The Provisions Against Religious Extremism and Illegal Business Activity as Instruments for Outlawing Religious Minorities in Russia: The Case of the Church of Scientology

This paper, presented at the Kaunas conference Religion(s) and Power(s)of October 5-6, 2017, has been updated with remarks I made at the seminar co-organized by CESNUR at the American University of Central Asia in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, on March 19-20, 2018. Its starting point is that...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Falikov, Boris Zinovʹevič 1947- (Author)
Format: Electronic Article
Language:English
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Published: [2018]
In: The journal of CESNUR
Year: 2018, Volume: 2, Issue: 2, Pages: 101-110
Further subjects:B Scientology
B Extremism in Russia
B New Religious Movements in Russia
B Jehovah’s Witnesses
B Repression of Illegal Business Activity in Russia
Online Access: Volltext (kostenfrei)
Description
Summary:This paper, presented at the Kaunas conference Religion(s) and Power(s)of October 5-6, 2017, has been updated with remarks I made at the seminar co-organized by CESNUR at the American University of Central Asia in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, on March 19-20, 2018. Its starting point is that the policy of discrimination towards religious minority groups is increasing in Russia. It is one of the consequences of the alliance of the Kremlin and the Russian Orthodox Church (ROC), which is a part of the government’s strategy of turning more conservative and isolating Russia from the Western world. The two main legal instruments for outlawing religious minorities are two articles of the Criminal Code: 282 (against extremism) and 171 (against illegal business activity). As the authorities quickly found out, the public fear of religious terrorism, combined with suspicions of illegal enrichment of foreign-based groups, made it quite safe for them to get rid of unwanted religious groups by using these tools. The objections of a small number of defenders of religious freedom inside of Russia, including religious scholars, were dismissed. The indignation such discriminating policy raises abroad only proves to the Kremlin that its is indeed on the right track, making Russia an invincible fortress against the morally corrupted West.
ISSN:2532-2990
Reference:Kommentar in "What Is Really Happening in Russia? (2018)"
Contains:Enthalten in: The journal of CESNUR
Persistent identifiers:DOI: 10.26338/tjoc.2018.2.2.6