Mintimer SHAIMIEV: "Nation and faith are in our genes"

Does war of civilizations, conflict of religions, traditions, and ways of life threaten humanity? To get the answer, our correspondent set off to Kazan, where people of different nationalities and faith, the Orthodox and Muslims have been living side by side for centuries. Our interlocutor is the President of Tatarstan Mintimer Shaimiev.

Let’s remember migrants’ riots in France, "cartoon" scandal, the war in Lebanon. USA is "butting" with Iraq at the moment… All conflicts are mixed up on Islamic values one way or another. Why religions, which call to good, have turned into weapons of confrontation?

M.Sh.: Not a single religion calls to violence. But attempts to propagate a different way of life from outside disturb believers. Why to do this, if one or another society is not ready for it? If society still, let us assume, lives by the sharia laws?

Why terrorism acts under the flag of Islam? Islam is a very strong religion. It is hard to imagine how a person with shahid belt calmly faces the death. This boundless faith in Allah is sometimes used by different political powers.

But, according to your words, sources of violence should be looked for across the ocean?

M.Sh.:Shall we remember who created atomic bomb? Americans. Who was the first to throw it down on people? Americans again… If America didn’t have atomic weapons, USSR and other world powers would probably not have it either. But where is the end of this process? You can’t stop the technological progress… Today a number of countries are capable to acquire atomic bomb - it is only a matter of means.

America will have to find common language with the world; diktat of force will take them nowhere. The example of Iraq shows it to us. Imposing liberal values from outside is the same thing as exporting revolution. That’s where such anti-Americanism in the world comes from. Islamic world with its ancient fundamental values doesn’t wish to be taught by the state, which is less than 300 years old.


Will interreligious or international clashes in Russia grow on against the background of the world’s events? Let’s remember explosion on the Cherkizovsky market, which was planted by young Russian nationalists, or bloody events in Karelian Kondopoge…

M.Sh.:When such conflicts only started to arise, we were afraid to give them proper assessment. And now we are sort of ashamed of it. Courts don’t acknowledge that these crimes are committed on grounds of international dissention; all blame is shifted onto hooliganism and extremism… But hypocrisy and double standards cause discontent in people’s souls. Let’s remember the case of Burdanov, who raped and killed Chechen girl. They tried to justify him so many times… But many in Russia - not only Chechens - tried the situation on themselves. What if tomorrow the same happens to his daughter or granddaughter? What kind of justification you can talk about in this case?

Did the society properly condemn the person who burst into Moscow synagogue with a knife? Or skinheads killing foreign students in Saint-Petersburg? Didn’t they try to rehabilitate the murderers? And now, after the explosion on the Cherkizovsky market, there are voices saying that these actions happen because authorities "offend" Russian patriots, don’t let them expand!

But xenophobia is not our invention. Judging by the events in France, even wealthy Europe didn’t manage to become a homeland for millions of migrants. People come there and live by their own rules. Will Russia manage to swallow crowds of "aliens" or there will be new clashes?

M.Sh.:It will not manage to swallow. National, religious peculiarities sit deep in souls and genes of people. People just don’t want to be alike! I am not against globalization in trade and technologies. But I, for example, haven’t become less of a Tatar as a result of globalization. People can forget even their native language, but they will remember their roots.

I was always amazed by the unity of Jewish nation. Many Jews don’t speak their own language, but it doesn’t reduce their numbers. They are scattered all around the world, but the nation keeps preserved, it’s not getting weaker. This example convinces me that no nations will disappear, wherever it might be living.

There is an opinion that while Shaimiev heads Tatarstan, strong and authoritative leader, he has everything under control. But leadership in the Republic will change and new people will come sooner or later. Where is guarantee that situation in the national sphere will not fly off the handle?

M.Sh.:It will not! But the president of Tatarstan has to be centrist. Then there won’t be radical displays of any kind of nationalism…

I am convinced that, for example, Tatarstan president has to speak both state languages - Tatar and Russian. I am against creation of political parties on national and religious bases. By the way, I had Islamic activists coming to me and proposing: let’s create a Muslim party. I said: no. It’s dangerous!


Was it the reason why you spoke against lessons of Orthodox culture in schools and priests in the army?

M.Sh.:If we want to fight bullying, let’s strictly follow army regulations. It doesn’t say you can bully recruits.

Speaking of Orthodoxy lessons… There are around 20 millions Muslims living in Russia. And if we are to be proposed to introduce such lessons in schools of Tatarstan, I will say: it is not going to happen. We have children of different religions sitting in the same class. And if they all are to be taught basics of only one religion, it will be insulting for some of them. There is everything in the Republic - mosques, churches, synagogues, and protestant churches. Anyone, who whishes, can send their children to study at Sunday schools.

Someone in Russia reasons: national republics are the source of extremism and separatism. And propose a "simple method": to liquidate national-territorial division, enlarge regions, leaving 30-40 provinces. Perhaps, this is the way to consolidate the unity of the country?

M.Sh.:If we bear ill will to Russia, this is the most convenient way. But then we have to go back to the past, to totalitarianism. Although, even Soviet regime supported national diversity… If we want to bring up some kind of a zombie, "universal" Russian individual - let’s try it. But it will be a catastrophe.

However, the process slowly goes on. Although small but still national regions are being liquidated in Russia - Komi-Permyackiy, Koryak, Ust-Ordinskiy, Buryat regions…

M.Sh.:I wouldn’t like to see it as encroachment upon nations’ rights. Today these autonomies are not capable to support their population properly and have to unite with economically stronger neighbors. But what is Tatarstan today? According to the latest data of federal analytical centre, it is the second region in Russian Federation after Moscow by aggregate economical indices. It is the third after Moscow and Saint-Petersburg by social development. It is among first five by industrial production volume and gross regional product -.

There are many politicians these days looking for simple solutions without knowing the situation from inside. But there cannot be simple solutions for Russia. We can have democracy only in conditions of federative state. We will achieve nothing by infringing upon national regions.