religious fanaticism, fundamentalism, radicalism, and the use of religious symbols and phrases for political or other goals.
--Assessment of the threat to national security in connection with manifestations of religious extremism:
The tendency toward the growth of extremism on religious bases is conditioned to a great extent by existing contradictions in the relationships both among confessions and within them, as well as the growth of religious expansion on the part of other states.
Religious expansion of the part of other states has led to a substantial growth of new religious movements. The number of confessional denominations registered in the Russian federation has grown in the past decade from 20 to 69. The intensive growth of newly formed religions has upset the ethno-confessional balance that had developed in the country, and it has provoked the growth of interconfessional competition and discontent among the major portion of the population.
Concern has also been provoked by the activity within our country of various kinds of affiliates of foreign religious, humanitarian, and other organizations that do not technically violate the provisions of existing Russian legislation but which in reality often facilitate the manifestation of tensions on religious bases.
In the recent past the Roman Catholic church has become more active in its missionary activity on traditionally Orthodox territories of the Russian federation. Tension in relations between the Moscow patriarchate and the Vatican was increased in connection with the decision of Pope John Paul II to elevate the status of the four administrative structures of the Roman Catholic church to the level of dioceses headed by a metropolitan and to declare the territory of Russia to be an "eccesiastical province." They have conducted active work to strengthen their parishes, to increase their numbers, and to persuade individual priests and representatives of the Russian Orthodox church to convert to Catholicism. As a result, the confrontation with the Russian Orthodox church has intensified.
Protestant religious associations have expanded the sphere of their influence in practically all regions of the country. At the beginning of 2002 there were 4,823 protestant religious organizations registered in Russia, while their tendency to grow quantitatively has persisted. At the same time it should be noted that a substantial proportion of the followers of these associations are young people. Using their vast financial resources, foreign protestant centers have created "daughter" organizations in various regions of our country and are conducting vigorous propaganda activity. Under the guise of providing humanitarian aid, many new protestant organizations have established within various groups of the population a position of self-alienation with respect to the Russian state and to the national tradtions, way of life, and culture that have grown up over the course of centuries. It is especially disturbing that these tendencies have been especially manifested in border regions.
The most active expansion of protestant organizations has been noted in the Far East federal district, where the total number of religious organizations has reached 800 societies at the present time. More than half of them have not undergone state registration. More than 60 percent of the religious structures active in the region are financed from South Korea and USA. While this has happened, in a number of provinces of the region new protestant religious organizations whose headquarters are located abroad have constricted the position of traditional Russian confessions.
A disrespectful attitude toward the traditional Russian confessions promotes the formation of the preconditions for extremist manifestations of a religious character, including in daily life, and the incitement of religious conflict and antisocial actions on religious bases, and it has an effect on the state of relations among governments.
Representatives of pseudoreligious foreign groups (Jehovah's Witnesses, the Moon Church of Unification, Church of Scientology, etc.), religious groups based on various forms of eastern religions, and followers of satanism have created networks of structures that often conduct illegal activity. In a number of groups that are under their influence religious fanaticism has been incited and the moral, psychological, and physical health of their members has been damaged. On instructions from their headquarters, representatives have made attempts to infiltrate the structures of state administration and of law enforcement agencies in order to gather information and to have an influence on the adoption of important political decisions and to spread the ideology of permissiveness and egoism.
The extremist manifestations in the activity of several Islamic religious associations also has evoked serious alarm. Under the vigorous influence of foreign missionaries and intelligence agencies, radical and politicized factions within Islam, primarily Wahhabism, have been spread on the territory of the Russian federation.
An analysis of the substance of the activity of foreign Islamic extremist centers gives evidence that their plans with regard to Russia are contrary to the interests of Russian Muslims and of the state and society. They try to persuade the social and political elite of regions with a predominantly Muslim population to secede from the Russian federation and to create new state formations oriented to the countries of the Islamic world.
Leaders of several nationalistic and separatist movements have tried to win over Muslims to their goals, which has introduced destablizing factors into the social and political situation in a number of regions of the country, especially in the northern Caucasus, trying to impose on the peoples of those regions a world view and religious choice that is not natural to them.
