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In the near future Orthodoxy may become the virtual state religion in Belorussia. The Belorussian Orthodox church submitted to the government a draft of an agreement that would govern the relations between the church and the state in political, economic, spiritual, and social spheres. Its signature is planned for the middle of Frebruary.
The draft notes that the state "recognizes the church as a most important social institution, and the spiritual and cultural values of the church as the basis of the national idea of the Belorussian people."
In its turn, according to the agreement, the church views the state as a necessary social institution that is called to protect public order and to preserve morality and spiritual and cultural values. The document stresses that the state "recognizes the fact of the material and moral harm done to the church in the years of the dominance of state atheism in the twentieth century and accordingly it will transfer to the church its property and the liturgical objects and theological and liturgical literature that were confiscated from it or make partial compensation for the material loss that was caused thereby."
The authors of the document also propose not to require of the church in the construction and reconstruction of church buildings the presentation of licences for investment activity, including documents providing information about the sources of investments. The document also includes a point regarding the impermissibility of the extensive or unjustified use of abortions and the recognition of the right of medical workers "to refuse to perform abortions on the basis of religious and personal moral convictions." This point clearly goes beyond the boundaries of church-state relations and could provoke a great outcry in both Belorussia itself as well as beyond its borders.
From a juridical point of view the draft of the agreement between the Belorussian state and the Orthodox church appears quite dubious. The constitution of Belorussia does not permit "establishment of any preferences or restrictions for one religioun or religious confession relative to others." However Lukashenko will hardly be bothered by this and most likely the document will be signed. It should be noted that the trend toward granting special legislative status to traditional religion and confessions is typical for all states of the former Soviet Union. For example, several months back a constitutional agreement between the state and the Orthodox church was concluded in Georgia. (tr. by PDS, posted 31 January 2003)
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Vladimir Putin gave Russian Catholics a new reason to expect a change for the better. "Russia will act for the development of a political dialogue with the Vatican," the president declared yesterday at a ceremony for presenting of credentials by the ambassadors of a number of countries--Colombia, Singapore, New Zealand, Laotian Democratic People's Republics, Thailand, as well as the papal nuncio, Archbishop Antonio Mennini. The president is confident that bilateral relations between Russia and the Vatican will facilitate the resolution of the complex problems of the present world system. "On many questions, including such an important one as terrorism, our positions practically coincide with the Vatican," Mr. Putin tried to compliment the perspicacity of the papal see.
However, it seems, that in the near future Moscow and the Vatican will not reach agreement in anything besides their common position on the struggle with terrorism. Experience has shown that the statements of official persons of Russia addressed to the Catholics are not in any way signalling changes in the state policy with respect to that confession.
Actually official Russia, taking account the interests of traditional religions only, among whom our legislators do not want to include Catholicism, is creating only problems for western Christians. This past year the ordinary of the diocese of St. Joseph in Irkutsk, Bishop Jerzy Mazur, who has served here many years, was refused entry into Russia, as were the rector of the parish in Vladimir, Fr Stefano Caprio, the rector of the parish in Yaroslavl, Fr Stanislav Krainiak, the Sakhalin priest Fr Yaroslav Vishnevsky, and the rector of the parish in Rostov-on-Don, Fr Eduard Mackevic. The construction of Catholic churches has run into opposition of local authorities, who do not conceal their solidarity with the position of the Russian Orthodox church. That is the way it was, for example, in Pskov. In many regions anticatholic demonstrations with offensive slogans have been held in front of Catholic churches. And so far no official person has given an intelligible commentary on a single one of these incidents. And this includes the failure of the Russian foreign ministry to respond to an inquiry that was sent by a representative of the "Yabloko" fraction, Deputy Sergei Mitrokhin, at the request of Catholics. Incidentally, recently he sent a second deputy's inquiry to Prime Minister Mikhail Kasianov and FSB Director Nikolai Patrushev.
It seems that the only thing that could make the position of Catholics in Orthodox Russia more tolerable would be an improvement of relations with RPTs. Apparently this is why Archbishop Tadeusz Kondriusewicz has recently been more occupied with arranging Catholic-Orthodox round tables than with contacts with the Russian authorities. (tr. by PDS, posted 31 January 2003)
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The visit by Patriarch Alexis II of Moscow and all-Rus to Estonia has been postponed to the spring on the insistence of his physicians. This was reported to the BNS news agency on 30 January by the press secretary of the metropolitan of Tallin and all-Estonia, Archpriest Leonty Morozkin. "The patriarch's visit to Estonia has been postponed to the spring-summer period, since the medics categorically opposed such a trip in the near future," the press secretary declared.
