R-E-S-P-E-C-T

Moscow mayor Yuri Luzhkov's refusal to even consider an application by gay organisations in Russia for a permit to conduct what would be the country's first gay pride parade on the grounds that it "outraged" Russian society should be of interest to all who have followed the Danish Muhammad cartoon furore. Representatives of the Russian Orthodox Church, the Muslim community and the Jewish community have spoken out condemning the planned parade. Chief Rabbi, Berl Lazar, has been the most moderate of the spiritual leaders, limiting himself to saying it would be a "blow for morality". According to Friday's English Independent, Orthodox Bishop Daniil of Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk said the plans were a "cynical mockery" and likened homosexuality to leprosy. Not to be outdone, the Supreme Mufti of the Central Muslim Board in Russia, Talgat Tadzhuddin, warned that Muslims would stage violent protests if the parade went ahead, and said:

"If they come out on to the streets anyway they should be flogged. Any normal person would do that - Muslims and Orthodox Christians alike ... [The protests] might be even more intense than protests abroad against those controversial cartoons."

He went on to justify the killing of gays in accordance with the teachings of the Koran and to say that they had "no rights".

Although Tadzhuddin would appear to hold a position of great authority over Russian muslims, the chief Mufti is in fact a controversial figure within his religious community, having apparently been sacked in 2003 after declaring a jihad against the US. As far as I can make out, his position as "supreme Mufti" is due to his seniority in age over his fellow Muftis and I have not been able to establish how he has apparently maintained his title and position in spite of his "sacking". Interestingly, his reaction to the Danish cartoons was quite modest.

If not for the violence of Tadzhuddin's comments, one could relish their irony in light of the worldwide protests over the last few weeks and months.
Taking advantage of their right to assemble by staging a picket of the European Commission's building in Moscow last week, Muslims held banners declaring "freedom is not insulting religious feelings". Now here we have one of their supposed spiritual leaders advocating extreme violence against another social minortiy that wishes to take advantage of its right to assemble.

The reaction in Russia to the proposed gay pride march is interesting as it shows how religious groups may effectively cooperate to neutralise a minority social group's legitimate claims to recognition and respect.

Homosexuality was decriminalised in Russia in 1993 under Yeltsin, but Russian attitudes towards it today are "glacial", according to the Independent. The plan to hold a parade has not been unanimously supported even within Russia's gay community, with some gay rights organisations declaring it "suicidal". The problem of Russia's gay community's lack of a foothold in its society must be compounded by the apparent conformity of Russians' public sexual morals with religious dictates. No doubt the legacy of communism, which punished homosexuality severely, is also brought to bear.

Moscow's mayor's characterisation of the parade as "outrage" is not that far away from the bigoted remarks of the three wise men quoted above. Surely, though, what's outrageous is a community leader's incitement to violence being effectively endorsed by government authorities. And surely, the "blow for morality" was sustained when the claims of members of a community pleading grave insult to their identity at the publication of a few drawings trumped the claims of those whose desire merely to celebrate their identity is met with death threats from a leader of the former group.

In early 2003 the chairman of the Russian council of Muftis, Ravi Gainutdin, declared "no Muslim should now hold prayer with Talgat Tadzhuddin or follow any order or advice issued by him" after the latter's call for jihad against the US. Will Gainutdin now remind Russian muslims of this injunction in light of Tadzhuddin's comments on the gay pride parade? Will he think to inform his community that freedom means a lot more than "not insulting religous feeling"?

Those who have so righteously condemned western newspapers' irresponsbility and "abuse" of the right to freedom of expression in the last few weeks no doubt have been silent about the fate of Russia's first gay pride parade as they have been catching their breath and nursing hoarse throats. I'm sure they will once again be in full voice by the time the curator of the Andrei Sakharov Musuem in Moscow, Yury Samodurov, goes ahead with his plans to mount an exhibition of the Danish cartoons.