01 January 2020, 16:21
Data collection on pupils' beliefs triggers claims to KBR officials
The interest of the antiterrorist commission of the Elbrus District in the schoolchildren, who refuse to celebrate the New Year because of their religious beliefs is inappropriate in a secular state, lawyers have noted.
The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that the above initiative to collect data about the pupils, who don't celebrate the New Year for religious reasons, caused Facebook users' criticism against officials of the Elbrus District.
Russia is a secular state, and "the principle of secularism does not imply any religion or atheism as a state doctrine," Timofei Shirokov, a lawyer, has commented on the bureaucrats' initiative. "Secularism implies the equality of adherents of various faiths. Also, the freedom of conscience and of religion implies the equality of various believers. This includes, among other things, the right to observe or not observe certain holidays, to participate or not to participate in certain events, based on one's own convictions ... Parents have the right to write complaints about officials' words and actions both to the Ministry of Education and to the Prosecutor's Office demanding to check the legality thereof," the lawyer told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.
This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on January 1, 2020 at 09:58 am MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.
Author: Rustam Djalilov, Lyudmila Maratova Source: CK correspondents
