This Week in the News

Major steps this week have been taken to introduce chaplains into the Ukrainian Army. President Yanukovich issued a statement on the spiritual well-being of soldiers and other military personnel allowing their participation in religious services and rituals, and access to chaplains. This builds on work done by the Council for Pastoral Care (part of the Ministry of Defense) in conjunction with representatives from the major religious groups in Ukraine. President Yanukovich expects a concrete proposal to sign off on by May. This announcement comes on the heels of a statement issued by religious leaders to Prime Minister Azarov to restore the work of Council for Pastoral Care, which only met twice in 2009 and did not meet at all in 2010. Introducing the chaplaincy to the army is a major win for religious organizations as this will at once increase the churches' influence in the government and legitimizes the collective lobbying power of the religious sector. This also works to increase cohesion between the religious groups involved as this was a joint effort, and not a unilateral approach.

In an interview with Радіо Свобода (Radio Liberty) this week, Crimean Chairman Vasil' Dzharty acknowledged that the land problem in Ukraine is in a terrible state, calling it a "Bacchanalia," admitting wide-spread corruption in the buying and selling of land by both governmental and private entities. He also stated that he wishes to work with the Mejlis and the Kurultay of the Crimean Tatars in trying to meet their needs. He also intoned that if they could not come to an understanding on this land issue, that he would have to enforce the laws in his capacity as head of the ARC. When probed by the interviewer, Dzharty stated that he is in full support of teaching Ukrainian in schools and laments the fact that the only Crimean newspaper in Ukrainian is published by a high school. A couple days later a story broke on the state radio station that tri-lingual education--Russian, Tatar, and Ukrainian--was being considered by the Crimean administration. Whether lip service or not, Ukrainian language-learning is a hot topic, with protests in the Donbas, for example, to not close the only Ukrainian-language school in Luhansk. Strengthening the importance of Ukrainian education is a major path to greater unity between the regions.

Ruslan Gereyev, a researcher at Makachkala’s Center for Islamic Research studying radical Islamic movements in the North Caucasus presented a thesis in a lengthy interview that these movements are a form of social protest when other paths are blocked. When people, young people especially, cannot find an outlet for their frustrations within the normal modes of society--i.e. appealing to government officials--Wahabbism is attractive because it provides an alternative value system. Gereyev also said that combating radicalism with economic incentives, laws, and force will not solve the problem: there must be a constructive dialog between the government and the religious sector. He commented on the "ridiculous" situation in Daghestan where, with a population that is 96.5% Muslim, there is no government agency assigned to religious affairs. His solution is that governments must take the initiative in reaching out to religious groups and work in tandem with them to resolve issues. This thesis is terribly applicable to the situation in Crimea where the Tatar Mejlis and Kurultay have been trying with relatively little success over the past 20 years to open a dialog with Crimean officials and have mostly been sidelined.

Articles referenced in this post:
Рада у справах душпастирської опіки при Міноборони продовжує роботу із запровадження в Україні військового капеланства (Council for pastoral care of the Ministry of Defense continues to work on introducing chaplains into the Ukrainian Army)

http://www.irs.in.ua/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=815%3A1&catid=34%3Aua&Itemid=61&lang=uk

Президент Янукович доручив створити умови для реалізації військовослужбовцями права на свободу віросповідання (President Yanukovich orders the creation of conditions for the implementing freedom of religion for soldiers)

http://www.irs.in.ua/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=816%3A1&catid=34%3Aua&Itemid=61&lang=uk

Конфесії закликають Уряд відновити роботу Комісії по забезпеченню реалізації прав релігійних організацій (Denominations urge the government to restore the Commission to ensure the rights of religious organizations)

http://www.irs.in.ua/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=817%3A1&catid=34%3Aua&Itemid=61&lang=uk

Василь Джарти: земельна проблема в Криму – це вакханалія (Vasil' Dzharty: the land problem in Crimea is a "Bacchanalia")

http://www.radiosvoboda.org/content/article/2313992.html

Сoncept of trilingual education in schools developed in Crimea

http://www.nrcu.gov.ua/index.php?id=148&listid=140280

Makachkala’s Center for Islamic Research: Radical Islam ‘a form of social protest’ when other channels are blocked

http://www.kyivpost.com/news/opinion/op_ed/detail/97761/