Last week about a dozen people gathered to stage a meeting in support of P*ssy Riot in Marseille, France. As soon as they attempted to put on colored ski masks, the trademark of the group, they were arrested for violating France's law that makes it a crime to cover one's face at public rallies.
In Britain the Public Order Act of 1986 makes several things that were done by PR a crime in Britain, including "abusive or insulting words or behaviour" and "hostility towards members of a racial or religious group based on their membership of that group." Penalties range from 2-14 years in prison.
It would surprise most people to learn that current Russian law is actually less punitive on matters of free speech than that of many other Western countries.
So, more broadly, what does this episode tell us about religious life in Russia today?
Religious life is on the rise in Russia. 73% of Russians are sure that today the Russian Church plays a positive role in the country's life, while only 2% disagree. [1] In the last 16 years the percentage of Russians going to Church has increased from 7% to 71%, while the percentage of those who do not go to Church has dropped by nearly half. [2] And last year an Ipsos poll conducted in 2011 concluded that that Russia is now the most religious country in Europe. [3] All this is quite remarkable when one recalls that for seventy years the Soviet government tried to eradicate religion.
The Patriarch of Moscow has proclaimed that the goal of the Church in the 21s century is to "re-Christianize" Russian society. It has made some notable progress toward this goal, but the road ahead will be rough.
And what do you think it says about the American or even global
understanding of the role between church and state?
As a nation that sees itself as a model for others, it can be difficult for Americans to put themselves in another person's shoes, especially if that person is Russian. There are decades of political animosity and centuries of religious ignorance about Orthodox Christianity to overcome. Most media outlets have neither the time nor the expertise to challenge these traditional stereotypes. The results are what we see today in the coverage of (P)ussy (R)iot.
Technology, however, has not only given people access to a world of new information; it has introduced a whole new cast of actors. Russian bloggers are among the most active in the world, and it has become something of a past times among them to correct erroneous Western media reporting. I would also note that the young people in American college classrooms are not as instinctively hostile to Russia as their elders. These are both hopeful sign for the future.
Notes:
1. "Most Russians trust Church and the Patriarch -- poll," Interfax-Religion, May 10, 2012.
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