Russian Islam is a treasure, especially regarding foreign policy. The Eastern policy was an important component of international affairs in Soviet Russia. Along with supplies of weapons and attempts to trigger revolutions in Muslim countries, Moscow wielded ideological and spiritual influence there – something that has been drowned in oblivion now.
Medieval Europe admired the learning and wisdom of Muslim scholars. But as time passed, the concepts of creativity, rationalism and renewal were dropped from the Muslim vocabulary. Critical analytical thinking was forbidden. The taboo on new interpretations of the Koran ossified thought and society.
Russian Islam is a treasure, especially regarding foreign policy. The Eastern policy was an important component of international affairs in Soviet Russia. Along with supplies of weapons and attempts to trigger revolutions in Muslim countries, Moscow wielded ideological and spiritual influence there – something that has been drowned in oblivion now.
Medieval Europe admired the learning and wisdom of Muslim scholars. But as time passed, the concepts of creativity, rationalism and renewal were dropped from the Muslim vocabulary. Critical analytical thinking was forbidden. The taboo on new interpretations of the Koran ossified thought and society.
When the Baltic countries entered NATO and the European Union a couple of years ago, many thought it was the end of the centuries-old "red line." Euro-Atlantic organizations had crossed into the former Russian and Soviet empires.
In September 2004, the Russian city of Novgorod hosted an international conference entitled Russia at the Turn of the Century: Hopes and Reality. Its organizers were the RIA Novosti news agency, the Council on Foreign and Defense Policy, Russia in Global Affairs, and The Moscow Times.