As the "Echo of Moscow" radio station reported, it had been planned earlier that Alexis II would arrive in Estonia on a special train on 7 February for a six-day visit, in order to visit the Piukhtintsi monastery and conduct liturgies in Piukhtintsi, Tallin, and Narva. "Just as previously, with all my heart I yearn to visit my native Estonian land and to reverence its sacred places and to meet with the metropolitan of Tallin, the clergy, and the flock of the Estonian Orthodox church of the Moscow patriarchate. I hope that in the near future we will be able to agree on a date for my visit later in the year," Morozkin relayed the words of the patriarch. (tr. by PDS, posted 30 January 2003)
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The deputy minister of education of the Russian federation, Leonid Grebnev, addressed the Eleventh Christmas Educational Readings on 28 January and stated that culture can be implanted but faith must not be, a "Portal-credo.ru" correspondent reports. The ministry has devoted practically all the energies and done what it can so that the "Fundamentals of Orthodox Culture" can be introduced into the schools as an optional subject, Leonid Grebnev reported. However, in the opinion of the deputy minister, the study of the fundamentals of Orthodox culture does not in any way presuppose the compulsory involvement of school children in liturgical practices. "It is possible to implant culture, but faith must not be," the speaker summarized his thought.
Leonid Grebnev gave a brief clarification of the recommendations that Education Minister Vladimir Filippov stated briefly. He said that today "the introduction of the Fundamentals of Orthodox Culture into the schools is the responsibility of regional education administrative agencies and not of the Ministry of Education of the Russian federation," which today "simply gives information about the adoption of one or another law."
Speaking about the problem of"polyconfessionality," Leonid Grebnev proposed the following solution of the problem. In the opinion of the deputy minister, on the library shelf of the typical school there should be displayed the Quran and the Bible. This, on one hand, would accustom school children from an early age to thinking about how they live in a multiconfessional country, and it will facilitate the formation in them of a religious culture. On the other hand, the deputy minister thinks, if school children are churched, their choice of Orthodoxy will actually be internal and free.
"And what about the Talmud, which also is one of the books of a great world religion, Judaism? Why not also place it on the same shelf?" came a question from the hall.
"But you know the Talmud is devoted to the sacred history of Israel, which also is inscribed in the Bible, the sacred scriptures of the Old Testament," the deputy minister stepped back. Therefore there is no need "duplicate" the Bible.
Concluding his speech, the minister noted that "the opportunity that is now being opened before the Orthodox church places a great responsibility on the church community." After all, the introduction of Fundamentals of Orthodox Culture is a test for the teachers and for parents and thus "it is necessary to begin with one's self." In this regard, according to the speaker, the demands have been increased on teachers, parents, and the pupils themselves who will be studying Fundamentals of Orthodox Culture.
Nobody should be permitted to be indifferent to the teaching of Fundamentals of Orthodox Culture, the speaker concluded. (tr. by PDS, posted 30 January 2003)
MINISTER SAYS RELIGION NOT TO BE TAUGHT IN RUSSIA'S SCHOOLS
Prime-TASS, 29 January 2003
Russian Education Minister Vladimir Filippov told the Echo Moscow radio station Wednesday that "religion should not be taught in Russia's schools."
"Religion should be taught in specialized schools. Only culture should be taught in mainstream schools," he added.
Since Russia is a multinational state, it would be reasonable to write a "textbook that could be used to teach children about Russia's different faiths -- Orthodox Christianity, Buddhism, Judaism and Islam," he said.
Filippov added that the Education Ministry has not officially approved the textbook, "Fundamentals of Orthodox Culture."
He said that "Fundamentals of Orthodox Culture" could appear in some schools because until the summer of 2002 "anybody could write a textbook, and any school could buy it."
A new law states that schools can now use only those textbooks that have been officially approved by Russia's Education Ministry, he noted. (posted 30 January 2003)
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"We ask all Orthodox citizens to send telegrams to Prosecutor General Vladimir Ustinov with the demand not to open a criminal case against the 'Fundamentals of Orthodox Culture' textbook,Ê and thus not to begin persecution of Orthodoxy. We appeal to the workers of the system of education to introduce 'Foundations of Orthodox Culture,' without paying attention to militant atheists, as quickly as possible."
