"Alraid" organized Meeting of Ambassador of OSCE with Representatives of Muslim Organizations of Ukraine

On October, 23rd, in the Islamic Cultural Center of Kiev took place the meeting with the ambassador - the special representative of the operating chairman of the OSCE on struggle against intolerance and discrimination concerning Muslims, Adil Ahmetov, and the representatives of Muslim social and religious organizations which was organized by the AUASO "Alraid".

The meeting was attended by the chairman of the AUASO "Alraid", Ismail Kady, the Mufti of the RAMU "Ummah", Said Ismagilov, the Chairman of the Crimean branch of the AUASO "Аlraid", Muhammad Taha, the chairman of the all-Crimea Youth Organization "Emel", Muslim Dervishev, Imams and chairmen of Muslim religious communities from Kharkov, Odessa, Donetsk, Lugansk, Simferopol.

The primary goal of the meeting consisted in specifying of the cases of xenophobia, Islamophobia or discrimination on religious or national sign in the Ukrainian society on purpose of informing the government of the country about the given problems and searching for the ways of their decision in common.

Having experience of cooperation with the AUASO "Alraid", the OSCE addressed to the Association to organize the meeting with the representatives of religious and social organizations of Ukraine. By its activity the Association for many years shows aspiration to inter-confessional dialogue, tolerance development in the society, uniting ten thousand Ukrainian Muslims.      Muslim Dervishev, the chairman of the all-Crimea Youth Organization "Emel", describing the situation in Crimea, stated that the main barriers to integration of the Crimean Tatars into the Ukrainian society are the following categories of problems: small representation of the people in local authorities in spite of the fact that the Crimean Tatars make almost 20 percent of the population of the peninsula; activation of organizations, which activity is directed on destabilization of ethnic peace in Crimea, for example, establishment of crosses in places of mass residing of the Crimean Tatars, acts of vandalism on Muslim cemeteries, etc.; unwillingness of the power to restore the people-repatriate rights (arrangement: allocation of lands, habitation, returning of primordial lands, manors).

Representing the Female Organization "Маryam", its chairman, Suzanna Islamova, on behalf of Muslim women, told about the actual problem which is usually faced by Muslim girls. "They become objects of discrimination and Islamophobia because they wear a scarf (hijab). At times it may cost them work or even become the reason of attacks from passers-by.

And the issue of photo in hijab for the passport is especially sharp. Despite consideration of separate cases in courts, till now this issue is not solved, though in Europe it for a long time is already a norm.    The Mufti of the Religious Administration of Muslims of Ukraine "Ummah", Said Ismagilov, expressed his opinion concerning the unequal approach from the state to this or that religious association, "Ukraine – according to the Constitution - is the secular state in which the state is separated from any religion and from any faith. Therefore the relation of state structures, heads of the country, officials and state employees should be identical to all without an exception.

However among equal there are "more equal" in which interests passes "warm" interaction of the state and religious organizations, and it is shown not only at the interconfessional level, but also within the limits of one concrete religion, in this case – Islam, where there is a "suitable" to the officials association and the rest. In the democratic secular state similar favoritism does not correspond to the Main Law of this state".    The Mufti could not avoid the issue of hijab, "Especially actual problem for the Muslims of Ukraine is refusal of the Ministry of Internal Affairs to accept for registration of civil passports of photos of Muslims dressed in a traditional female headdress – hijab - which is an obligatory element of clothes for believing women. Representatives of state structures explain their refusal by the general rules and standards of official registration of papers in the country. Thus there is another example: the part of Orthodox believers of the country opposed assignments to them of identification numbers, reasoning it by their religious views. And in this case state structures met the requirements of the believers, despite the general rules and standards".

In his turn, Adil Ahmetov, the representative of the OSCE, urged the Muslims of Ukraine to be active members of the society, to work for its blessing, to develop to be capable to protect their interests in various spheres of their activity, in policy, economy, jurisprudence.     Being extremely happy with the meeting he stated, "Today a very good meeting with participation of representatives of the Muslim organizations of Ukraine and a meaningful dialogue took place. Pleasantly that, except the cases of display of Islamophobia the positive moments from life of Muslims were mentioned too. It testifies to tolerance in the society. My mission consists in informing your voice, the voice of Muslims of Ukraine, to the state structures that they considered all moments and where it is possible, solved the questions positively".    Let us remind that it is not the first action organized by the OSCE in which representatives of the AUASO "Alraid" take part. Earlier the Association took part in the OSCE conferences in Poland, Kazakhstan, Spain and Ukraine.   Staff reporter