#11 - JRL 2006-214 - JRL Home
Moscow Times
September 25, 2006
Editorial
Tolerance Should Top the Agenda

The introduction of classes on Orthodox culture into many public schools raises a fundamental question about the relationship between church and state.

On paper, this would appear to be a nonissue. The Constitution establishes the secular nature of the state and guarantees equal rights to people of all faiths.

A 1997 law on freedom of conscience further stipulates that, in accordance with "the constitutional principle of the separation of religious associations and the state," the government assures the "secular nature of education in state and municipal educational institutions."

In practice, however, the issue is far less clear-cut. That same 1997 law, for example, enshrined Eastern Orthodoxy, Islam, Judaism and Buddhism as "traditional" religions and made it harder -- if not impossible -- for many other denominations to function in this country.

The role of religion in public life has expanded rapidly since 1992 for a variety of reasons. The Orthodox Church, in particular, was quickly embraced by politicians of all stripes as they attempted to fill the ideological vacuum left by the abrupt downfall of the Soviet Communist Party.

At the same time, a more militant brand of Islam began to make inroads in the traditionally Muslim North Caucasus. Regional government policy has increasingly been influenced by religious considerations. On Saturday, for example, Ingush President Murat Zyazikov banned smoking in public and the sale and consumption of alcohol in the region for the duration of Ramadan.

Supporters of the Orthodox culture classes insist they have more to do with morality than dogma. Unfortunately, the government has yet to issue guidelines that would allow for an objective appraisal. The Education and Science Ministry has passed the buck to regional educators as it waits for a directive from above. Meanwhile, at least one region has made the Orthodox culture class a compulsory part of the curriculum.

Many educators also say they are offering the classes in response to demands from parents.

Rather than sitting on the sidelines, the government needs to take a stand on the presence of religion in the schools. In the long run, the public might well support amending the Constitution to allow the introduction of religious education in some form.

The immediate task for education officials is more limited in scope. They must first issue guidelines that draw a clear line between religion and "religious culture," and that apply to all faiths.

Just as importantly, the government should respond to the call for moral instruction in the schools by ensuring that the concept of religious tolerance is central to all such classes.

After attackers vandalized synagogues in Khabarovsk and Astrakhan and a mosque in Yaroslavl over the weekend, religious tolerance should be at the top of the government's agenda.