Orthodox Christians are outraged by N. Ashirov’s statements regarding the teaching of the military-industrial complex in Cuba

Co-Chairman of the Council of Muftis of Russia Nafigulla Ashirov opposed the teaching of "Fundamentals of Orthodox Culture" in Cuba. This subject began to be taught there at the school at the embassy of the Russian Federation, at the request of the parents of the children studying there.

The Mufti considered the desire of the parents as insufficient grounds for the introduction of the OPK. "The decision of the parent meeting cannot go against the Constitution. If tomorrow parents want their children to study Mein Kampf, will it be legal, and the school principal will be obliged to follow their lead? There are state norms!", - said N. Ashirov. In his opinion, the teaching of the OPK in Cuba is "one of the manifestations of creeping Christianization, which is being carried out today in defiance of the constitutional principle of the separation of church and state."

The representative of the Moscow Patriarchate in Cuba and the Dominican Republic, Hieromonk Mercury (Gorbov), expressed surprise at such a reaction from the mufti. Father Mercury wished N. Ashirov to have more respect for the religion of Scripture, "as the Prophet Muhammad taught, and to be less interested in Nazi literature." In addition, the priest expressed his readiness "to give everyone who wishes a few lectures on the state of affairs in Russian Islam, with particular emphasis on the problem of self-proclaimed muftis, who speak on behalf of all Russian Muslims with enviable regularity." At the same time, the representative of the Russian Orthodox Church referred to R. Silantiev's book "The Recent History of the Islamic Community of Russia", which provoked sharp criticism from Muslims.

The deputy head of the Department for External Church Relations of the Moscow Patriarchate, Bishop Mark (Golovkov) of Yegoryevsk, considered N. Ashirov's statement "tendentious and biased." "Instead of effectively cooperating with the Russian Orthodox Church and pushing for the teaching of the Fundamentals of Islamic Culture in regions dominated by Muslims, individual members of the Muslim clergy are taking a 'dog in the manger' position," said Bishop Mark.

N. Ashirov was criticized by Deacon Andrey Kuraev. "Putting Mein Kampf and the Gospel on the same level means being rude," he said. The deacon called the accusations of the Russian Orthodox Church strange that it lobbies its interests, "because, generally speaking, defending one's interests is the vocation of any group of people, any person." A. Kuraev did not agree with the fact that the Russian Orthodox Church is a "narrow national denomination." "It's just that the Tatars themselves did everything in their power not to recognize the existence of the Kryashens. Let me remind you that in Tatarstan they blocked the very presence of a count with the possibility of such a response in the last Russian population census," the clergyman said. The deacon doubted that there were many Muslims in the Russian diplomatic corps in Cuba: "If their interests are affected, I think that they have the opportunity to defend their rights."

Representatives of the Orthodox youth movement "Georgiyevtsy" expressed indignation at N. Ashirov's "openly slanderous and anti-Christian statements". They said that the mufti had humiliated "the dignity of the world's most widespread religion." "Ashirov's categorical statements, his inappropriate comparisons of the Holy Scriptures with the book "Mein Kampf" discredit the Council of Muftis of Russia and undermine the foundations of the centuries-old friendship of the Orthodox and Muslim peoples of Russia," the Georgievtsev statement says.

was published On February 22, a joint statement by the Union of Orthodox Citizens, the Club of Orthodox Journalists, the Radonezh Society, the Byzantine Club "Katehon", the Orthodox Political Science Club "Third Rome" and the Club of Orthodox Political Journalists of St. Hermogenes. The authors of the document called N. Ashirov's statements a "verbal terrorist act" and called on law enforcement agencies "not to limit themselves to warning Ashirov about the inadmissibility of apologetics for terrorist organizations, but to take more effective measures against him."

“We demand,” the document says, “an apology from the Council of Muftis for Ashirov’s provocative inflammatory statements and their immediate denunciation. Interreligious Council of Russia and the Interreligious Council of the CIS.

We consider the fight against the legal rights of the Orthodox majority of Russian citizens, including the right to study the "Fundamentals of Orthodox Culture" within the framework of the federal educational component, the incitement of interethnic and interreligious hatred, a threat to Russia's sovereignty. On the eve of the elections to the State Duma of Russia, we call on the main political forces to demand the introduction of the "Fundamentals of Orthodox Culture" into the federal educational component."

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