Besides, a substantial confrontation among Russian Muslim leaders is hindering the unification of the organizational and material resources of Islam in Russia and has become a destabilizing factor that has diminished the effectiveness of efforts for combating religious extremism.
The ecclesiastical boards of Muslims in Russia, which are to a great extent splintered, often are in no position to combat effectively the organized attack of Islamic extremism. In a number of cases they have fallen into material and other dependence upon clerical circles of the sponsoring states and have been turned into conduits for their interests.
Under the pretext of "regeneration of the cultural, historic, and moral values of Islam," extremist organizations that have their headquarters in various states of the Near and Middle East have not shied away from substantial material expenses in order to strengthen their political and economic positions in strategically important regions of Russia. They have tried to give the religious feelings of Muslims an anti-Russian direction and they have incited conflicts among representatives of various factions within Islam. Proponents of radical Islam, adopting a harsh position with respect to the Muslim clergy of Russia, accuse them of departure from the canons of Islam and they force them out of the leadership of the congregations by all possible means, all the way to physical elimination.
The most serious consequences of the expansion of Islamic extremism have appeared in the northern Caucasus, where complex political, social, economic, national, and confessional problems are intertwined. In the Southern federal district there exists a real threat to national security and the integrity and sovereignty of the country manifested in the form of aggressive separatism that has developed its strategy on the basis of militant nationalism of various ethnic groups of the population and has introduced into the region manifestations of extremism on religious bases.
The forces of international terrorism have directed their efforts to a destablization of the social and political situation in Russia and they have increased the activity of extremist organizations for these purposes in various regions of the Russian federation under the cover of religious, principally Islamic, slogans. The aggression of international terrorists in Dagestan in 1999, the terrorist acts in the cities of Buinaksk, Volgodonsk, Kaspiisk, and Piatigorsk, the bombings of buildings in 1999, and the taking of hostages in the theater complex in Moscow in October 2000 [sic, 2002?] were committed by the bearers of the ideas of radical Islam. In the Karaevo-Cherkes and Kabardino-Balkaria republics plans for seizing power have been made, including by military methods, by persons who associate themselves with the "Jamaat" extremist organization. The growth of extremist manifestations has been facilitated by attempts on the part of a number of foreign Islamic organizations to increase the spread of radical form of Islamic ideology on the territory of Russia, including by means of financing the activity of extremist groupings. A special danger is represented in attempts of extremists to expand their social base, especially among the youth.
For these purposes, foreign emissaries are directing their efforts at the formation within Russia of their own personnel resources and they are recruiting young Russian citizens for study in foreign Islamic centers. In the opinion of experts, at the present time more than 2,000 Russian citizens are studying in Islamic educational institutions in Algeria, Turkey, Syria, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Jordan, Egypt, Tunisia, Pakistan, Malasia, and other countries of the Arab world. The total number of Russian citizens who have undergone training in the past decade in foreign Islamic educational institutions exceeds 20,000. The majority of those studying there are Russians who were trained in ideas that are alien in spirit to Russian Islam and who after their return serve as conduits for extremism and radicalism. In particular, many Russian adherents of Wahhabism were trained abroad. By now there has developed a tendency to squeeze out the loyal and law-abiding clergy in favor of the younger and better educated graduates of foreign educational centers. This not only complicates relations between the state and Muslims but also creates a threat to the interests of the national security of the country.
Forces of international terrorism that have run into the powerful and systematic opposition of federal forces in the Chechen republic and suffered serious losses there have tried to move their criminal activity to other regions of the country. This is confirmed by armed clashes of law enforcement agencies with illegal military formations at the end of September 2002 in the republic of Ingushetiia.
A serious threat to the national security of the country is represented in attempts to impose on Russian society the idea of the conflict of civilizations and of the supposedly irreconcilable conflicts between Christians and Muslims.
Besides, one of the global consequences of the events of 11 September in USA as well as the events of October 2002 in Moscow has been the general growth of Islamo-phobia, which has been stirred up by various news media. Neither Islam as a religion nor Muslims as a confessional group can be held responsible for such actions.
An analysis of the contemporary state of the threats to the bases of the constitutional order of the Russian federation shows that they have a complex character that affect the vitally important interests of the individual, society, and the state. The specifics and direction of these threats suggest the basic ways to strengthening and imporving the state system of guaranteeing security, including protection of the foundations of the constitutional order of the Russian federation.
