Maxim Sokolov called opponents of the Russian coat of arms pigs

The initiative of some Muslim figures of a more or less radical persuasion - to remove Christian symbols from the state emblem of Russia - caused a lot of responses (for an overview of events and responses, see the section "Religion in a Secular Society" ).

Among them, Maxim Sokolov's article "The Mosque of Christ the Savior" in "Izvestia" dated December 8 stands out - it stands out, as is often the case with Sokolov, in the style of presentation. But in this case, the categorical nature of the author's own judgments is also noteworthy.

Sokolov considers criticism of the presence of St. George in the coat of arms possible only from the position of the dragon slain by George, that is, the devil, and directly hints that critics speak from this position.

It is interesting that the outrage is not caused by the abolition of Christian symbols in the coat of arms, but only by talking about this topic. One can condemn the public wishes of some Muslims not to see the cross in the coat of arms and the pigs in the windows, but the expression of wishes as such is a natural right of a person, whoever he may be, and cannot be a basis for insults. Sokolov writes at this place: "Put a certain animal at the table, it and its feet on the table . "

Sokolov rightly believes that Ashirov and Dzhemal's initiative is an example of probing public opinion, and those who disagree with such an initiative should also state their position. However, the position taken by Sokolov himself enters into a literal contradiction with the Constitution: "Russia is not a secular state. Russia is a religiously tolerant state . " Moreover, religious tolerance should not extend "to those who are disgusted by the very image of the cross and the Christian faith itself and who demand to start pushing them away" . Since Ashirov and Dzhemal did not call for discrimination against Christians, "pushing away" should be understood as any demand to reduce the traditional cultural priority of Orthodoxy in Russia. If even the principle of religious tolerance is not extended to all supporters of such a requirement (well, for example, to many atheists), there will be very large-scale discrimination based on beliefs. And it turns out that Maxim Sokolov is now calling for it.

Sources

• Sokolov Maxim. Mosque of Christ the Savior // News. 2005. December 8.