No religion at school

Dear Vladimir Vladimirovich!

Regional public Foundation “Zdravomyslie”, which aims to protect
foundations of a secular society in Russia and the prevention of a split in society along religious lines, asks you to pay attention to the alarming situation that has developed in the education system in the Russian Federation in connection with the introduction of the course “Fundamentals of Religious Cultures and Secular Ethics” (FRCSE) in secondary schools.

This course was introduced by Order of the President of the Russian Federation D.A. Medvedev dated August 2, 2009
Year No. PR-2009, its teaching in all constituent entities of the Russian Federation will begin on September 1, 2012 in accordance with Order No. 69 of January 31, 2012 of the Ministry of Education of the Russian Federation. As part of teaching this course, it is expected to study one of 6 blocks (the foundations of Orthodox culture, the foundations of Islamic culture, the foundations of Buddhist culture, the foundations of Jewish culture, the foundations of world religious cultures, the foundations of secular ethics) in
choice of children or their parents (legal representatives). Teaching the basics of religious cultures will be carried out by teachers of secondary schools who have undergone special training.

We address you as a guarantor of the proper implementation of the Constitution of the Russian Federation and Federal
Laws, as well as the Convention on the Rights of the Child, adopted by resolution 44/25 of the General Assembly of November 20, 1989, with a request to pay close attention to the current situation, since it is a gross violation of all the above laws!

According to Article 28 of the Constitution of the Russian Federation, “Everyone is guaranteed freedom of conscience, freedom of religion, including the right to profess individually or together with others any religion or not to profess any, to freely choose, have and disseminate religious and other beliefs and act in accordance with them.” This means that a person who does not profess any religion cannot be forced to study it or to study any other worldview system (secular ethics). The obligatory nature of this course in secondary schools is a violation of this article of the Constitution.

Mandatory choice of one of the 6 blocks of ORKSE in a secondary school
also violates the Convention on the Rights of the Child, according to Article 14, paragraph 1 of which “States Parties shall respect the child’s right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion,” since it does not imply the possibility of abandoning the course as a whole. The child is placed in conditions of forced initiation into religious culture or secular ethics! According to Article 29, paragraph 2 of the Constitution of the Russian Federation, “...Propaganda or agitation that incite social, racial, national or religious hatred and enmity are not allowed. Propaganda of social, racial, national, religious or linguistic superiority is prohibited...” Please note that Russia is a multi-religious country where not only four religions are professed, classified as separate subjects, but also dozens of others (for example, Protestantism, Catholicism, paganism, shamanism, Hinduism, Confucianism). Given the stated distribution of teaching hours, the four main religions of the course are given much more time than all the others, which is an expression
social and religious superiority of their adherents, in violation of this part of the Constitution.
The very fact that children and parents are forced to make a mandatory choice of one of the blocks of the ORKSE curriculum is a violation of Article 29, paragraph 3 of the Constitution, which states: “No one can be forced to express their opinions and beliefs or to renounce them,” so how, when making a choice, they are forced to express their attitude to issues of religion and worldview!
Let us turn to the articles of the Federal Law on Education. In Article 2, paragraph 2 as
the priority is declared “... Protection and development by the education system of national cultures, regional cultural traditions and characteristics in a multinational state...”. The introduction of a course, the program of which gives an advantage in the development of the four above-mentioned faiths, violates the rights of religious groups whose views will not be represented to the same extent, which infringes on the opportunities for the development of the cultural traditions of the respective national communities!
The introduction of ORKSE also violates Article 9, paragraph 6 of the Federal Law on
education: “The basic general education programs of primary general, basic general and secondary (complete) general education ensure the implementation of the federal state educational standard, taking into account... the educational needs and requests of students, pupils, regional, national and ethnocultural characteristics...”. The advantage in hours that the four above-mentioned religions receive does not take into account the national, regional and ethnocultural characteristics of representatives of other faiths, who should have the right to spend all the teaching hours allocated to ORKSE on
studying your religion.

According to Article 14, paragraph 2 of the Constitution, “Religious associations are separated from
states and equal before the law." Based on this article of the Constitution, financial and organizational support for the dissemination of religious views in a secondary school is illegal, since the school, in fact, acts as a missionary organization supported by the state.
According to the Federal Law on Education, Article 2, paragraph 4, states “... the secular nature of education in state and municipal educational institutions...”. Since five out of six ORKSE subjects involve teaching religion, this article of the Law is being violated!
Dear Vladimir Vladimirovich! In light of the above situation, we urge you
pay close attention to the current situation, since inaction could result in a tragedy on a national scale. In addition to the fact that the introduction of the subject ORKSE in a secondary school is a violation of a number of articles of the Constitution and Federal laws and can lead to the incitement of interethnic, racial, social and interfaith hatred, there is another, less obvious danger: an increase in mental stress in children placed in conditions of increased interfaith struggle.

There is also concern about the increased risk of conflict situations in the family associated with differences in the family and school education of value systems, when a child who has mastered the school curriculum well may be reprimanded in his own family for the “wrong” understanding of good and evil. According to the psychologists we interviewed, such disorientation in the system of moral guidelines can cause the early development of mental pathologies.

Based on all of the above, we, the Public Foundation "Zdravomyslie"
and all citizens of the Russian Federation who have signed this Appeal, we consider it appropriate to contact you with a proposal to cancel the Instruction of President D.A. Medvedev dated August 2, 2009 PR-2009 on the introduction of the subject ORKSE in secondary schools and all the regulatory norms that followed this Instruction legal acts on the basis of Article 55, paragraph 2 of the Constitution, which states: “In the Russian Federation, laws should not be issued that abolish or diminish the rights and freedoms of man and citizen.”

In addition, realizing that carrying out such a large-scale attack on
The constitutional rights and freedoms of the citizens of our multi-religious country could not be realized without the active participation of a large and organized group of interested parties, we urge you to initiate a thorough investigation aimed at identifying this group or organization. If one is identified, we consider it appropriate to refer to Article 13, paragraph 5 of the Constitution of the Russian Federation, which states: “The creation and activities of public associations are prohibited, the goals or actions of which are aimed at forcibly changing the foundations of the constitutional system and violating the integrity of the Russian Federation, undermining
state security, the creation of armed formations, inciting social, racial, national and religious hatred” and demand prosecution and punishment of those responsible in the manner prescribed by the legislation of the Russian Federation.

We hope for your fair intervention and restoration of our violated
rights and freedoms guaranteed by the Constitution of the Russian Federation.

Sincerely, the undersigned