The opening of the so-called Main Cathedral of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation in the «Patriot» Park near Moscow in the form of a large Orthodox church, which will probably contain images of Stalin and Putin, is scheduled for May 9, 2020. This event will be dedicated to the 75th anniversary of the Victory in World War Two (1941-1945).
Apparently, against the backdrop of such a clear monopolization by the Russian Orthodox Church (especially with the full support of the state) of what is supposed to be a nationwide celebration (not to mention the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation themselves), the Spiritual Administration of Muslims of Russia (SAM R) has decided to join the fight for its symbols and meanings.
The first deputy chairman of SAM R, Damir Mukhetdinov, unveiled on his Facebook page what appears to be a Russian Muslim equivalent of the St. George ribbon. The description and meaning of the symbol can be found at the following link: https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=3040622695983544&set=a.456617151050791&type=3&theater
In addition, the SAM R website announced plans to hold an online conference on May 8 entitled «The Unity of Peoples and Religious Communities in the Name of Protecting the Homeland and Its Freedom,» which will be dedicated to the anniversary of the Victory in World War Two. The goal of the conference, as reported, is «to update the religious interpretation of feelings of citizenship, patriotism and duty to the motherland; to familiarize the broad public with the latest research in the field of participation of believers in general and Soviet Muslims in particular in the defense of the Motherland; to pass on the memory of the events of 1941-1945 to the young generation of citizens of the CIS countries.»
Interestingly, all this is happening against the backdrop of protests against the opening of the aforementioned Main Cathedral of the Russian Armed Forces in its current form. Who do you think is protesting? The SAM R or other Muslim officials who are outraged by the violation of the principles of a secular state and the equality of all religions, and by the transformation of a church of one religion into a church of the armed forces of a multi-denominational state? Unfortunately, no — it is representatives of the Russian Orthodox Church (ROC) in high positions who are protesting because they are displeased that the Church may not be sufficiently Orthodox or pseudo-Orthodox. Archpriest Nikolai Balashov, deputy chairman of the ROC’s Department for External Church Relations, spoke out against the opening and consecration of the church in its current form. He wrote on his blog, «May God save us from the consecration of an Orthodox church with the image of a murderer, a persecutor of the Church, whose hands are stained with the blood of saints. I pray that this will not happen».
Thus we see that even at a time when the ROC is being showered with gifts that confirm its privileged position in the state, there are people at the highest level who are not thinking about this or about glorifying the great victory and serving the state, but about persecutions against their religion and its servants. Meanwhile, Muslim leaders, who are still being watched by the security services and who themselves talk about how the current repressions against Muslims are essentially similar to the Stalinist ones (https://golosislama.com/news.php?id=38434), are concerned with proving the contribution of Muslims to this victory, which the rulers of this state are deeply indifferent to.
But perhaps, for the sake of balance, we should discuss not only the contribution of Muslims to the victory of this state, but also their position within it and what they gained from this victory. We should also talk not only about the «duty to the homeland» of the believers, but also about the duty of the homeland itself, or rather the state acting in its name, towards these believers. And also the conditions under which one party can demand the fulfillment of a duty from the other.
Otherwise, we will not understand why Muslims gave their lives for a state in which, both before and after, they were confronted with atheism, and believers had to either hide their faith or live in religious ghettos under the strict control of the KGB. Nor will we understand why Muslim leaders, educated under the auspices of the KGB, now call on Muslims to serve this state, including in its army, while it builds a main cathedral for the Orthodox Church.