BBC News today reports that in four of the Russian Federation's 86 regions and republics, the history of Orthodox Christianity and its religious culture will begin to be taught as a required subject in public schools. Schools in eleven other regions will offer elective courses using a textbook on the history of world religions with extensive focus on Russian Orthodoxy. Russia's Constitution, Article 14(1) provides: "The Russian Federation shall be a secular state. No religion may be instituted as state-sponsored or mandatory religion." Officials emphasize that the new courses will focus on history, not on matters of faith. Other supporters of the move say they want to protect traditional spiritual values in the country where for many years, under Communist rule, teaching of religion anywhere was prohibited. Muslim leaders have reacted to the move by asking for more coverage in schools of Islamic culture.
UPDATE: A Sept. 5 JTA story describes the troubled reaction of Russia's Jewish community to these developments.
