Russian Lawyer's Call for Shari'ah Courts Met With Condemnation
Interfax - 4.25.12 - JRL 2012-77
Head of the Presidential Council for Promoting the Development of the Institutions of a Civil Society and Human Rights Mikhail Fedotov has said that Shari'ah courts are unacceptable in Russia, Russian Interfax news agency reported on 25 April.
file photo"In a modern state ruled by the law parallel judicial structures are unacceptable. This undermines the foundation of the rule of law," Fedotov told Interfax on 25 April.
Speaking to one of the federal TV channels the day before, Khasavov said that Russia's Muslims do not want to go to secular courts, and therefore should use Shari'ah courts. Otherwise, he believes, all this could end in considerable bloodshed.
"An attempt to impose Shari'ah courts is only possible theocratic states. Our state is secular, thank God," Fedotov said. "Only a madman who wants to stir up inter-faith hatred can threaten bloodshed," Fedotov said.
He added said that Shari'ah courts can be set up in Russia only as courts of arbitration to settle matters out of court.
Khasavov's statements that Russian citizens, including Muslims, do not trust the country's current judicial system are not true, spokesman of the Supreme Court of Russia Pavel Odintsov told Interfax on 25 April.
"Khasavov's statements that our citizens, including the Muslims, totally distrust the country's judicial system are absolutely groundless and untrue," Odintsov said.
"In general, a lawyer should be more careful with his public statements," Odintsov added.
Muslim spiritual leaders do not support Khasavov's idea to set up Shari'ah courts in Russia, Interfax reported.
"Under the constitution, religion in Russia is separated from the state. Our country has its own judicial system, and the Muslims use it as equal citizens of Russia," head of the Central Spiritual Board of Muslims of Russia Talgat Tadzhuddin told Interfax-Religion on 25 April.
According to him, councils of muftis already facilitate dispute resolution in religious, family and inheritance matters, because in the Shari'ah law these matters are viewed differently.
The mufti said that in today's Russia the Muslims can practice their religion freely, "and this is incomparable with what was 30 or 40 years ago".
Head of the Moscow Council of Muftis (Russ: Muftiyat) Albir Krganov said that Shari'ah courts are appropriate in religious states such as Iran, Saudi Arabia and Qatar.
"Russia, however, is a secular state, and here our ancestor theologians long ago found ways to combine the religious and secular legal systems," Krganov told Interfax-Religion.
The head of the Moscow Council of Muftis said that many Russians are "very negative" about Shari'ah courts. "We all remember how in the Caucasus people were publicly executed in the name of religion," he said.
Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov condemned Khasavov's statement as provocative, Interfax reported on 25 April.
"We are extremely surprised and, to be honest, extremely outraged by Khasavov's provocative statements. We have no doubt that they had been instigated by somebody," Kadyrov said.
He said that Khasavov "is not an expert on Shari'ah law and does not know what Shari'ah law and Shari'ah courts are. So his comments can only be described as populist and having no theoretical or practical base."
"This is a poorly disguised attempt to present Islam in a negative light and unleash a torrent of criticism and even hatred towards Islam and Muslims in Russia," Kadyrov said.
He stressed that "in Russia there are absolutely no restrictions for Muslims".
"Khasavov has nothing to do with this subject, because he has no idea what Shari'ah law and Shari'ah legal proceedings are. His goal was to draw attention to himself," Kadyrov said.
"Khasavov's statements have nothing to do with the opinion of the Chechen people, the republic's leaders and clergy," he said, adding that "the law-enforcement agencies would do well to check if Khasavov's extremist statements violate the criminal code".
"A secular lawyer should mind his own business and not try to gain publicity on things that are holy for the Muslims," the head of Chechnya said.
The Muslims must not be prohibited from setting up Shari'ah courts, head of the Synod Department for Church and Society Relations Archpriest Vsevolod Chaplin told radio Ekho Moskvy.
