So, the circus called elections is approaching and it would be wrong for us to ignore this event completely. Therefore, we must express our opinion. The only thing is that it should be made clear from the beginning that in this case we are not only talking about participation in the festivities, but also about a clear call for political mobilization of Muslims in Russia, because it is not appropriate to talk about all this as a real political event. Therefore, this is more of an expression of our position, which some may follow and others may not.
Let’s start, of course, with our position on the participation of Muslims in a non-Islamic political system. In this regard, we follow the views of modern scholars who consider it acceptable for the purpose of representing the interests of Islam and Muslims and achieving their goals, rather than accepting this system as our own.
However, when it comes to Russia, it is not serious to talk about real competitive elections. Today, not only Muslims are deprived of the possibility of public mobilization to represent their interests, but also other active and independent forces in Russian society are crushed and deprived of such opportunities.
Based on this understanding, i.e. the fact that the authorities are holding these elections for their own benefit, there are two reactions — boycott and so-called «smart voting». As for the first option, it is understandable not to participate in this farce, but the problem with this position is that the effect of this approach is zero. Moreover, as polls show, there will be a high turnout in these elections, so by not participating you will not change anything — you will simply miss the opportunity to have any influence.
As for the so-called «smart voting», i.e. the call to vote for one of the parties already present in the State Duma other than United Russia, such as the Communist Party, the LDPR, or A Just Russia, or for any candidate who seems to be the strongest in single-member districts other than the candidate of the ruling party, there are two problems with it.
The first problem is how smart it will be, even if the goal is to damage the authorities at any cost. After all, the authorities are not only «United Russia» — all these parties have served and will continue to serve them. And despite the fact that they have sincere and prominent opposition members, the leadership of these parties is under the control of the Kremlin and will continue to work for it. The second problem is that the position of «anyone but the ruling party» does not suit us as Muslims, because the permissibility and necessity for us to participate in such elections can be justified precisely for the benefit of Islam and Muslims.
Therefore, if we are talking about voting in single-member districts, our approach can be as follows: for the strongest opposition candidate, unless he is an obvious Islamophobe. But if there is a genuinely pro-Islamic candidate running, then for him. As for voting on the basis of party lists, none of the parties present in the State Duma can serve this purpose, and therefore it is not advisable to vote for them.
Among the non-parliamentary parties associated with Muslim aspirations, two should be mentioned. Let’s start with the one that has a long history of representing the interests of Muslims in several regions — «Yabloko».
Overall, for Muslims, the positive aspects of «Yabloko» should be noted that it consistently supports religious freedom, opposes the promotion of Orthodoxy over other religions in the country, opposes chauvinism in general, opposes aggressive foreign policy and repression, supports the rule of law, federalism, and local self-government, and supports political freedoms. These are important things, so in the absence of other alternatives it would be most reasonable to vote for them. And it is understandable that some people might do so out of inertia, considering that in some regions observant Muslims will run under «Yabloko».
However, there is one big disadvantage for Muslims in «Yabloko,» about which we have written several times. And it is not even the presence in it of outright Islamophobes like Mitrokhin (https://golosislama.com/news.php?id=30050), which in a non-Muslim country should be perceived more as an inevitability. The problem is more serious, and it lies in the fact that «Yabloko» as a whole is a party of the Russian-speaking liberal intelligentsia, which, to put it as politically correct as possible, is a party of the Judeo-Christian hegemony of civilization. Therefore, this party will promote both anti-Islamic policies in foreign policy (against Palestine for Israel, against Turkey for Armenia, etc.) and anti-Islamic values in domestic policy — feminism, LGBT, etc.
In this context, we cannot ignore the emergence of a new choice on the political horizon — the Russian Party of Freedom and Justice (RPSJ), led by Maxim Shevchenko, who is taking part in these elections, and on the federal (not just regional) list Ruslan Kurbanov from the Caucasus and Damir Iskhakov from Tatarstan will run.
To be honest, for many of our readers, Maxim Shevchenko’s activities have long caused mixed feelings. On the one hand, he has always defended the rights of Russian Muslims, their persecuted representatives and groups, and was friends with Heydar and Orkhan Jemal. There were even rumors that he had converted to Islam, although he denied it, positioning himself as a friend of Muslims, not a Muslim (we need friends, too). On the other hand, of course, many remember his support for the Assad regime and the Shiite axis in their war against the Sunni Syrians in unison with the Russian authorities, whom he supported against the «liberals» at the time. Then there was Shevchenko’s romance with the Communist Party and his praise of Stalin, which is certainly unacceptable to Muslims, no matter how it is explained.
Recently, however, Shevchenko has noticeably changed his position: first, with regard to the authorities, supporting protests against them and showing solidarity with the victims of their repression, such as Navalny and other «liberals» whom he opposed in the past; second, with regard to the Communist Party, with which he has severed ties and accused it of serving the authorities, which is absolutely true.
But by moving into sharp opposition to the authorities and aligning himself with Navalny and company, while at the same time criticizing the liberals and outlining the position of a potential «third force,» Shevchenko coincides with the approach we have been writing about for many years. Moreover, it is important to note that unlike Moscow-centered liberals with their Islamophobic sentiments, he consistently attracts representatives of Russia’s regions and indigenous peoples, including Muslims, not just in obscure positions like «Yabloko,» but in prominent roles.
However, it is unlikely that this party should be idealized. Even if we assume that Shevchenko’s own approach has really developed, which we would like to believe, and given the fact that this party was created on the basis of a spoiler party (KPSU) that was clearly bought, renamed and given to him for the elections, it raises doubts that it is just a political technology project. Well, it is quite possible, but to create a transparent party from scratch and lead it to the elections under the current system is not possible, and avoiding participation in the elections does not bring anything, especially considering the fact that the attitude towards them as a circus is generally fair. In such a situation, voting for this very party can be seen as a kind of training — exercises before future real battles. Thus, our potential future opponents, whether liberals, communists, nationalists, who are not able to create their own fully-fledged political armies now and understand that they will have to create them in the future, are also training and gaining experience in such «toy armies» as the Communist Party, LDPR, «Yabloko», «New People», etc..
Therefore, politically thinking Muslims in Russia have nothing to lose and may even gain by voting for the party that corresponds to their interests and aspirations to a greater extent than the other parties allowed in this circus — the Russian Party of Freedom and Justice.