--Activity of agencies of governmental authority for combating religious extremism:
Taking account of the scope of the threats associated with the spread of political and religious extremism, the government has taken actions of both a legislative and law enforcement character.
On 23 March 1995 the decree of the president of the Russian federation "On measures for providing coordinated actions of agencies of state authority in the struggle with manifestations of fascism and other forms of political extremism in the Russian federation" was adopted. On 26 September 1997 the federal law "On freedom of conscience and religious associations" was adopted. By decree of the president of the Russian federation of 15 November 1998 the "Complex plan of measures for combating Islamic extremism" and "List of fundamental measures for combating the spread of radical Islamic movements on the territory of the Russian federation in 1990-2000" were adopted.
These were normative legal documents defining the real threats to the national security of Russia on the part of political radicalism, nationalism, and separatism operating under the banner of Islam and enjoying the support of external anti-Russian forces. They expanded the legal base for the struggle with manifestations of religious extremism.
On 10 January 2000 the Doctrine of National Security of the Russian federation was confirmed by decree of the president of the Russian federation.
By decree of the government of the Russian federation on 25 August 2001, the federal special program "Formation of the idea of awareness of toleration and prevention of extremism in Russian society (2001-2005)" was adopted. On 25 July 2002 the federal law "On combating extremist activity" was adopted.
In many constituent elements of the Russian federation normative legal acts aimed at the struggle with political and religious extremism also were adopted. In 1999 the republic of Dagestan adopted the law "On prohibition of Wahhabist and other extremist activity on the territory of the republic of Dagestan." However, although the adoption of this legislative act was fully proper and reasonable, an analysis of the practice of enforcement of this law shows that in the course of three years not one person has been brought to account on the basis of its articles.
The parliament of the Kabardino-Balkaria republic adopted the law "On prohibition of extremist religious activity and responsibility for violations of the law associated with the disruption of religious activity." Karachaevo-Cherkesia has the law "On combating political and religious extremism," the republic of Adygei, "On freedom of conscience and religious associations," and the republic of Ingushetiia, the law "On regulating several questions of religious and missionary activity in combating political, national, and religious extremism on the territory of Stavropol territory."
Combating religious extremism has become an urgent problem of the present time and it demands from agencies of government at all levels the adoption of decisive and effective measures and coordinated actions directed to the prevention and removal of its manifestions in any form.
This work has a long-term character and it requires taking into account the above mentioned normative base. Special attention is directed to those public associations and religious organizations whose activity contradicts their goals and tasks defined by their charters and is directed to a violent change in the bases of the constitutional order, violation of the integrity of the state, underminig the internal security of the country, intensification of separatism, creation of illegal armed formations, and the incitement of national and religious hostility.
In 2000-2002 the General Procuracy of Russia, MVD of Russia, FSB of Russia, GTK of Russia, and the Ministry of the Press of Russia conducted inspections of the implementation of the decree of the president of the Russian federation and legislative acts directed at the struggle with manifestations of facism and other forms of political extremism. The results of the study were reviewed comprehensively at sessions of expanded colloquia or coordinated conferences.
An Interagency Group on Questions of Implementation of Legislation was created, directed to the struggle with manifestations of fascism and political extremsism. Measures for strengthening the fight against political and religious extremism were discussed and planned.
According to data of the General Procuracy of the Russian federation, in 1998 25 cases of national, racial, and religious conflict (on the basis of article 282 of the criminal code of the Russian federation) were opened, in 1999, 44 cases, in 2000, 37 cases, in 2001, 39 cases. In 1998, 5 cases were taken to court for review, in 1999, 9 cases, in 2000, 6 cases, in 2001, 5 cases. In 2002 49 criminal cases have been investigated and 12 were sent to court (3 of these have already been heard).
At the same time, the federal law "On combating extremist activity" adopted in July 2002 has been implemented very slowly. Up to now, only two cases of its practical implementation have been noted on the territory of Russia.
From July to September court trials in the case of an attempt to overthrow the government in Kabardino-Balkaria and Karachaevo-Cherkesia republics were completed. All the defendants, who belonged to the "Jamaat" religious extremist organization that had been active on the republics' territory since the beginning of the 90s, were convicted.
