In keeping with its longstanding custom, the US Department of State has published an annual report on religious freedom in the world.
The report was commented on by the head of the State Department Anthony Blinken.
“The difficulties with religious freedom in the modern world are structural, systemic and deeply rooted. They demand continued global commitment from all who are unwilling to put up with hatred and intolerance. They require the urgent attention of the international community. I single out Myanmar, PRC, Eritrea, Iran, DPRK, Pakistan, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan as countries of particular concern due to the fact that they have committed systematic, ongoing and egregious violations of religious freedom. ”
Two weeks later, Smolenskaya Square answered Blinken.
Such deliberation could be associated with the painful invention of counterarguments, however, the rebuke of the ambassador-at-large G.I.
Askaldovich did not look like the fruit of long and hard thoughts - rather, as a duty response to the duty charges.
And the delay in answering was rather demonstrative: “Why bother right away?
Blinken is not a great master, he can wait. "
The inequality of the participants in the dialogue testifies to the same.
The US Secretary of State is a minister for our money.
In an amicable way, our minister should answer him, at the very end - the deputy minister.
But the position of our department was announced by a lower-ranked diplomat.
As for the list of countries "of particular concern" by the State Department (Algeria, the Comoros, Cuba and Nicaragua were only on the "watch list", while IS * and the Taliban ** caused him only "special concern"), then the list of countries where violations of beliefs are egregious, appears to have been structured according to the principle of "shoes for men, women and rubber".
It included theocracies (Saudi Arabia, Iran), eastern despotisms (Myanmar, North Korea), failed states (Eritrea) and, of course, China and Russia, which are the embodiment of all evils, including religious ones.
Not to say that in Russia (and even more so in China) everything was perfect in this respect, clues can always be found, but the differences are quite serious.
In Russia, for example, the confession of traditional religions (Christianity in its various denominations, Islam, Judaism, Buddhism) is quite free, here even the State Department experts did not find anything to cling to.
Jehovah's Witnesses ** and Scientologists are in trouble.
As for the "witnesses", this is a classic pseudo-Christian sect, using the terms of Christianity (God, Christ), but in its own meaning.
If the Khlyst sect continued to exist now (there also appeared in the doctrine of Christ and the Mother of God, and the state strongly disliked Khlystism), there would be a similar picture of persecution, requiring, according to Blinken, “constant global commitment from all who do not want to put up with hatred and intolerance ".
Scientologists are in some respects more honest - they don't take God's name in vain.
What both the "witnesses" and the Scientologists have in common is their overseas origins and the current location of their leadership.
Perhaps this is connected with the special determination of the State Department not to give offense to its sectarians.
The attitude towards them in Russia is ambiguous.
Some, remembering the spiritual 1990s, believe that we do not need American sectarians.
Others, firm in their liberalism, believe that the law should be the same for everyone - even for Orthodox Christians and Catholics, even for the Khlysty, since the concepts of "sect" and "sectarian" are not legally defined.
This is indeed a reason for disagreement.
Of course, one could point out that the persecution of Christians in US-liberated Iraq (and not on the list) is somewhat more egregious than the problems of Scientologists.
Equally, the recommendation of the European Commission not to use the word "Christmas" anymore, because it discriminates against non-Christians.
But, as always, "this is a completely different matter."
The commitment of American diplomacy to double, triple, quadruple, etc.
standards for a long time has not caused an acute reaction in anyone.
The Pharisees - they are the Pharisees.
What's new here?
Perhaps this is also why the reaction of the Russian Foreign Ministry to Blinken's passionate communique was rather sluggish.
For every sneeze is not good for you.
* "Islamic State" (IS, ISIS) - the organization was recognized as terrorist by the decision of the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation of December 29, 2014.
** "Taliban" - the organization is under UN sanctions for terrorist activities.
*** The Administrative Center of Jehovah's Witnesses in Russia (Jehovah's Witnesses) is a religious association recognized as extremist and prohibited on the territory of Russia (decision of the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation of 20.04.2017, an appeal ruling of the Board of Appeals of the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation of 17.07.2017) ...
The point of view of the author may not coincide with the position of the editorial board.