This is the call that the press service of the Union of Orthodox Citizens addressed to Russian citizens at the beginning of January. Representatives of this organization were alarmed that on 30 December the Meshchansk district court of Moscow ruled the refusal of the Ostankino district prosecutor's office to open a criminal case on the suit of the executive director of the "For human rights" Russian movement, Lev Ponomarev, illegal. "Novye izvestiia" was the first to write about the suit of the rights defenders, who asked that the author and publisher of the "Foundations of Orthodox Culture" textbook be held liable and that its teaching in the public schools be prohibited.
In the opinion of the director of the Center for the Study of Religion of the Russian State Humanities University, N.V. Shaburov, who presented expert conclusionsÊ to the Meshchansk court regarding "Foundations of Orthodox Culture," "this textbook represents not a textual resource for the foundations of Orthodox culture but a confessional apology for Orthodoxy. Only by reference to an apologetical intent is it possible to explain the equation of the concepts "Russian" and "Orthodox."
Shaburov also thinks that "the notion is intentionally created in the reader that Judaism is a false religion that has been corrected by Christianity." The scholar also is concerned about "inaccurate representations that facilitate the incitement of religious and national discord."
In addition, an antisemitic interpretation of Christianity can be found in the text. Such expressions as "Nestorian" and "monophysite heresy" applied to the Armenian Apostolic church, with which the Russian Orthodox church has the best of relations, offend millions of believers, in Shaburov's opinion.
The judge in the Meshchansk district court, I. Akkuratova, who issued the decision about the baselessness of the refusal by the Ostankino prosecutor's office to open a criminal case, apparently took heed of the arguments of the plaintiffs and experts. But did she think that her decision, which in principle does not require anything of the prosecutor and in no way threatens the substance of the scandalous textbook, would evoke a wave of emotion? All in defense of a textbook!
The defense of Alla Borodina's textbook from "militantly atheistic" rights defenders was taken up by surprising "warriors" for Orthodoxy. This includes the mufti Farid Salman, the vice chairman of the Central Ecclesiastical Board of Muslims of Russia. It seemed to him that "it is xenophobic hostility to Orthodox Christianity that motivates L. Ponomarev and E. Ikhlov (an associate of the "For human rights" organization) in their provocational actions." For his polemic with the rights defenders the mufti also selected the form of a letter to Prosecutor General Ustinov in which he stated that "it is not possible to remain silent since the next object of the hunt for the obsessive adherents of 'politically correct doctrines' will be Russian Muslims," and he demanded that the prosecutor open a criminal case against Ponomarev and Ikhlov on the basis of article 282 of the criminal code ("incitement of national, racial, or religious hostility").
The initiative by a representative of the Ecclesiastical Board of Muslims of Russia provokes amazement. In essence he demands punishing those who by filing suit against the textbook' s author were fighting for the rights of his parishioners. After all, along with all other school children the Muslims will have to study a textbook that is filled with hostility to all other believers.
In commentaries regarding the introduction of this subject into the schools, much has been said about how, despite promises to publish textual resources devoted to "Foundations of Orthodox Culture," the Ministry of Education still has not made any attempts to do this.
A priest of RPTs, Oleg Steniaev, sent a letter to the prosecutor general almost identical to his Muslim "colleague." He is most disturbed by the statement of Ikhlov on "Echo of Moscow" radio. Steniaev was surprised that Ikhlov had made a "xenophobic attempt to revise Orthodoxy." Therefore the priest demanded of the prosecutor general not only that he open a criminal case against him and Ponomarev but also take the case of the "militant atheists" under his own supervision.
Apparently, as a result of the angry epistolary efforts of the RPTs priest and the mufti of the Central Ecclesiastical Board of Muslims, as well as of the Pentecostal Bishop RiakhovskyÊ who sympathizes with them, the Ostankono prosecutor has again refused the "For human rights" movement's request for opening a criminal case against the writer and publisher of the "Foundations of Orthodox Culture" text. Lev Ponomarev and Evgeny Ikhlov are preparing to appeal the prosecutor's refusal in the same Meshchansk court. And they do not rule out that a criminal case could be opened against them, as "xenophobes" who incite ethnic dispute.