As a result of the coordinated actions of various agencies, measures of counter-propaganda have been conducted in order to discredit the activity of missionaries from the "Tablig" organization. The activity of the Saudi "Al-Ibrahim" foundation was successfully terminated in Russia and a number of its preachers were expelled from the territory of the country; the activity of the "Union of Muslims of Russia" was terminated in 32 regions of Russia, and the registration of this organization was cancelled by the Ministry of Justice of Russia.
The FSB of Russia and the MVD of Russia carried out a complex of measures for cutting off activities on the territory of Russia, primarily in the northern Caucasus, by a number of extremist groupings such as Hezbollah, Hamas, "Gray Wolves," the Taliban, etc.
In the republic of Bashkortostan attempts to create a base for the Union of Bashkir Youth, a new political organzation of an extremist sect whose goal would have been "defense of the sovereignty of Bashkortostan" and opposition to the policies of the federal government for strengthening the state, were cut down.
Work has been conducted on investigating and terminating the activity on the territory of the Russian federation of various kinds of totalitarian sects and organizations of a destructive character. Thus, in Astrakhan province a missionary from the Estonian Christian (Pentecostal) church, Sool Rait, who was in Russia in violation of the law "On procedures for exit from and entry to the Russian federation" and was illegally engaged in preaching activity, was found and deported from the country. The prosecutor of the republic of Komi found a number of violations of the law "On freedom of conscience and religious associations" in the activities of the "Jehovah's Witnesses" sect. According to the results of an investigation, the leader of the Pechora affiliate of the sect, V.A. Minshenin, was called to administative responsibility , as the provincial director of the sect and Mr. and Mrs. Baldovsky, who are citizens of Germany, were denied entry into Russia for a period of five years. In the republic of Tatarstan this year fourteen foreigners whose actions posed threats of terrorism and extremism were expelled from Russia.
In the Far East federal district a number of organizations have been identified for whom agencies of justice need to strengthen observation, including at the time of their registration. These organizations include religious and pseudoreligious associations within their administative system and structure.
An end has been put to the distribution of newspapers, leaflets, literature, and other materials directed to the propagation of fascism, incitement of national and religious hostility, violent overthrow of the constitutional structure, and undermining the security of the state. In 2000-2002, forty warnings were issued to editors for violation of article 4 of the law of the Russian federation "On news media." This included official written warnings for religious intolerance and strife to the newspapers "Slavianin," "Erzian Mastor," "Uralskaia zhian," "Kazachii krug," and "Russkaia obshchina Ekaterinburga." These publications permitted in their articles intentional propaganda of the superiority of one religion over another and rude attacks on citizens who adhere to one or another faith, and insults to sancta of churches. Unfortunately, the legislation that was in effect at the time of the issuing of these warnings did not permit the actions of these organizations to be categorized as extremist.
There is a peculiar "loophole" in the abuse of freedom of mass media in the provision of article 12 of the Russian federal law "On mass media" that periodical publications with a circulation less than 1,000 are exempt from registration. By not providing circulation data or by giving false circulation data, these small publications have a real possibility of avoiding responsibility for violating the law, including incitement of national, racial, and religious strife.
In combating extremisn the most important place belongs to the prevention of the spread of extremist ideology among various strata of the population, primarily among youth and minors who are most vulnerable to extremist propaganda. At the present time the government and society are giving extremely little attention to this task, which is vigorously exploited by representatives of destructive organizations. It is necessary, along with agencies of the executives of the constituent elements of the federation, offices of local self-administration, and public and religious associations, to assure the adoption of measures for strengthening prevention of homelessness of minors and combating the recruitment of youth and minors into social and religious associations of an extremist type.
The governmental system lacks experts and qualified personnel who are competent at the proper level to deal with the problems that have grown up in this area of social relations. In the training and retraining of such personnel the capacities of the leading Russian institutions of higher education, both in Moscow and in other regions, should be employed.
It is obvious that the task of achieving effective oppostion to manifestations of religious extremism in our country can hardly be solved without taking account of external factors that directly or indirectly promote the spread of this dangerous phenomenon and that develop and implement a complex system of measures that will provide it cover.
