A resident of Samara filed a lawsuit against a mosque, an Orthodox church and a church for refusing to marry his Orthodox son to a Muslim woman.

On May 2, the Oktyabrsky Court of Samara refused to satisfy the claim of an unemployed resident of the city, Alexander Prokhorov, against the Samara mosque, the Orthodox Church of St. Cyril and Methodius and the Catholic Church of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. They refused to marry the Orthodox son of A. Prokhorov with a Muslim girl, after which the plaintiff accused religious organizations of discrimination against dissident citizens on religious grounds. In his opinion, by refusing to perform the wedding, representatives of various faiths violated his son's right to freedom of religion. At the same time, A. Prokhorov referred to the Declaration of Human Rights.

The court session was attended by representatives of all three temples. The plaintiff demanded that the court "stop the actions of the defendants who prevent the wedding of an Orthodox and a Muslim woman." “What is the point of my son being friends with a Muslim woman if you (religious organizations - approx.) only create obstacles for those who want to start a family, and sow enmity between peoples,” A. Prokhorov said. “Religious organizations dragged their wild customs into our world , criminal, not obeying the laws."

The representative of the Samara mosque Mirakhmed Sagirov, referring to the separation of the Church from the state, said that the court could not oblige the priest to perform the sacrament, and also recalled that the marriage of people of different faiths can be held in the registry office.

The vicar of the Catholic church in Samara, who was called to the court as a witness, noted that neither the plaintiff's son nor his fiancee had anything to do with Catholicism. The representative of the Samara diocese drew attention to the fact that cases concerning the internal regulations of religious organizations cannot be considered in a civil court.

As a result, the judge issued a verdict: to refuse to satisfy Alexander Prokhorov's claim "on legal grounds." The plaintiff announced his intention to appeal to the regional court, and if his claim is not satisfied there, then to the European Court of Human Rights.

Sources

• The Samara court did not satisfy the claim of the Orthodox to the mosque, temple and church, which denied him a wedding with a Muslim woman // Portal-Credo.ru. 2005. May 9. (with reference to Kommersant-Samara)