Absurd?Ê Indeed! But since judicial litigation has now become one of the most widespread concepts in our fatherland, one must be prepared for any plaintiff's becoming an instant defendant. (tr. by PDS, posted 29 January 2003)
UNIVERSAL EDUCATION. CHURCH PREPARES TO ENTER SCHOOLS
by Kirill Vasilenko
Vremia novostei, 28 January 2003
Orthodoxy and the public schools are getting closer to each other every year. The largest annual theological conference of the RPTs, the Christmas Readings, that began on Sunday in the Kremlin declared for the first time as its main topic a discussion of secular education. During the week around 10,000 scholars, theologians, and educators will conduct discussions on the methodology of teaching plans for the proposed discipline of "Foundations of Orthodox Culture," and on problems of training teachers, as well as sharing experience.
The priority of this question for the Moscow patriarchate was emphasized by Patriarch Alexis' opening this forum. Because of the state of his health he passed up the recent World Russian People's Council and even the Sunday holiday service in the church of Christ the Savior, which had been announced asÊ "patriarchal."
Although specific discussions about how many hours per week the children in public schools will study the foundations of Orthodoxy still have not been held, the matter of the churching of Russians within institutions of public secondary education is already being spoken of as a settled matter. "The fate of Russia, its future, is in the hands of educators and teachers," the patriarch declared triumphaly. "There can be no schools without training and without attempts to help a child become a moral, independent, and inspired individual capable of devoting himself to other people, the nation, and the fatherland." Alexis II also spoke in favor of the creation of a public council of laity, who will rise to the defense of our native culture.
"Russian schools train the mind well," Minister of Education Vladimir Filippov said in response, "but it is still necessary to train the hearts. Even people with cold hearts can produce supreme results of knowledge." The minister promised that by 2010 (the period in which the improvement of the program for modernizing education is planned) the schools will return themselves to their educational functions 100% .
Of course, it was not possible to avoid the topic of the separation of church from state and schools. This time the mistakes of history were treated with unconcealed regret and even shame. "The consequences of the separation of public education from the church have turned out to be more grievous for the state than for the church," noted Archimandrite Ioann Ekonomtsev, director of catechesis of the Moscow patriarchate. "The result has been the profound crisis that public education in our country is now experiencing." Nevertheless, Fr Ioann maintains: "The church is not tempted to return under the wing of the state, as the liberal democrats accuse us, because the church itself stretches its wings of prayer over the state." (tr. by PDS, posted 29 January 2003)
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Yesterday the head of the Russian government, Mikhail Kasianov, signed an order confirming the provision that grants to clergy deferment from the military draft. This applies to representatives of those religious confessions that are considered traditional: Orthodoxy, Judaism, Buddhism, and Islam. Nothing about this order is yet known in the Ministry of Defense and the Moscow patriarchate. This provision defines the procedure for granting deferment from the military draft for clergy. According to the order, every year in September, citizens who are members of the clergy and expect a summons into the army are to take to the military commissariat a certificatethat the religious organization is supposed to give them. The certificate should confirm the clerical rank and duties that they are in and indicate the place of ministry. Three months before the beginning of the draft religious organizations are supposed to inform the government about who is to be defered from service in the army.
Last year President Putin signed a decree on deferment from service for 300 ministers of all confessions. The current order in a logical extension of the initiatives of military personnel and leaders of the confessions. In accordance with article 24 of the federal law "On military obligation and military service," and article 3 of the federal law "On freedom of conscience and religious associations" deferment from service in the army will be granted to clergy of confessions that are active on the territory of Russia. The presidential decree said that it applied to those cases "when there is nobody to replace the drafted priest in his duty." If the minister is deprived of his clerical status for any reason, then he will immediately be drafted; that is the meaning of the action of deferment.
According to Gazeta's information, the discussion with representatives of religious organizations regarding deferment for clergy began back last year, when the General Staff acted as a supporter of the plan for deferment. Employees at the OVTsS of the Moscow patriarchate told Gazeta that the order affects a small number of Orthodox priests, no more than 100 persons. This is how many priests there are who have already been ordained and are still of draft age, and these mainly are priests in remote village parishes. Now in Russia there are only two ecclesiastical institutions of higher education that give deferment from the army, St. Tikhon's Theological Institute and the ecclesiastical seminary in Sergiev Posad. In accordance with a tradition established in soviet times, men who already have served in the army are given preferential status in admission to the schools. Deferment does not apply to students of ecclesiastical educational institutions; they are subject to conscription in accordance with the law.
