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…
Archpriest Vsevolod Chaplin, the deputy chairman of the Moscow Patriarchate Department for External Church Relations said that representatives of other religious ought to participate in organizing people’s guards in Russia. “I don’t see any obstacles to making people’s guards inter-religious, at least, where followers of other religions will be ready to participate in them. It…
The Prosecutor’s Office in Moscow has warned magazine Russian Newsweek on the illegality and unacceptability of publishing stories instigating ethnic and religious hatred. “Issue 40 of September 29 – October 5, 2008 carried two stories entitled “He Who Comes with the Mosque” (a play on the phrase “He who comes to Russia with the sword…
The Council of Muftis, Russia’s highest Muslim council, issued a protest against a ban on some Islamic publications that are being considered by authorities as extremist. The Council “has taken a decision to request that the relevant institutions of the Russian Federation carry out a repeat analysis of the books,” adding that they were seriously…
The 2008 UEFA Football Championship, commonly referred to as Euro-2008, a sports event, has found itself involved in dirty politics. Austria’s notorious politician, Joerg Haider, set out his indignation about the participation of Russia and Turkey at the European Championship. He was particularly concerned about Turkey’s success. Haider’s open self-promotion at Euro-2008 uncovered a very…