"If believers voluntarily go to religious courts, they should have the right to have their family relationships and other issues considered in accordance with religious rules," he said.
Chaplin added that at the same time no principles or laws must be asserted by threat. Chaplin stressed that this was what he did not like in Khasavov's statement.
"I consider threats of illegitimate use of force issued by a lawyer unacceptable," head of the Synod Department for Church and Society Relations Archpriest Vsevolod Chaplin told Interfax-Religion.
In his view, the social rules and religious laws of a community must not be imposed by force, "especially if it's not clear from what was said by Khasavov whether he approves the enforcement of the Shari'ah law only for the members of his community, i.e. for the Muslims, or for other people as well". "It is fundamentally wrong to apply the norms of religious law to those who do not belong to your religious community," the priest said.
Chaplin believes that supporters of secular courts do not have a monopoly on justice, and they should understand this. "It is not for nothing that the Russian Empire had church and Muslim courts. Largely due to this we had no religious wars. Everyone lived according to certain rules within their communities. But one should not go beyond these limits, all the more so by threatening to use force," the priest said.
He said he was confident that Khasavov's statements would not violate inter-faith or inter-ethnic peace in Russia.
Head of the Synod Information Department Vladimir Legoyda said that all calls to violence were unacceptable, especially those justified by religious reasons. "We know that representatives of all traditional religions of Russia for centuries have lived together in peace. We have the unique experience of good neighbourly relations between the Orthodox Christians and the Muslims - the experience which is now extremely important for Europe and other countries now," Legoyda told Interfax -Religion.
The Yabloko party is planning to appeal to the Prosecutor's Office over Khasavov's statements. Yabloko leader Sergey Mitrokhin told radio Ekho Moskvy that people who make such statements must bear full responsibility before the law.
Mitrokhin said he believed this statement violated two articles of the criminal code, at least: calls for extremist activities and actions which incite religious hatred. "Calls for establishing the Shari'ah law and threats of violence in this regard are calls for undermining the state order. There are absolutely all signs of extremism in the normal sense of the word," he said.
Keywords: Russia, Law - Russia, Religion - Russian News - Russia
Head of the Presidential Council for Promoting the Development of the Institutions of a Civil Society and Human Rights Mikhail Fedotov has said that Shari'ah courts are unacceptable in Russia, Russian Interfax news agency reported on 25 April.
file photo"In a modern state ruled by the law parallel judicial structures are unacceptable. This undermines the foundation of the rule of law," Fedotov told Interfax on 25 April.
Speaking to one of the federal TV channels the day before, Khasavov said that Russia's Muslims do not want to go to secular courts, and therefore should use Shari'ah courts. Otherwise, he believes, all this could end in considerable bloodshed.
"An attempt to impose Shari'ah courts is only possible theocratic states. Our state is secular, thank God," Fedotov said. "Only a madman who wants to stir up inter-faith hatred can threaten bloodshed," Fedotov said.
He added said that Shari'ah courts can be set up in Russia only as courts of arbitration to settle matters out of court.
Khasavov's statements that Russian citizens, including Muslims, do not trust the country's current judicial system are not true, spokesman of the Supreme Court of Russia Pavel Odintsov told Interfax on 25 April.
"Khasavov's statements that our citizens, including the Muslims, totally distrust the country's judicial system are absolutely groundless and untrue," Odintsov said.
"In general, a lawyer should be more careful with his public statements," Odintsov added.
Muslim spiritual leaders do not support Khasavov's idea to set up Shari'ah courts in Russia, Interfax reported.
"Under the constitution, religion in Russia is separated from the state. Our country has its own judicial system, and the Muslims use it as equal citizens of Russia," head of the Central Spiritual Board of Muslims of Russia Talgat Tadzhuddin told Interfax-Religion on 25 April.
According to him, councils of muftis already facilitate dispute resolution in religious, family and inheritance matters, because in the Shari'ah law these matters are viewed differently.