According to Gazeta's information, no confessional quotas for granting deferment have yet been worked out. And it is not clear what principle will determine these quotas: number of clergy, or parishes, or believers. The question remains undecided whether all confessions will receive the right to deferment or only those that are "traditional," Orthodoxy, Islam, Judaism,Ê and Buddhism. Gazeta has learned that in Tatarstan special certificates have been distributed to imams who are recognized by the local Muslim ecclesiastical board since the beginning of this year. (tr. by PDS, posted 29 January 2003)
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Yesterday the Moscow Helsinki Group presented a "Preliminary Report on the Human Rights Situation in the Russian Federation in 2002." The rights defenders usually present the final edition of their annual account in August or September, when their information seems to be not very current. This time they decided to sacrifice a little specificity for the sake of topicality and to inform society of the preliminary results of their monitoring, while the past year has still not faded from memory.
The results, as should have been expected, looked bad. Russia's involvement in the world campaign against international terrorism, in the views of the rights defenders, was used by the state authorities for justifying their anti-rights activities with regard to individuals and whole ethnic groups. The issue is not only the notorious "cleansing" in Chechnia and restrictions on people from the Caucasus. Thus, in analyzing the operation for liberating hostages seized in Dubrovka [theatre], the experts of the Helsinki group come to the conclusion that the leaders of this operation did not take the necessary measures to protect the lives of the innocent victims of the terrorist act. In the middle of last year the law "On combating extremist activity" was adopted, which in principle has the intention of protecting rights. However the rights defenders are dissatisfied both with the law itself and with it practical implementation. In their view, the law is bad because it is too easy to apply it to any organization or part of the news media that somehow does not suit the authorities. At the same time, law enforcement agencies can affirm, as previously, that "we have no skinheads," and characterize extremist actions as harmless hooliganism. A selective approach to the assessment of rights violations on racial and ethnic bases is, in the opinion of the writers of the report, a widespread practice in the operations of Russian justice.
In addition, the rights of citizens to freedom of religious confession in our country are unreliably protected. The rights defenders identified five instances last year of clear interference of state agencies in interconfessional relations as a result of which the legal rights of Catholic and Buddhist societies of Russia were infringed. The report cites an extremely significant example of actual inequality of believers before civil law. Several courts of Tatarstan refused to grant to Muslim women the right to be photographed for their passport in head scarves. The women were told that civic identity takes priority over religious. Meanwhile the Priozero court of Leningrad province supported the suit of a group of Orthodox believers who did not want to accept the "sign of the devil"--the individual taxpayer number--for religious reasons.
Russian rights defenders have tried for eight years to get the adoption of a law on alternative civilian service. Last year, alternative service finally was legalized. But the custodians of human rights found no joy in this. There is a law, but it is just as hard to exercise the right not to serve in the army as it was before the law. Usually everything depends on the position of the judge. In a rare case in Perm province, thirty-five draftees defended their right to alternative service. But in the majority of component elements of the federation, courts do not permit themselves such "liberality. . . ." (tr. by PDS, posted 29 January 2003)
Russia Religion News Current News Items
Moderator: Good morning colleagues, let us start. Our guests today are members of the US Commission on International Religious Freedom. The topic of the press conference is the results of the visit of the delegation to Russia. Let me introduce the chairperson of the commission Felice Gaer who will make the introductory remarks and introduce the members of the commission.
Gaer: Thank you very much. I am Felice Gaer and I'd like to introduce the other members of the commission who has joined us on that visit. Dr. Firuz Kazemzadeh who has served as vice-chair of the commission and who has been with the commission since it was founded on my right, to your left; and Bishop William Murphy who is a member of the commission for the past two years, as I have been. And we are glad to be here, we are sorry we kept you waiting. Now, we have available for you a list of all of the members of the commission and something about American law that created this commission. The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom is unique as far as we know. There is no other American or other international body quite like it. We were created by an act of Congress to monitor and report to the President and the Congress on freedom of religion and belief throughout the world, to identify countries of particular concern and make recommendations with regard to those and other policy issues to the President and to the Congress.
We don't negotiate, we are not employees of the United States government, we are appointees of different branches of government. Of the nine members of the commission three are appointed by the House of Representatives, three are appointed by the Senate and three by the President. And the members of the commission who are here today are from each of these three areas, appointed by the House of Representatives, appointed from the Senate and appointed by the President.
