In recent days there has been a discussion in the religious studies community about a post written on Facebook on July 10, 2021 by Damir Mukhetdinov, the deputy chairman of the Spiritual Administration of Muslims of Russia (DUM RF). In short, the post is about the construction of hundreds of Orthodox churches in Moscow, but the absence of mosques, and the fact that the main church of the Russian Armed Forces is an Orthodox church (which resembles a pagan shrine, but that is another question), as if only Orthodox believers serve in the Russian army. Let’s quote the relevant part of this post:
«In the news feeds of many Russian Muslims, news has appeared in recent days about the construction of 99 new churches in Moscow over the past 10 years. This news has attracted the attention of the Muslim audience in view of the glaring problem of the lack of mosques in Moscow and in many cities of the Russian state. As we remember, 26 years ago the last plot of land was allocated for the construction of a new mosque in Moscow. But let’s not focus on numbers, they are clear. Numbers are just a consequence of a systemic error rooted at the level of meaning, at the level of language patterns. Have you ever wondered why the Orthodox object built in the «Patriot» park is called the «Main Church of the Armed Forces»? Does the Russian army have a confessional affiliation? Are all servicemen Orthodox? How many different temples of different religions are actually on the balance sheet of the Russian Armed Forces, to highlight one as the main? The word «temple» applies to places of worship of many religions and denominations — both worldwide and those recognized as traditional in Russia. For a Muslim, a mosque is a temple; for a Jew, a synagogue; for a Christian, a church. For Russians as a civil and socio-cultural community, «temples» include cathedrals, mosques, synagogues, and Buddhist temples. By equating the concept of «temple» only with an Orthodox place of worship, we imply that places of worship of other religions are not temples.
Many religious traditions are squeezed out of the general Russian socio-cultural space. A certain part of the Russian population is being told that it is outside the boundaries of society, outside the sphere of its spiritual and cultural values. In words we proclaim unity and integration, but in reality we proceed through alienation and segregation.
One might think that some of our co-religionists would want to say, «Masha Allah, Damir Khoja! You were not afraid to tell the truth to an unjust ruler!» In fact, under modern conditions, even such contributions from a representative of the Muslim elite require a certain courage, which makes them an informative event. Unfortunately, we cannot share this admiration. And not because of Damir Khoja himself, with whom, among other things, the introduction of «Koranic» ideas into certain educational structures and communities of the Spiritual Administration of Muslims of Russia (DUM RF) is associated… In this case, we are talking about political responsibility, because if you simultaneously criticize the policies of the ruler, support him and actively fawn over him, it means one of two things — either you are an idiot yourself, or you think others are idiots.
For example, in 2018, the same leader of DUM RF, Ravil Gainutdin, who regularly raises the issue of discrimination against Muslims in Russia, sang praises in connection with Vladimir Putin’s victory in the presidential elections, congratulating him on the «great support of our people for you and the course you have chosen, and the course you have chosen to lead our country,» and the fact that by voting for Putin, Muslims «have chosen equality for Russia’s traditional religions and constructive dialogue in state-confessional relations, the development of which we have witnessed for many years» (https: //ria. ru/20180320/1516827116.html).
So, did they elect Putin and get equality? As they say, there has never been such a thing, and here we go again…
But it’s not only Ravil Gainutdin who praises Putin at every opportunity, but also Damir Mukhetdinov himself. Just a year ago, he decided to use Putin’s words about «compassion and love» to declare that they «are the foundation of Islam and are in line with the work of the Spiritual Administration of Muslims of Russia (DUM RF)» (https://ria.ru/20200429/1570768345.html).
Honestly, there is no desire to comment on this, but for those who do not understand, or for those who will say that we are nitpicking (and they will, of course), we will have to do so. After all, Russia is not a parliamentary republic, where the figure of the president has symbolic value, but a super-presidential republic, where all power has been concentrated in the hands of one person for the past 20 years.
And when all power is concentrated in the hands of one person, it means that he is responsible for all government policies, including the treatment of different religions. Therefore, the leaders of DUM RF, who consistently support Putin, bear responsibility for his policies, in other words, for the things they later criticize.