The mufti said that in today's Russia the Muslims can practice their religion freely, "and this is incomparable with what was 30 or 40 years ago".
Head of the Moscow Council of Muftis (Russ: Muftiyat) Albir Krganov said that Shari'ah courts are appropriate in religious states such as Iran, Saudi Arabia and Qatar.
"Russia, however, is a secular state, and here our ancestor theologians long ago found ways to combine the religious and secular legal systems," Krganov told Interfax-Religion.
The head of the Moscow Council of Muftis said that many Russians are "very negative" about Shari'ah courts. "We all remember how in the Caucasus people were publicly executed in the name of religion," he said.
Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov condemned Khasavov's statement as provocative, Interfax reported on 25 April.
"We are extremely surprised and, to be honest, extremely outraged by Khasavov's provocative statements. We have no doubt that they had been instigated by somebody," Kadyrov said.
He said that Khasavov "is not an expert on Shari'ah law and does not know what Shari'ah law and Shari'ah courts are. So his comments can only be described as populist and having no theoretical or practical base."
"This is a poorly disguised attempt to present Islam in a negative light and unleash a torrent of criticism and even hatred towards Islam and Muslims in Russia," Kadyrov said.
He stressed that "in Russia there are absolutely no restrictions for Muslims".
"Khasavov has nothing to do with this subject, because he has no idea what Shari'ah law and Shari'ah legal proceedings are. His goal was to draw attention to himself," Kadyrov said.
"Khasavov's statements have nothing to do with the opinion of the Chechen people, the republic's leaders and clergy," he said, adding that "the law-enforcement agencies would do well to check if Khasavov's extremist statements violate the criminal code".
"A secular lawyer should mind his own business and not try to gain publicity on things that are holy for the Muslims," the head of Chechnya said.
The Muslims must not be prohibited from setting up Shari'ah courts, head of the Synod Department for Church and Society Relations Archpriest Vsevolod Chaplin told radio Ekho Moskvy.
"If believers voluntarily go to religious courts, they should have the right to have their family relationships and other issues considered in accordance with religious rules," he said.
Chaplin added that at the same time no principles or laws must be asserted by threat. Chaplin stressed that this was what he did not like in Khasavov's statement.
"I consider threats of illegitimate use of force issued by a lawyer unacceptable," head of the Synod Department for Church and Society Relations Archpriest Vsevolod Chaplin told Interfax-Religion.
In his view, the social rules and religious laws of a community must not be imposed by force, "especially if it's not clear from what was said by Khasavov whether he approves the enforcement of the Shari'ah law only for the members of his community, i.e. for the Muslims, or for other people as well". "It is fundamentally wrong to apply the norms of religious law to those who do not belong to your religious community," the priest said.
Chaplin believes that supporters of secular courts do not have a monopoly on justice, and they should understand this. "It is not for nothing that the Russian Empire had church and Muslim courts. Largely due to this we had no religious wars. Everyone lived according to certain rules within their communities. But one should not go beyond these limits, all the more so by threatening to use force," the priest said.
He said he was confident that Khasavov's statements would not violate inter-faith or inter-ethnic peace in Russia.
Head of the Synod Information Department Vladimir Legoyda said that all calls to violence were unacceptable, especially those justified by religious reasons. "We know that representatives of all traditional religions of Russia for centuries have lived together in peace. We have the unique experience of good neighbourly relations between the Orthodox Christians and the Muslims - the experience which is now extremely important for Europe and other countries now," Legoyda told Interfax -Religion.
The Yabloko party is planning to appeal to the Prosecutor's Office over Khasavov's statements. Yabloko leader Sergey Mitrokhin told radio Ekho Moskvy that people who make such statements must bear full responsibility before the law.
Mitrokhin said he believed this statement violated two articles of the criminal code, at least: calls for extremist activities and actions which incite religious hatred. "Calls for establishing the Shari'ah law and threats of violence in this regard are calls for undermining the state order. There are absolutely all signs of extremism in the normal sense of the word," he said.