Interreligious relations in multireligious society: problems and tasks
The Vice-Head of the Committee on Religion of
The Council of Ministers of Autonomous Republic of the Crimea
During the years of independence religion has been taken a
significant place in the life of a modern Ukrainian society. For long years
of former Soviet Union peoples living in conditions of extreme militant atheism
when the totalitarian communistic regime severely pursued for dissidence when
freedom of conscience and religions were replaced with antidemocratic system
of unconditional acceptance of an existing regime and worshipping a cult of
one person, - the bases of cultural values of the society have been seriously
deformed. Regarding deported peoples, we can say that, despite prosecutions,
the religion for deported peoples (especially for the Crimean Tatars), during
all years of stay in conditions of special settlements, was one of the factors,
not only keeping originality of people, but also promoting its consolidation
in struggle for returning to the historical native land.
Today, after returning to the Crimea, the issue concerning revival of ethnic
religions on the historical native land was raised and the fact that the report
with such theme is included in the program of the seminar, speaks about great
value of the issue.
The issues on interreligious relations became rather urgent during construction
of the democratic society in Ukraine. They appeared to be the most burning in
the Crimea. The specific character of the issue for the Crimea consists in the
fact that, unlike Ukraine where the percent of the Christian organizations in
the general state religious network constitutes 96,5 %, in the Crimea the share
of the Christian religious organizations constitutes about 60 %. For today a
religious network of Autonomous Republic of the Crimea includes more than 1180
religious organizations of 46 religions, trends and doctrines.
One of the most numerous religions in the Crimea by the number of the registered
communities, are Orthodoxy and the Islam.
According to ethno-religious features there are about 370 registered and functioning
religious organizations represented as follows:
Islam is represented by more than 340 religious organizations and is on the
second place after the Ukrainian Orthodox Church. The Religious Directorate
of the Moslems of the Crimea, created in 1991 became the organized religious
structure of the Crimean Moslems. There are 180 mosques, 52 of them are newly
constructed, at disposal of the Muslim communities. 16 mosques are being constructed,
basically due to sponsor's means of coreligionists from the Muslim countries.
There are 4 Muslim religious educational institutions (Madrasah) in the Autonomous
Republic of the Crimea, where about 200 students receive religious education.
There are 5 German communities included in Synod NELTS (Odessa), and also 6
independent communities.
A small ethnic group of the Crimea - Karaites - has 6 communities incorporated
under the Religious Board of the Karaites of the Crimea.
The smallest ethnic group of the Crimea – Krimchacks - are incorporated
into one religious organization in Simferopol. The Armenian Apostolic Church
of the Crimea is incorporated by 6 communities which are provided with cult
buildings. Clerics, as a rule, are invited from Armenia and conduct divine services
in the native language that is a distinctive feature of Armenians, who kept
the native language in many respects.
National minorities of the Crimea, Bulgarians and Greeks of orthodox creed are
in structure of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church and use its temples for their
religious needs, orthodox Greeks of the Crimea have their own temples and in
Yalta, Feodosiya, Simferopol and Belogorsk area.
Formed structure of a religious network appeared to be one of the complex and
specific not only on territory of Ukraine, but also on the post-Soviet space.
Therefore those religious actions which in various regions of Ukraine take place
as ordinary, without any complications, are complicated in some cases in the
Crimea. It concerns, for example, the placing of worshipping crosses in settlements
of the Crimea.
For example, more than 50 worshipping crosses were established in Zakarpatye
area in honour of the 2000-anniversary of Christ’s birth, and neither
public, nor the religious organizations made any critical remarks. There were
12 crosses established here; however you remember, what events took place around
of this action.
I gave this example only to emphasize that fragile balance existing between
religions in the Crimea.
Though no big conflicts on the interreligious ground were observed in the course
of Islam and Christianity existing in the Crimea, however the most conflicting,
as I see it, are relations between Orthodoxy and the Islam. As experience of
last years has shown, in terms of domination of one religion above another,
the Muslim party most painfully perceives such actions of the orthodox party
as placing of worshipping crosses on high places, at entrances to settlements
and so on, that is, outside of its cult objects; the established publicity boards,
with texts «Crimea is a cradle of Orthodoxy» and a choice of some
platforms for construction of temples and chapels also caused a negative attitude.
As events around Zindzhirli Madrasah and Saint Uspensk monastery in Bakhchisaray
have shown, the occasions for involvement into interreligious conflicts were
also the economic reasons: use of tourist routes, selling places, parking places
and other commercial objects. The conflicts provoked on this ground, reached
that dangerous line when it involved, except for the conflicting parties, the
inhabitants of other regions of the Crimea, the Cossacks and special divisions
of militia, therefore heads of all religions should realize the responsibility
for taken decisions, and to esteem their results long beforehand.