In 2001, on the initiative of Russia, a working group on issues of tolerance was created within the CSCE. At the present, consultations are being conducted on the question of incorporating Russia in the implementation of the so-called "Program of Interested Structures of the UN," within which the greatest attention is given to matters of the development of international cooperation on problems of tolerance.
Close cooperation on this problem has been achieved with the Council of Europe, including cooperation with the European Commission Against Racism and Intolerance and the Consultative Committee of the Limited Convention on Protection of National Minorities. The secretariat of the Council of Europe has worked out the practical aspects of the implementation of the initiative of the Secretary General V. Swimmer "On the development of a dialogue among religions and cultures for weakening factors engendering terrorism," which was approved by the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe in November 2001.
In the context of strengthening the external contacts of the Russian Orthodox church, great importance attaches to the decision of the Holy Synod for the transformation of the permanent delegation of the Moscow patriarchate at the European Union into a representation of the Moscow patriarchate at the European international organization in Brussels.
Questions of combating religious extremism that proceed from a general approach to the problem of new threats and challenges require a uniting of the efforts of the entire world community.
Within the framework of partnership relations with the largest and most influential centers of the modern world, including USA, countries of the European union, China, India, and Islamic states, the line is being followed for developing guarantees for preventing the spread of religious extremism employing a central coordinating role for the UN and international law. This task is logically entailed in Russia's efforts to create a global system for resisting new threats and challenges, which would include appropriate multilateral mechanisms for cooperation, including prior warning and prevention of the emergence of threats that will decisively control their manifestation.
The approach to this problem by the democratic European countries should serve as a model for the Russian federation as well.
In this regard, the activity of extremist religious organizations abroad, especially in Arab countries as well as in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Indonesia, and elsewhere, requires constant surveillance. In addition it is necessary to have in mind that such structures function actively not only in regions of their traditional influence but also in such western states as Great Britain, Italy, and elsewhere, in which to a great extent there still is freedom to operate despite the events of 11 September 2001.
Special attention is required by the situation in the central Asian countries of CIS, particularly Tadzhikistan, Uzbekistan, and Kirgizia, where such extremist and terrorist organizations as "Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan" and "Khizb-ut-Takhrir" promote themselves vigorously.
The situation in the Transcaucasus countries of CIS has developed in a complex way. Although the activity of affiliates of a number of international Islamic organizations that deal in fundamentalist propaganda is forbidden on Azerbaidzhani territory, nevertheless this activity has led to the appearance in northern and central districts of the country of clusters of "Wahhabists," whose numbers have reached, according to some sources, 7,000 persons. As regards Georgia, it is generally known that its territory is being used by international terrorists, Chechen bandits, and religious extremists as a rear base for bandit raids and conducting ideological expansion in neighboring Russian regions. There exists information about the growth of the number of adherents of Wahhabism in districts in Georgia with concentrations of Chechens, who have opened religious schools there.
In the matter of religious extremism it is necesssary to proceed from the recognition that this is a long-term factor in world politics and it is not likely that it can be overcome, along with the threat of terrorism in broad perspective that accompanies it. The basic task is not to let Russia be transformed into the chief mission of terrorism under the Islamic flag. This task corresponds to Russia's consistent, careful observance of the principles of the UN charter in the use of force in the context of combating international terrorism and extremism.
As said above, definitive measures for combating manifestations of extremism on religious grounds have been taken in recent years by agencies of the state for protecting the human rights and freedoms of citizens, the bases of the constitution order, and guaranteeing the integrity and security of the Russian federation. These include the adopting of a special federal program "Formation of the idea of awareness of toleration and prevention of extremism in Russian society (2001-2005)," federal laws "On combating extremist activity," and "Adoption of amendments and additions in legislative acts connecting with the adoption of the federal law 'On combating extremist activity,'" and legislative acts of the constituent elements of the Russian federation on combating extremism, including such on religious bases.
However, a definitive positive effect that results from their implementation has turned out to be inadequate to the seriousness of the problems associated with the manifestations of religious extremism. As practice has shown, this requires a complex approach to implementation of opposition to extremism, which would require not only measures of control and prohibition. but also of a preventive character.
A definitive place in the work of preventing such a dangerous social and political phenomenon as extremism ought to be occupied by public institutions and religious associations.
It will be useful to consider attentively, taking into account the opinion of the various parties and international experience, how the mechanism of state-church relations is now developing and to make the necessary administrative decisions in this sphere.
