Anti-Fitna Wave Reaches Russia
Fitna the Movie directed and uploaded on the Internet by Dutch right-wing
politician Geert
Wilders at the end of March has caused a predictable reaction around the
world – more affective
in Islamic countries and reserved yet disapproving in Europe. Russia has
not been left
untouched by the film either, which is reflected in utterances of official
and religious
organizations with the most Fitna-Wilders-stigmatizing reaction noticed in
the Jewish community.
Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia
The official message of the Ministry of Foreign Affair of Russia says the
country categorically
slams demonstration of the anti-Islam film. “Russia that again and again
stands for mending the
inter-civilization dialogue, mutual respect and consideration for
traditions and customs of
religious faiths, categorically slams demonstration of this film and takes
it as provocative
and being able to invoke the same negative outcome as in the recent case
with the Mohammed
caricatures published by a number of European media”, the official message
of the Ministry says.
Muslim Community
Board of Muftis of Russia has clearly backed the initiative of Secretary
General of the
Organisation of The Islamic Conference (OIC) Ekmeledin Ihsanoglu calling
western countries and
the UN to work out a legislation base prohibiting profanation of any
religion. “Board of Muftis
of Russia is sure that the initiative of OIC Secretary General would
weaken the assaults
against not only Islam but also against Christianity, Judaism, Buddhism.
We deem that spiritual
values must be legislatively protected from unlimited permissiveness”, the
Board’s message
says. According to the muftis, this refers to all, especially to “the
western politicians who
think they can do whatever they want under the mask of democracy”.
The problem of anti-Islamic films exists in the Russian segment of the
Internet, according to
Islam researcher Roman Silantyev. He claims that an anti-****a film,
translated into Russian,
has for a long time been available on a number of Russian Muslim websites.
The film, telling
about ****a crimes, roughly insults followers of the ****a Islam branch, and
factually calls to
their extermination. According to Roman Silantyev, Russian anti-Islam
films are much more
dangerous than the scandalous film of Geert Wilders, as they “really
create a possibility of
transferring the ****a-Sunni conflict to the Russian Muslim population”.
Orthodox Christians
Members of the Orthodox Christianity in Russia have shown different
reactions to Fitna with
prevailingly the disapproving one. “Insulting religious and national
feelings always causes a
disruptive reaction. Although Christians normally react in a more reserved
way than Muslims do,
we are in sympathy with Muslims protecting their religious feelings”, as
Head of the Moscow
Patriarchy, priest Vladimir Vigilyansky says.
Another Orthodox priest, Boris Mikhailov (Holy Mary Cathedral in Moscow),
expresses a bit
different opinion on Fitna: “Such sharp reaction in the West is caused,
apparently, by fear of
the processes that followed publication of Mohammed caricatures which
caused a burst of outrage
in the Muslim world. We need to remember that Geert`s film was brought to
life by a real not
imaginary reason: it is a way to express concern about the rapid
islamization of Europe. And
this concern is easy to understand”, the priest marks.
Jews
Chief Rabbi of Russia Berl Lazar thinks that the film of the Dutch
politician Geert Wilders
must be banned from being featured everywhere, including the Internet, and
a criminal
proceeding must be initiated against the film author. According to the
Rabbi words, the aim of
the film is “to accuse Islam of spreading terror”. “The very position of
equalling Islam to
terror looks insulting to me”, Berl Lazar says.
Chief Rabbi also claims that the “the best respond would be to set up
complete informational
blockade to this politician and remove the scandalous film from the
Internet even if someone
considers it to be censor****p”.
There is an opinion that there could be two main reasons why reaction of
the Russian Jews looks
most categorical. Berl Lazar might dislike the film because it largely
supposes stamps and
labels associated with a certain religion and there is no guarantee that
tomorrow the Jews will
not be labelled too. The other version supposes that the Jews do not want
to be somehow accused
of being involved in formation of the negative image of Islam presented in
Fitna.
Natalya Lavrentyeva
April 7, 2008
** Posted from http://www.teranews.com
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