Crimean Muslims Demand Stop to ‘Christian Proselytism’ in Schools
The Spiritual Directorate of Muslims of Crimea (SDMC) is concerned by the proselytism of Christian preachers in secondary schools, where the majority of the students are Crimean Tatars, Religion in Ukraine reports, with reference to SDMC.
According to the report, a case occurred recently in a school in the village Teberti. The principal Zamira Suleymanova did not stop the Jehovah's Witnesses community from celebrating Christmas in her school, despite the fact that 80% of students in the school are Crimean Tatars, and thus Muslim.
“Some Christian sects organize educational activities in the school to impose their views. Without the consent of their parents, Muslim children also join in the activities,” commented the Deputy Mufti of Muslims of Crimea Eider Ismailov. “From this we can conclude that public education serves as a platform for the dissemination of all kinds of religious ideology?! It is unacceptable that educational institutions are places where all sorts of worldviews that are alien to traditional Islamic values are imposed on the children.”
The Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar people was outraged by the position of the principal, who does not see any problem in this.
The chairman of the Mejlis of the Zheleznodorozhnensky district, deputy Smail Memetov, reported that the Muslim community demands the principal be removed from her post. The Mejlis promises to take measures to meet these requirements and intends to complain to the prosecutor.
According to the head of the local Mejlis, more than 40% of residents in the village Teberti are Muslim Crimean Tatars.
The Spiritual Directorate of Muslims of Crimea urges district education departments and local authorities “to respond to the negligence of the administrations of educational institutions and to take steps to prevent sectarian propaganda among school students.”