Despite recent specific steps directed to combating the spread of religious extremism, primarily in the sphere of legislation, there continues to exist in practical action a heritage and conflict of efforts by governmental offices at all levels for creating conditions to achieve intra- and interreligious agreement, as well as unsatisfactory relations with leaders of religious confessions, including the Muslim clergy, which prevents effective opposition to the spread of religious extremism.
--In the area of improvement of state-confessional relations:
Review the question of forming a federal office that oversees problems of national and state-religion relations.
Recommend to leaders of constituent elements of the Russian federation that they create analogous structures within executive offices of the components of the Russian federation.
Create under the plenipotentiary representatives (polpreds) of the president of the Russian federation in the federal districts consultative agencies on matters of state-religion relations with direct participation in their activity of representatives of public and religious associations.
The apparatus of the plenipotentiary representatives of the president of the Russian federation in the federal districts must pay attention to the implementation of the federal law "On combating extremist activity" during their comprehensive inspections.
The Public Federal Inspectorate in the constituent elements of the Russian federation should be assigned the task of supervision of the implementation of the federal law "On combating extremist activity."
Conduct an ongoing analysis of the ethno-cultural and religious circumstances
in the country and federal districts for governmental agencies that make
decisions on these questions. In order to achieve this
--develop maps of religions and peoples of the federal provinces;
--expand the network of ethno-confessional monitoring and preemption
of conflicts in all constituent elements of the Russian federation;
--create a working group of a network of ethno-confessional monitoring
and preemption of conflicts, including scholars and experts from the Security
Council of the Russian Federation.
Facilitate the overcoming of the divisiveness and narrowly nationalistic orientation of the Muslim clergy;
Achieve unification of the efforts of the clergy in the struggle against religious extremism.
Cooperate in the creation of a coordination council that would include in its membership the muftis of the Russian federation.
At all levels, provide organizational, legal, and other support to religious organizations that participate in the creation within the population of antiextremist views, patriotism, political culture, and civic consciousness, especially among youth.
Develop and implement a complex of measures for governmental support of traditional religious organizations for their achievement of socially significant programs and measures.
Augment the personnel composition of expert councils that conduct governmental scientific religious analyses of the activity of religious organizations with representatives of law enforcement agencies.
--In the area of improving creation of a normative legal base for combating religious extremism:
Conduct an analysis of law enforcement practice for combating manifestations of religious extremism, in view of the need for preparing suggestions for introducing amendments and additions in existing legislation.
Introduce amendments and additions in the criminal and criminal procedure
codes of Russia, providing
--replacement of the crimes specified in articles 281 1, 282 2 of criminal
code ("incitement of national, racial, or religious hostility") and aticle
239 of criminal code with alternate consequences;
--introduction of amendments in articles 280, 281, and 239 of the criminal
code in the parts pertaining to an increase of the maximum penalties for
commission of these crimes to six years imprisonment, thereby raising them
to the category of serious crimes, which entails the right of conducting
technical intelligence measures regarding them;
--introduction of additions into article 232 of the criminal code providing
criminal responsibility for publishing and dissemination of printed materials
and videos enciting religious hostility and national stife and calls for
violent change of the constitutional structure of RF and its territorial
integrity.
The Supreme Court of the Russian federation along with the General Procuracy of the Russian federation should prepare methodological recommendations for legal implementation of articles 239 and 283 1 282 2 of criminal code of RF.
Supplement corresponding articles of federal laws "On citizenship of the Russian federation" and "On the legal situation of foreign citizens in the Russian federaion" with a provision providing for the possibility of refusing Russian citizenship to a citizen of another country or to a person who has no citizenship, without an explanation of the reasons, in order to provide for state security.
--On increasing the work of law enforcement agencies:
Study the investigative, judicial, and law enforcement practice and strengthen the activity of law enforcement agencies regarding the discovery and termination of manifestation of national and religious extremism.
The administration of the president of the Russian federation, the government of the Russian federaion, and the General Procuracy of the Russian federation and Central Election Commission of the Russian federation should work out and implement a complex of measures directed to the elimination of the possibility of infiltration of the agencies of state power as well as law enforcement agencies by representatives of extremist organizations.
