By Vestnik Kavkaza
According to recent public opinion polls, Russians have become more tolerant toward foreigners from neighboring countries in the context of the tragic events in Ukraine. A public opinion poll conducted by Levada-Center in August indicates that the popularity of nationalist mottos in Russia has decreased, and the majority of Russian citizens do not feel hostility toward migrants. Public attention shifted from inter-ethnic conflicts to the situation in Ukrainian Donbass. Experts believe that when the population’s trust in the authorities is high, it is time to provide effective measures in inter-ethnic policy, touching on relations not only between Russians and migrants, but also between Russian citizens of different nationalities and religions.
On August 26th a session of the Commission for Harmonization of Inter-ethnic and Inter-confessional Relations took place in the Public Chamber of Russia. Special attention was paid to ethnic-religious threats in the Volga region. According to Iosif Diskin, the head of the Commission, in the Volga region almost all nationalities and cultures of Russia are represented. “The region is a magnifying glass of the problems which appear in Russia. Today in several regions of the Volga region fundamentalist Islam is prospering. And we have to take serious efforts to resist it,” Diskin thinks. He is sure that the war should be conducted not only on the level of law-enforcement agencies, but also for the hearts and minds of young people. One of the main tasks of public chambers in Russian regions, according to Diskin, is detailed monitoring of inter-ethnic and inter-religious disputes, not conflicts, and preventive measures: “It is not successful everywhere, but in terms of scale, it is not a forest fire, but a small smouldering peat-bog.”
Iskhak Mashbash, a member of the Public Chamber of Adygea, the head of the Union of Writers of Adygea, sadly concludes that centuries-long traditions of education are being broken even in the North Caucasus. Young people misbehave and forget or don’t know their national traditions. “Previously the word “an Adyg” or “a Chechen” was a law for us. Unfortunately, today it is not so,” Iskhak Mashbash said.
Boris Lukachev, the head of the Department for Working with the Faithful Soldiers of the Russian Armed Forces of the Defense Ministry, thinks that the Russian army can contribute to improvement of inter-ethnic and inter-religious relations. “Everything that is happening in society is reflected in the army. People of religions and nationalities who live in our country come to serve in the army. Considering the fact that these people hold weapons, this situation should be taken into account. Previously there was a motto: the nation and the army are united! The motto is topical today, and the army has a certain positive potential. We stimulate our clergy staff to cooperate with local social organizations and religious organizations in theu interest of settlement of our internal problems. But military units also have potential to influence the places of their deployment. If we can build these relations and cooperation, it will be positive both for the army and for the local population,” Boris Lukachev is sure.
Alexander Pelin, a member of the Public Chamber of Russia, thinks that people who are responsible for inter-ethnic relations in regions need support of their experience colleagues from the federal center. “We should do our best to help local leaders and ministries to cope with difficult situations, if even small conflicts appear in the sphere. In fact, unfortunately, local authorities don’t know what to do in such situations,” Alexander Pelin says.
