RUSSIA: Catholic and Protestant “extremism”?
ICC Note:
The labeling of Christians and Catholics as “extremists” has made its way to Russia.
By Geraldine Fagan
11/25/2013 Russia (Forum 18)- Russia has ruled “extremist” a sermon by Metropolitan Andrey Sheptytsky, a candidate for sainthood in the Catholic Church, Forum 18 News Service has learnt. Blog entries by Pentecostal Petr Tkalich may also form the basis of an ongoing “extremism” investigation in the asbestos-mining town of Asbest (Sverdlovsk Region).
State moves against Protestant churches already sometimes involve Counter-“extremism” Police and/or informal accusations of “extremism”. Officials usually go on to prosecute Protestants with charges other than “extremism”, however (see forthcoming F18News article).
Forum 18 has found this to be highly localised, with some officials supportive of Protestants and others hostile. But new documents concerning Jehovah’s Witnesses indicate there is also significant co-ordination with Moscow during local officials’ preparation of “extremism” cases (see forthcoming F18News article).
There is no reason to suppose that official pursuit of religious “extremism” will not continue widening beyond those now routinely facing prosecution. These are at present Jehovah’s Witnesses and Muslim readers of theologian Said Nursi (see Forum 18’s “extremism” Russia religious freedom survey
…
[Full Story]