The American interest in promoting religious freedom in our countries is not a new one. Our country looks to international human rights agreements as the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the Covenants on Civil and Political Rights and the freedoms that are incorporated there. Our purpose is to assess conditions. Religious freedom and other freedoms lie at the core of the founding of our country and it's an ideal to which we continuously strive. erican foreign policy reflects those values and it is the Congress that has told the President and the Secretary of State that it must. Promotion of religious freedom abroad is part of those human rights where the United States foreign policy is mean to promote. As I emphasize, these are not exclusively American values. They are universal values. And one of the great and positive developments of the past dozen years has been the affirmation of the importance and the acceptance of those values and those principles in the foreign policy of all nations and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, of all nations in the United Nations.
These principles of human rights, including religious freedom, have played an important role in the historic transformation here in Russia. They are embraced in the Constitution and in Russia's international commitments. We have as a commission been attentive to the situation of religious freedom and other freedoms in Russia since the commission was founded in 1999. And we have reported on it since that time.
Russia attracted the interest of our Commission from the very start not because the situation was comparable to countries such as China or Sudan but for very different reasons. It was not the severity of the problems but the fragility of religious freedom and all freedoms that drew our attention to the situation in Russia.
We have met with a large number of representatives of different religions and faiths during our visit here. We have met with representatives of government bodies both the Duma ombudsmen, city leaders, people at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Justice and the presidential administration. We are not yet finished. We hope to meet later today with the Minister of Nationalities, with the Russian Academy for State Service, and other officials.
So we are not yet at the point to offer you conclusions from our visit. We expect to be preparing a report following our visit with conclusions and recommendations. And we will make sure -- particularly if you leave your cards, by the way, when you leave, we will make sure that each of you gets that report. But we are happy to respond to questions to the extent that we can at this point. We will be bringing our findings back to the full commission of nine members, and we will be conferring with them as well as part of this process.
I should also add that in addition to the many meetings with representatives of different religious groups we also met with persons involved in human rights organizations and various independent assessments of contemporary life.
We will be happy to respond to your questions.
Q: I have a couple of questions. When will you be issuing your report? And can you at this stage comment on the situation with religious freedom in Russia and so can you specifically comment about the state charity projects -- (inaudible) --
Gaer: We will be issuing a report at the latest, I would say, by May. But it may be available much sooner than that. Much will depend on the deliberative process, but we will have some conclusions by that time for you.
We have stated and we all agree that Russia is in an important moment in its development as a democratic country that respects religious freedom. The legal structures are in place. The implementation is something we are watching closely, and that is one of the reasons we came. The expiration of deadlines for reregistration are upon us. We have watched closely as there have been decisions of the Russian courts. We have also been examining amendments to the laws and have been receiving information regarding the treatment of unregistered groups and the experience they encounter.
We have not looked at charity projects per se. We looked at a range of what I would call broader and more narrow issues affecting a whole range of religious organizations. For example, in addition to registration, we've looked at the question of whether there are discriminatory laws but more significantly policies at the local level affecting individual religious groups differentially.
We have looked at the question of whether there is violence targeting minorities, where there is anti-Semitic or anti-Islamic violence. We have examined the question of what is alleged to be visas that have been rescinded, residence certificates that have been refused, particularly with regard to foreign clergy and religious workers.
We have been concerned about, but heard less about, issues of control or interference with internal disputes of religious communities. And we have discussed the issue of the significance of demands for closer cooperation between the state and the Russian Orthodox Church, and the views that have been expressed to us that this might result in some discrimination against other religious communities. We have examined that question in order to test the validity of those complaints, if you like.
So, there is a wide range of issues that we have looked at. And I must say that the picture is a fragile one.
Q: Did you speak about any educational moments, including the Russian Orthodox education in schools or any educational programs concerning religion in Russian schools, with anybody at the Education Ministry?
Gaer: We did not meet with anyone from the Education Ministry. We did have discussions however with the representatives of the Russian Orthodox Church and other confessions about the subject matter.
Q: You have described the situation as fragile, but did the commission find any facts that you can construe as a violation of the interests of freedom in Russia? Do you have anything more specific to say?
Gaer: We have a lot of information. We have been given dossiers, we have been given information, we have met with people, we have examined things, we have not reached a conclusion on what constitutes violations in a technical sense. But all of the areas that I cited in my, I am sorry, a little bit long response to the gentleman from Radio Free Europe present issues that our commission has identified as problematic with regard to religious freedom, and some of them are in fact violations in a general sense.
Q: IRNA agency. You have said that you have heard about anti-Islamic sentiments in Russia. During your trip, have you met with Islamic religious officials? And where do you have this information from? Thank you.
