Muslims in Russia’s neighborhood of Nizhny Novgorod are opposing plans to include ringing church bells in a propose new regional anthem. The Muslim community warns that the ringing of church bells will alienate other ethnic and religious groups. “There should be no political or religious themes in the anthem. It should be something that uplifts people and brings them together. I think including religion goes against this,” said Gayaz Zakirov, spiritual leader of the local Muslim community. The proposal is still being formulated, and officials working on the proposal stated that the last thing they want to do is hurt people’s feelings.
