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Ukraine Buddhists Demand Parliament Reject New Religion Bill

29.05.2008, [15:21] // Buddhists //

Kyiv— Responding to the bill of a national deputy of the Our Ukraine-National Self-Defense bloc, H. Moskal, “On making alterations to the Law of Ukraine ‘On freedom of worship and religious organizations’ (regarding the prevention of activity of religious cults of a destructive character and totalitarian sects),” the Spiritual Board of Ukraine’s Buddhists (SBUB) stated that Parliament’s passing that bill would lead to considerable complications of the relations between religious organizations and state authorities, cause considerable interreligious tension, and seriously undermine Ukraine’s image as a state governed by the rule of law both among believers and internationally. An open address of the SBUB, signed by the head, Dzhordzhe Dzhambo Choizhe-lamy, was released on 26 May 2008.

“We consider this bill an attempt to divide Ukraine’s citizens into ‘first class’ and ‘second class’ according to their religious beliefs and denominational affiliation…Using the cover of arguments about the struggle with abstract ‘totalitarian sects’ and ‘destructive cults,’ which are not clearly defined in legal terms, Deputy H. Moskal is actually trying to create some “state church’ and force all the rest of religious organizations and denominations to the margins of spiritual life.” So reads the open address.

The bill’s stipulation that “a religious community is to conduct its religious activity exclusively on the territory of the region where its statute are registered” is viewed by the SBUB as “an attempt at establishing spiritual ghettoes.” And the stipulation that “foreign citizens have no right to be members or hold leading posts in religious organizations registered in Ukraine” is seen as “an attempt to return to the totalitarian practice of the iron curtain.”

The Buddhists are also indignant at the bill’s stipulation that “religious organizations with governing centers outside Ukraine cannot own real estate in Ukraine or property which is a recognized cultural monument.” Representatives of the SBUB view this as “a call to confiscate churches and monasteries.. which are recognized cultural monuments from such churches as, for instance, the Roman Catholic Church, the Ukrainian Orthodox Church-Moscow Patriarchate or the Buddhists (because it is very unlikely that the Pope, patriarch of Moscow, or Dalai Lama can assume Ukrainian citizenship).”

The bill’s provision that “statutes of religious organizations which are not already registered religious associations and denominations in Ukraine are to be re-registered annually during the first decade of their activity” is called by the Buddhists “direct discrimination.”

The Spiritual Board of Ukraine’s Buddhists demands that Parliament reject the bill as one violating the main constitutional rights of believers of Ukraine.

Source:

• http://ningma.org.ua