Gaer: The simple answer is yes. Yes, we met with several Islamic leaders and in addition, we received other information from other persons we met with, sources. Of course, we didn't come here with empty pockets and a blank tablet.
Q: Could I just ask you about draft report on religious extremism that was mentioned in your letter to Secretary Powell of January 14? Did you find any information during your trip that gave you greater insight into that issue? I am a reporter from Newsday.
Gaer: Thank you for asking. We most certainly did discuss this. Possibly in every meeting. Both with government officials and with religious leaders and other groups. The draft report that we mentioned in our letter to the Secretary identifies sources of extremism and threats to security. And in it it identifies four major categories of religious groups and confessions as such threats. First, Catholics, second, an array of Protestants, third, what are called new religions and sects -- not all of them are -- and fourth, Islam. Now, that was a striking development and we sought to clarify what was the status of the report, what was the meaning of this characterization, what were its implications, both generally and for religious freedom in the country as a whole. We haven't finished those conversations. I mentioned we have some meetings yet this afternoon and I am quite certain they will be the subjects of our discussion as well.
Q: In the past four Catholic priests, one Catholic bishop and at least ten Protestant missionaries have all had their visas denied and they had to leave Russia. Something is changing in Russia. In your opinion, having been here five or six days and talking with people at very high levels, what's going on here? What has changed in Russia?
Gaer: That is one of the issues that has received a lot of attention, I think, from your service, among others. And that has been the subject of our discussions in numerous instances. We have sometimes been greeted with surprise when we described this. We have been told that the reason for denial of visas is something that governments never provide information about. We have been raising the issue. It seems to us that the number that has been reported of interference with foreign religious workers is significant enough that this can't be accidental.
We think this is a serious development. We think we've conveyed that concern. And we are hopeful that our concerns have been heard and that the future will be different in this regard. More than that we are not yet prepared to say.
Moderator: One last question.
Q: Gazeta. Is there a need for Russian legislation to broaden the interpretation of religious extremism? Does American legislation contain such laws and which confession do you consider the most vulnerable?
Gaer: Thank you for the question. Freedom of religion and belief has three components. The right to believe which shall be without limits, freedom to manifest that belief in worship, in teaching, in public life. That may be limited on the grounds of public order, health, morals or the rights and freedoms of others. Freedom from coercion in the right to have or to adopt a new religion. The simple way of putting it is, it's the deeds, not the creeds that are of concern. Religion itself and belief cannot and should not be limited under international law in international human rights. Nor is it in the United States which was part of your question.
But when extremism in the name of religion results in acts which are crimes, violent acts, crimes against others, slavery, human sacrifice, torture, beatings, detention, killings, random violence -- those are acts that are criminal acts and they are in any country and they are outside acceptable actions. It is permissible to limit such acts. A religious group that engages in slavery or human sacrifice would be punishable in any country, and should be and be extremist. But that has to do with actions. I repeat the American or the English-language phrase, It's the deed not the creed. It's the action not the belief that can be criminalized.
And so the answer to your question I think is clear in my response. In the US there is no limitation on religious belief. In fact, in our country we have strict separation between government and church of all kinds. But that does not say there are not laws that are criminal laws that if broken, will be enforced, and should be enforced everywhere.
Moderator: Thank you, the press conference is over. (Copyright 2003 Federal News Service, Inc. posted, 27 January 2003)
US QUERIES RUSSIAN REPORT THAT SEES CATHOLICS AS SECURITY THREAT by
Bernbard Besserglik
Agence France Presse, 24 January 2003
A US commission on religious freedom visiting Russia voiced concern on Friday over a draft report that presents Roman Catholicism and other non-native religions as potential threats to national security.
Felice Gaer, head of the US Commission on International Religious Freedom, told AFP that her group had questioned Russian officials about a "so-called Zorin report," named after Nationalities Minister Vladimir Zorin, and been reassured that it had no official standing.
Russian media last month published extracts from the report, said to be still in draft form, that purported to be an examination of the development of religious extremism. A section of the report, entitled "Assessments of Threats to National Security Related to Religious Extremism", contained a list of "foreign confessions" headed by the Roman Catholic Church, followed by Protestantism (no specific faiths were specified) and rounded out by organisations including Jehovah's Witnesses and Scientologists.
The report spared the Russian Orthodox Church, Judaism and Buddhism but attacked Islam.
Gaer said that her team had questioned several government officials on the report.
