Dossiers for Russian Muslims

(Voronezh, Russia) In Voronezh (pop. 1 million), about 400 miles south of Moscow in the fertile Black Earth region, police have asked Muslim leaders to provide information on the number of local followers of Islam, sources of funds for local Islamic organizations and a listing of places of prayer.



Police issued the request for information about two weeks ago and the Local Muslims' Religious Organization is resisting.

"Our leaders told them we don't have the right to provide this information to the security services, because of paragraphs 5, 6, 7 of Article 3 of the Federal Law on Freedom of Conscience and of Religious Associations.

"It says that 'No one is obliged to disclose their relation to religion, their belief or refusal to believe in a religion, their participation or non-participation in religious services, religious orders or ceremonies, in particular religious organizations for the study of religion,'" the organization's representative said.

It's also reported that police in Tambov, a city of 300,000 to the east of Voronezh, have issued a similar information request to the local Muslim leadership.

First they come for information, eh?