Muslims pray in Moscow… the concern is over Muslim guest workers from Central Asia (who make up a large proportion of the Muslim population in the RF)… the resident Muslim minority is much smaller (under 10%) and resides mostly in its traditional national areas. The Western noise about Muslims “taking over Russia” is pure wind and piffle… they have an agenda, one that is opposed to the Church. Never forget that.
Archpriest Vsevolod Chaplin, the head of the MP Synodal Division for Church and Public Relations, supported the idea that we should develop a code of conduct for guest workers in Moscow. “The idea is spot-on correct. Of course, any document of this kind should be balanced and serious”, he told Interfax-Religion on Friday. In his view, the people involved understand “where they can fry shashlilk {what Americans call shish kebabs: editor}, and what is appropriate attire, but more important things should be subject to a rigid social contract. One should have a reasonable command of the Russian language, know the culture and ethics current in our city, and respect its traditions and historical character… all of this should normal for everyone living and working in Moscow. We should formalise this“. At the same time, he expressed the opinion that this does not necessarily imply that he favours setting it down as a law. “Mainly, we need to sit down and discuss this; then, we should formulate a code. We should observe how people comply with such on the job, so we can decide whom to advance to leadership positions or simply to let us know whether we should let a particular individual into decent society or not”.
Recently, Mikhail Solomentsev, the head of the Committee for Interregional Relations and National Policy of Moscow, said in an interview in Российской газете (The Russian Newspaper) that Russian culture and traditions undergird life in the Russian capital, and temporary residents must consider this. “There are many unwritten and informal rules in our city, which everyone must follow. For example, don’t butcher sheep in the courtyard of your apartment building, don’t fry up shashlik on your balcony, don’t saunter around town in national dress, but do talk in Russian. In the near future, we should develop a code that will help temporary residents in Moscow to quickly learn our ways”, he said. Later, Mr Solomentsev told Interfax that the particulars of the so-called “A Muscovite’s Code”, will be developed in conjunction with historians, cultural scientists, representatives of national minorities, and with the participation of ordinary Muscovites through the use of public opinion polls. He added that the members of the various national diasporas in Moscow are themselves in favour of such a code, “It shameful to them the way their compatriots sometime behave in Moscow”.
18 June 2010
Interfax-Religion
http://www.interfax-religion.ru/?act=news&div=36090
Barbara-Marie Drezhlo
Voices from Russia 
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