Create an interagency data base of various manifestations of political and religious extremism. In order to prevent the development of actions that have been administratively punished into criminal extremist activity, make public a list of the religious associations that have been issued warnings and preventive measures. This list could be sent to state agencies and used as informational and recommendation material in the review of questions of state registration and whether cooperation with one or another association would be beneficial.
Strengthen supervision on the part of state agencies, including justice and the prosecutor's office, for conformity of the activity of religious organizations with their charters and effective legislation of the Russian federation.
Create within the structures of MVD, Ministry of Justice, FSB, General Procuracy of Russia corresponding structural subdivisions intended to combating religious extremism.
Work out and implement a complex of measures for increasing the effectiveness of prevention of crimes of an extermist characters, and the establishment, maintenance, and accountability of persons who distribute printed materials, movies, audios, videos, and other materials directing to the incitement of national, racial, or religious strife and other manifestations of extremist activity.
--Information and Propaganda:
Work out within the framework of the special federal program "Formation of the idea of awareness of toleration and prevention of extremism in Russian society (2001-2005)" a complex of measures of propagandistic character directed to the exposure of the ideology of extremist and its destructive goals.
Implement a complex of measures for exposing the ideology of religious extremism.
Develop a program promoting the creation of a positive image of Muslims and Islam in Russia. Public and religious institutions and the mass media should give priority to disseminating and preaching the historic experience of good-neighbor coexistence within multinational Russia of adherents of various cultures and religions.
Explain the great difference between Wahhabism and the Islam that is traditional for Russia.
Through means of mass news media strengthen the work of explaining the essence of modern religious movements, and organize useful explanations of incidents of anticonstitutional activity of organizations and report publicly measures taken to put an end to their activity.
--In the area of education:
Develop and implement, in cooperation with religious associations, a system of governmental measures of support for religious education within the Russian federation directed to improving the organization of the educational process and securing its correspondence to the state educational standards and training of teaching personnel for secular disciplines.
Teach in educational institutions within the district curricula the positive traditions and ways of nations and peoples who reside in the given district.
Facilitate the preparation of unified educational standards for all Muslim religious educational institutions which will afford the possibility of creating a unified educational space.
Cooperate with the ecclesiastical boards of Muslims in creating a unified system of Islamic education in Russia.
Support the initiative of Muslim organizations for the creation of a council of rectors of Islamic educational institutions as well as a councel of ulemas of Russia.
Expand the training of personnel engaged in state-church relations.
Organize the training in state institutions of higher education of their religion specialists for conducting competent expert studies. Increase the significance of studies conducted by Russian scholars of Islam.
Regulate the process for sending youth to study in religious academic institutions abroad.
Improve the comprehensive inspection of religious educational institutions functioning on the territory of the Russian federation, giving special attention to the content of curriculum, the accreditation of teachers, the legality of recruitment of foreign specialist for teaching, and the observance of financial discipline.
Conduct an investigation of the establishment of a Russian Islamic university with the formation within it of an academic methodological center for working out a unified educational curriculum and textbooks for higher and secondary Muslim educational institutions.
--In the sphere of international activity:
Activate a multilevel dialogue with foreign states, including former soviet republics of Central Asia, on matters of combating the spread of religious extremism in order to share experience and attempts at effective solutions along with aspects and determination of varieties of joint actions.
On the basis of the federal law "On the legal status of foreign citizens in the Russian federation" regulate the issuing of entry visas to foreign religious activists who are entering the country for the purpose of conducting professional evangelistic (charitable) activity, especially from countries where radical factions of Islam are most widely represented.
Regulate the activity on the territory of Russia of foreign missionaries; increase state supervision of the financial and other aid on the part of foreign religious structures. Taking into account the adoption of the federal laws "On combating extremist activity" and "On the legal status of foreign citizens in the Russian federation," MVD, MID, Ministry of Justice, FSB, and General Procuracy of Russia should conduct an analysis of the activity of foreign missionaries in the Russian federation in order to determine the threat to the national security of the Russian federation.
Along with interested agencies, organize an investigation of the activity of organizations, departments, and representations of foreign noncommercial, nongovernmental associations to ascertain the conformity of their activity with the requirements of legislation. (tr. by PDS, posted 11 December 2002)
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