"No-one says it has any standing," she said. However "if it were in fact a real report it would be very disquieting."
The reported investigation of supposed ties between religion and extremist activities "is somewhat unexpected and problematic," she said.
Fellow commission member Firuz Kazemzadeh said the report was "a piece of paper, floating around, no-one admits to authoring it.
"The ideas expressed in it are deeply disturbing ... but the government is very emphatic that this is not a government document. They say they have no knowledge of its provenance," he said.
Lawrence Uzzell, a specialist on religion writing in Friday's edition of the Moscow Times, said a Russian government task force co-headed by Zorin and the pro-Russian Chechen leader Akhmad Kadyrov was currently refining proposals to ban "religious extremism."
Noting that the draft report proposes "intelligence measures" against suspected "religious extremists" who would face six-year prison terms, he said its authors "evidently believe that this category evidently includes every religious entity not servile to the Russian state."
Whether or not the report's ideas are enacted, "it is almost certain that Russians will have less religious freedom a year from now than today," Uzzell wrote.
Gaer further voiced concern over the growing number of cases in which Catholics and other religious leaders have been refused visas.
"This is not a new problem but it is one that is increasing," she said.
The US commission also questioned officials and religious leaders over reports that the Kremlin has been seeking increasingly to intervene in disputes within religious communities, often favouring one side against another in ways seemingly intended to secure political advantage.
Jewish leaders told the commission that though "they feel there is no policy of government anti-Semitism, anti-Semitism in the street is flourishing," Gaer said.
Since arriving in Moscow on January 18 the three-strong delegation has held talks with the human rights ombudsman Oleg Mironov and a wide range of government officials, religious leaders and non-governmental organisations.
They were due to leave late Friday for the Belarus capital Minsk for a similar mission. (Copyright 2003 Agence France Presse, posted 27 January 2003)
RELIGIOUS FREEDOM CALLED 'FRAGILE'
by Andrei Zolotov Jr.
The Moscow Times, 27 January 2003
Wrapping up a weeklong visit, a U.S. government advisory group described the state of religious liberty in Russia as "fragile" and said some of its findings might be qualified later as violations. However, Felice Gaer, head of the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom, said at a news conference Friday that she would refrain from making any conclusive statements until the commission publishes its annual report in May.
"Russia attracted the interest of the commission from the very start," she said, referring to the commission's founding in 1998 under the International Religious Freedom Act. "Not because it requires a special concern, like Sudan -- it was not the severity of the problem but the fragility of religious freedom and all freedoms in Russia," she said.
Gaer, director of the Jacob Blaustein Institute for the Advancement of Human Rights and a member of the American Jewish Committee, met throughout the week with representatives of various faiths, government agencies and human rights groups. She was accompanied by senior Bahai representative Firuz Kazenmzadeh and Roman Catholic Bishop William Francis Murphy.
Their visit was prompted by the leak last month of a draft report co-authored by Nationalities Minister Valentin Zorin and Moscow-backed Chechen leader Akhmad Kadyrov that described Roman Catholics, Protestants, new religious movements and Muslims as threats to national security.
"It reflects a disturbing trend in Russia that includes the exclusion of representatives of the Catholic Church, restrictions on the rights of new and minority religious movements, recurrent anti-Semitic incidents, as well as the equation of Islam with terrorism," Gaer wrote in a Jan. 15 letter to U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell. She urged him to raise U.S. concern "at the highest levels of Russian government." Gaer said Friday that the commission was scheduled to meet with Zorin later in the day and was not prepared to comment on the issue.
She said commission members had asked Russian officials during talks why a dozen or so Catholic and Protestant clergy were denied visas last year, and the response they often got was "surprise." "We've been told that reasons to deny visas are something governments never provide information about," she said. "We have raised that issue. The number of denials is significant enough that it can't be accidental. We think it is a serious development." During their trip, the commission also examined discriminatory regional policies, violence against minority groups, whether the government has a tendency to get involved in internal religious disputes and whether the government cooperates with the Russian Orthodox Church, the main faith in Russia.
"We can say that the picture looks fragile," Gaer said.
Last year, the commission recommended that the State Department designate North Korea, Laos, Saudi Arabia and Turkmenistan as "countries of particular concern." However, the State Department only added North Korea to its watch list, which includes countries such as Myanmar, Iran, Iraq and Sudan. (Copyright 2003 Independent Press, posted 27 January 2003)
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