Komi Orthodox Diocese Exploits War to Demonize Minority Christians

(August 29, 2008)

"During a time of real NATO aggression against Russia, religious sects have been tasked by the West to spread enmity between traditional confessions and society," the press secretary of the local diocese of the Russian Orthodox Church announced in Syktyvkar, Russia (Komi Republic), according to an August 28, 2008 report by the Rusnord news agency. The announcement by Igumen Filipp, obviously aimed at exploiting anti-western sentiment exacerbated by the war with Georgia, paints minority Christians as a fifth column engaged in a plot to destroy Russia by inciting tension between Russian Orthodox believers and Muslims. Father Filipp sees evidence of this conspiracy in the efforts of minority Christians (primarily Baptists and Pentecostals), thousands of whom recently signed a petition to block the introduction of Russian Orthodox theology in the republic's public schools.

"Unfortunately, the organizers of this petition aimed against the [Russian Orthodox] diocese were able to convince leaders of Komi's Muslim community that, 'the introduction of the course Fundamentals of Orthodox Culture threatens to incite inter-ethnic hatred.'" Father Filipp points out that the Church has advocated introducing Islamic theology courses in the public schools of majority Muslim regions of Russia, without mentioning that this explicitly contradicts the Russian Constitution and makes no provisions for the rights of religious minorities. Ironically, the announcement came the same day that the mayor of Moscow publicly stated his opposition to teaching theology in city schools.

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