Alexei Balashov. Exclusively to VK
Recently the State Duma considered the bill requiring criminal punishment for insulting religious feelings and violating shrines. The bill provides for up to 5 years imprisonment, while fines for such activities were increased by 100-fold.
Representatives of leading confessions have already supported this initiative. Priest Maxim Kozlov expressed satisfaction that from now on these crimes wouldn’t be judged under indirect articles – vandalism and so on. “The most significant thing in this legal initiative is that our Russian law should call white ‘white’ and black ‘black’,” he said. Later, a similar position was expressed by representatives of the Congress of Jewish Religious Organization and Unions of Russia and the Mufti Council of Russia.
According to statistics, more than 80% of Russians support stiffening punishments for insulting feelings of the faithful. Most of them are conservatives (87% are followers of United Russia and 85% are people over 45). It is interesting that 73% haven’t ever heard about cases of such insulting (or don’t consider them insulting), indicating the insignificant influence of propaganda campaigns from both sides of the conflict.
Meanwhile, the chairman of the LAS, Nabil al Arabi, called insulting religions “a serious threat to international peace and security” at the session of the UN Security Council in New-York. He recalled recent protests in the Muslim world caused by the anti-Islamic movie Innocence of Muslims. “Until we admit that such actions cannot be justified, it will be playing with matches. We are warning that insulting religious feelings and symbols of faith are a real threat to security in the whole world,” al Arabi said, adding that he saw no connection between freedom of speech and insulting religion. At the same time, the head of the LAS condemned the violence which followed this movie.
Therefore, the bill on responsibility for “insulting the feelings of the faithful” gains a more global prospect and goes to the international level. In the context of the situation with Pussy Riot, the mass cutting down of crosses and other vandalism against the Russian Church, cartoons and stupid films about Muhammad, the question about maintaining aggressive freedom of speech has become acute. The liberal doctrine of freedom of speech has always tried to attack religion and the faithful, but its epigones have never been so shameless and confident in their right to do what they want in a foreign house for the sake of “the possibility to express themselves.” However,by involving the Church in these legal relations, secular society secularizes faith.
However, it is strange that huge fines and strict punishment are required for “insulting the feelings” of the faithful, but not for insulting Holy Books and deity. The modern humanistic society is too concentrated on the individual; it is not interested in deity and its idols (God, liberalism, or freedom). Insulting of feelings in religion is inadmissible and should be punished. The conflict between supporters of freedom of speech and the faithful continues. In Russia it won’t stop after adoption of the law. Probably it will protect religious and cultural values from vandalism. However, the law cannot solve problems of tolerance. A lot depends on raising children.