Certainly, the essence of appearance of some conflicts in many respects is explained
by complexity of solving the social and economic problems connected, on one
hand, with return and resettlement of the deported citizens, and on the other,
with religions of many ethnic groups establishing on the peninsula.
It is necessary to note, that nevertheless the features of both harmonization
of interreligious relations in the Crimea, and, in my opinion, solidarity and
mutual support at interaction of religions with the governmental bodies have
lately appeared
. We can give such examples of recent events, as the joint statement of Simferopol
and Crimean Metropolitan Lazar and Mufti of Moslems of the Crimea Hadzhi Emirali
Ablaev on prospects of the future mutual relations, a joint mass demonstration
of representatives of Muslim communities and Karaite leaders of Evpatoria with
appeals about returning the former religious property, and also the joint appeal
of all large religions of the Crimea to the governmental bodies of the with
the appeal to prohibit the construction of a rope-way ???????? roads in Mariampolsk
gorge where Orthodox, Muslim and Karaite sacred places are located. Supporting
this appeal the President of the Foundation for Research and Support of Indigenous
Peoples of the Crimea Mr. Nadir Bekirov addressed the Council of Ministers of
the Crimea.
As it is known, some mass-media persistently try to relate the Crimea to one
of the potentially explosive regions where interethnic and interreligious conflicts
are possible. Recently the idea has been strenuously laid in minds of ordinary
Crimean inhabitants, and also exaggerated by foreign mass-media. The mass-media
picture various scripts of the ethno-religious conflict with catastrophic consequences,
by examples of Lebanon, Bosnia, Kosovo, and Chechnya. Scientists and analytics
are even more often questioned: how obvious is such threat in reality?
I wouldn’t like to belittle the role of the Interreligious council «World
is God’s gift», but in its contemporary state, the efficiency of
its work is really considerably reduced. There is the necessity of creating
the ethno-religious center in the Crimea which would involve both religious
figures, scientists, theologians, workers of education sphere and governmental
bodies with a view to elimination of potential conflict, elaboration and realization
of the mechanism of constructive dialogue in the religious environment. Certainly,
additional financing is required. However we should realize that preserving
peace in the Crimea is stability in the Ukrainian state as a whole. Therefore,
the economy of means now, can turn out as huge losses for the Ukrainian community
in future. I consider as the priority of this body the deep studying of the
appeared religious trends in the Crimea, definition of the reasons of their
occurrences and distinctions in ideologies and in stated tasks. The ethno-religious
center would become a body able to guarantee, if necessary, the mutual understanding
and open dialogue between the religious centers and directorates not only in
the Crimea, but also in Ukraine as a whole.
During last 5 years, when the social role of religion steadily grows, representatives
of some religions, including the largest in the Crimea: the Ukrainian Orthodox
Church and Muslim, raise a question on teaching the bases of the doctrines in
general educational institutions.
Experiments on introducing the similar subjects in the educational school process
have already taken place in a number of the western areas of Ukraine. At the
same time, teaching of such subjects as «Bases of Christian ethics»
was carried out at absence of due legislative base which would establish rules
and norms of introducing additional subjects in educational process.
The indisputable fact is that it is necessary to bring up a generation, able
to coexist in the society with other individuals, on the basis of some values.
At the same time, there are arguments as for the values on the basis of which
the generation is to be brought up. And if it is based on religious moral values,
then what religions will be chosen.
It is difficult to dispute the statement, that in the process of educating a
rising generation we should rely on our history, its cultural and pedagogical
traditions. And moral values of previous generations were based first of all
on the moral values of traditional religions: Orthodoxy as a whole across Ukraine,
an Islam in the Crimea, in particular.
Using the historical experience of the previous generations living in the Crimea,
taking into account the conflicting character the problem in question, it is
necessary to show serious and a responsible approach to this problem and to
find the solution acceptable to all society.
Speaking about historical experience of generations, I could not but cite an
example of Evpatoria where the seminar is carried out. This city, justly named
a small Jerusalem, absorbed history and traditions of many peoples, inhabiting
the Crimea where during the cult buildings of all religions professed by peoples
living in this city peacefully coexisted for many centuries and on the limited
territory in the historical city centre.
In the contemporary Crimea, in the period of establishing of young Ukrainian
democracy, we witness complex ethno-religious transformations, simultaneous
process of revival of national consciousness, culture, spirituality of all nationalities
inhabiting the Crimean peninsula.
How tolerantly this process will take place, how it will be remembered by the
future generations: it depends on what will relations in the Crimean community
between the religious organizations and associations will be in the nearest
future. There are all bases to believe, that it will be made on principles of
mutual respect, a commonality of long-term interests, without infringement of
religious traditions, national dignity and honor of every people.
I think, that we have enough experience and wisdom to solve all those problems
existing now and arising in the future, without any sympathies or antipathies
to any religion; and then peace and consent will always reign on our peninsula.