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Generational Dynamics Web Log for 18-Apr-2011
18-Apr-11 News -- Russia's Muslims vs Christians on the National Emblem and on polygamy

Web Log - April, 2011

18-Apr-11 News -- Russia's Muslims vs Christians on the National Emblem and on polygamy

A sign of increasing Muslim-Orthodox xenophobia

Russia's Muslims vs Christians on the National Emblem and on polygamy

Russia's Chief Mufti, Talgat Tadzhuddin, has requested that the Russian National Emblem be modified to include both a Muslim crescent and a Christian Orthodox cross.

Russia's Chief Mufti, Talgat Tadzhuddin (Ria Novosti)

Russia's Chief Mufti, Talgat Tadzhuddin (Ria Novosti)

"Our ancestry has lived here for ages. We have united into one state by Divine will. So our neighbor is like a brother," says Tadzhuddin, according to Ria Novosti.

Muslims in Russia have long complained about the emblem, which dates back to Czarist times and is thought to contain Christian symbols, according to RFERL in a 2005 article. The current coat of arms was adopted in November 1993, and represents a double-headed eagle with three cross-tipped crowns. A shield on its breast features a horseman slaying a dragon, a figure many identify as St. George.

Russia's national emblem

Russia's national emblem

Thus, Tadzhuddin's request is his attempt to have the emblem represent both of Russia's two major religions equally. According to the CIA Fact Book, Russia's people are 15-20% Orthodox and 10-15% Muslim, with a large non-practicing population, resulting from the Soviet legacy of atheism.

However, Muhammedgali Khuzin, the head of the executive committee of the Russian Association of Islamic Consensus, and another mufti (expert in Muslim law), opposes the idea of modifying the emblem, saying that it would lead to accusations of ecumenism and would increase xenophobia, according to Vestnik Kavkaza (Moscow).

Tadzhuddin is requesting that the crowns on the heads of the double-headed eagle be replaced by the Muslim crescent and the Orthodox cross, respectively, "capped by the crown in the middle," according to Interfax Religion.

The article quotes Orthodox Christian Archpriest Vsevolod Chaplin as saying,

"The Russian state emblem has a history of many centuries and it has stood the test of time. It has not been supplanted by Soviet symbols, which are falling into oblivion at an enormous speed, while the symbols, historically justified, are again finding their due place in Russia's life."

At the same time, Chaplin criticized Mufti Tadzhuddin as backing polygamy, quoting Tadzhuddin as saying, "Four lawfully-wedded wives are better than 40 mistresses. Russian men have 40 mistresses, each."

That would be a good trick. I doubt that any man could survive long with 40 mistresses.

In Malaysia in 1984, Islamic Family Law listed five conditions to be followed by a Muslim wanting more than one wife, according to Pravda. The conditions, some of which were subsequently modified, are:

He must have an appropriate financial situation;

he must ensure that all wives are kept under the same conditions;

existing wife or wives shall not be harmed,

a new marriage shall be "just and necessary",

a new marriage shall not, either directly or indirectly, lower the standard of living of the existing wife and other dependents.

In today's politically correct society, it's easy to forget that polygamy serves a valuable social purpose at times in history when war had killed off many men, leaving many women without partners. In those situations, the only way for most women to receive protection is through polygamous marriages.

This is exactly the situation that obtained in the Arabian peninsula for centuries, where war was a way of life. Many of Mohammed's wives were widows, and there is evidence that many of his marriages were specifically for the protection of the women.

According to the article,

"What do women think of the issue of polygamy? Of course, there are women who are willing to share their husband with other women. There are cases where Russian ladies were not the only wives of Muslims husbands and even converted to Islam. They explained their choice by the fact that all Russian young men were drunks and there were no normal Russian men left, while polygamous marriage, even with an older man of a different confession, gave them hopes to experience a happy family life and raise children."

Vladimir Zhirinovsky, the colorful leader of one of Russia's opposition parties, has repeatedly called for legalization of polygamy in Russia. In 2000 he introduced a bill that allowed men to have up to four wives, with mandatory consent of all existing spouses. The proposal was rejected.

So it seems that both proposals will continue to be rejected. There will be no sanctioned polygamy (though there may still be Russian men with 40 mistresses), and there will be no change to the Russian national emblem.

What will happen is that there will be increasing tension at ecumenical levels between Muslims and Russian Orthodox Christians, and there will be increasing mutual xenophobia and violence between Muslims and Christians at civil levels.

(Comments: For reader comments, questions and discussion, see the 18-Apr-11 News -- Russia's Muslims vs Christians on the National Emblem and on polygamy thread of the Generational Dynamics forum. Comments may be posted anonymously.) (18-Apr-2011) Permanent Link
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Generational Dynamics Web Log for 18-Apr-2011 18-Apr-11 News -- Russia's Muslims vs Christians on the National Emblem and on polygamy

Russia's Muslims vs Christians on the National Emblem and on polygamy

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Generational Dynamics Web Log for 18-Apr-2011
18-Apr-11 News -- Russia's Muslims vs Christians on the National Emblem and on polygamy