At the end of last week, some resources of religious studies announced the turn of the Russian Orthodox Church towards Islam, that is, towards dialogue and partnership with it. Some resources of Russian Muslim believers also rushed to write about it. The basis for such assessments was the meeting of the Supreme Council of the Russian Orthodox Church held on March 26, during which its leader, Patriarch Kirill (Gundyayev), made a statement on this issue. Here is a quote from his address:
«For many decades the Russian Orthodox Church has been actively involved in interreligious dialogue, and dialogue with the Islamic world remains one of the most important directions of this work. We stand in solidarity with representatives of Islam on many issues, especially those related to the protection of traditional values, including family values, strengthening the principles of mercy and justice in society. Sometimes, however, it seems that all the right words have been said, all the declarations have been adopted, and the question arises: what comes next? For this reason, it is necessary to constantly monitor what is happening in the field of the Church’s relations with Islam and to make adjustments in this direction, if necessary, by giving new content to our relations. As long as people act on the basis of religious motivation, our enemies who do not share religious beliefs will try to use naturally existing differences to stimulate deeper divisions. But faith should give people the power to create, as it has for millennia. Therefore, we have great potential — by «we» I mean religious people — to strengthen the system of cooperation and interaction that already exists and should grow stronger despite the differences in our traditions. We must be friendly and open to communication with our interlocutors, not only in interreligious forums. In the face of increasing challenges from the secular world, it is important to strengthen our solidarity in defending the right to profess and live our faith. The content may vary, but the framework itself is acceptable to all traditional religions — I think we should work within that framework. The development of relations with the Islamic world is particularly important today because attempts to impose false values, especially in the family, are a common challenge for us and for them. We have many topics for joint work, and we should take advantage of the common interests arising from the social, political and cultural context in which we all find ourselves today. Therefore, it is necessary to develop interaction with Islam both within the canonical territory of the Russian Orthodox Church and throughout the world. We have created an Expert Council for Interaction with Islam, and I hope that today we will be able to discuss in more detail everything related to our relations with the world of Islam.»
In the conditions when Muslims, both worldwide and in Russia, are facing ideological aggression from so-called «progressive forces,» including feminists, gender fundamentalists, the LGBT community, etc., some of our fellow believers have been tempted to take these calls for an alliance in the struggle against common challenges at face value. This is understandable — the challenges are indeed common not only to Muslims and Orthodox Christians, but also to Muslims and Christians, and not only to Muslims, Christians, and Jews, but to all people committed to the principles and values rooted in these and many other religions, but also inherent in non-religious or weakly religious people who are considered conservative. And the challenges are indeed serious, and the opponent is strong and dangerous, which is why it would be more convenient to confront them together on these issues. Therefore, before specifically evaluating this call by Gundyayev and similar calls that are sometimes voiced within the Russian Orthodox Church, it is important to mention something valuable.
Of course, despite insurmountable religious differences, followers of Christianity in general, and Orthodoxy in particular, residing on the territory of the Russian Federation have been, are, and will be (Allah knows better) the most important neighbors and natural allies of Muslims in defending the common values challenged by aggressive progressivism, sometimes disguised as liberalism.
However, in discussing with whom and under what conditions this alliance can or cannot be established, one important thing should be understood. The fact that Muslims will have to deal with Orthodox Christians, and that an alliance with them in certain matters is possible and desirable, does not mean that such an alliance is desirable or necessary with a particular religious-political body speaking in their name — the Russian Orthodox Church (ROC), and especially with its present establishment. And before we return to the question with whom among the Orthodox and under what conditions such an alliance is possible, let us remind our naive fellow believers of an important fact.
Certainly, despite their religious differences, the followers of Christianity in general and Orthodoxy in particular have been, are, and in the foreseeable future (Allah knows better) will be the most important neighbors and the most natural allies of Muslims on the territory of the Russian Federation in the defense of those common values that are under attack by aggressive progressivism, sometimes disguised as liberalism.
However, in considering the possibility and conditions for such an alliance, an important nuance should be understood. The fact that Muslims will have to deal with Orthodox Christians, and that an alliance with them on certain issues is possible and desirable, does not mean that such an alliance is desirable or necessary with a particular religious-political body speaking on their behalf — the Russian Orthodox Church (ROC), and especially with its current establishment. And before we return to the question with whom among the Orthodox and under what conditions such an alliance is possible, let us remind our naive fellow believers of an important fact.
By its policy of these years, the leadership of the ROC has made its enemies not only thinking Muslims, not only Christians who are subjected to religious persecution on its initiative, and not only the secular part of Russian society, but also a significant part of the Orthodox themselves. Today, when oppressed Muslims objectively find themselves in such company, they have the opportunity to take a closer look and understand with whom, against whom, and about what they should engage in dialogue and negotiations. It becomes clear that neither the present leadership of the ROC nor the ROC itself in its present form is the only option for Muslims to engage in dialogue and interaction with the Orthodox, with whom we cannot avoid coexistence.
If in previous years, when the ROC acted from a position of strength, it actively pursued a policy of separating inconvenient Muslims from convenient ones, today we are objectively in a historical situation where Muslims can do the same with Orthodox, choosing acceptable allies and rejecting unacceptable ones. Therefore, in the struggle for the right of Muslims to live as much as possible according to their values and rules in a multi-confessional country and a secular state, we are certainly interested in an alliance with representatives of other religions who are fighting for the same, starting with the Orthodox. However, in principle, there can be no alliance with those who see a threat in us living according to our rules and values, who prevent us from doing so, and who seek to establish their domination over us. So, thank you, Gundyayev, but no.