Translated on September 5, 2005 from Russian by editors of the web site "Russia-talk." The
Russian original with comments that have not been included in the translation,
is located HERE.
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RESOLUTION
Concerning the refusal to initiate a criminal case
Moscow
Aug. 31, 2005
The Public Prosecutor of the city of Moscow of the Cheremushkin Inter-precinct
Prosecutor's Office, Senior Counselor of the Jurisprudence V. Yu. Smirnov,
upon a review of the application submitted by the director of the Moscow
Bureau for Human Rights A. S. Brod regarding the publication of a book by
M. V. Nazarov “Taina Rossii” [“The Secret of Russia,” interpreter)
has determined:
In 1999, a book “Taina Rossii,” authored by M. Nazarov, was published.
In the opinion of A. S. Brod, the book contents are of xenophobic, chauvinistic
nature. Quotes from works of M. Nazarov are cited as a proof of this claim.
During the review process, the prosecutor's office asked the Institute
of Psychology of the RAS [Russian Academy of Science, interpreter]
to evaluate the sense of direction of the book mentioned above, and also
to determine the presence in the book of tenets, aimed at the incitement
of religious or ethnic hatred or animosity, as well as at abasement of dignity
of a person or a group of individuals on the basis of ethnicity or religion.
In addition, the experts were asked: Are there statements, within the quotes
from the Nazarov's book “Taina Rossii” submitted by A. S. Brod, aimed at
the incitement of religious or ethnic hatred or animosity, as well as at
abasement of dignity of a person or a group of individuals on the basis of
ethnicity or religion.
On the basis of the received expert evaluation, the following may be concluded.
The book contains facts and their interpretations that, by and large, are
absent from the media, and, consequently, are also absent from the social,
mass consciousness of people, from history textbooks, etc., or are present
in distorted form. The book by M. V. Nazarov is recommended as a study, and
as an alternative instead of Soviet and Western books on modern Russian history,
sociology, political studies, that can aid in understanding of world history
and the Russian role in it from the point of view of the historical state-forming
spiritual-ideological basis – the Orthodox-Christian world outlook. The system
of social concepts is being constructed as a view on behalf of the Holy Russia.
Concepts concerning the nature of all “anti-Russian acts,” including the
so-called “behind-the-scene world government,” are included as a necessary
analytical element. In this connection, from the spiritual world-outlook
point of view, world cataclysms of the XX century are explained. To this
end (as well as for the rest of the analysis), sources are selected that
are cited as trustworthy in the sense of their influence upon conscience
(they cannot be simply ignored on the principle that “this can never be”).
The book is devoted not to Jewry, but, rather, to the understanding of
Russian history. This is shown by the fact that the book talks about Jews
only in those of its parts (a total of about 10%) where their role in history
and modern events is sufficiently obvious and requires an explanation. Of
sufficient interest for social-political monitoring is the prognostic aspect
of the book that consists of substantiation, on the one hand, of the development
of an anti-Christian in its conceptual and world-outlook bases “New World
Order” (in the Orthodox eschatology – this is the so-called “Kingdom of Antichrist”)
and, on the other hand – the “Orthodox world outlook” that holds back this
process.
M. V. Nazarov is a historian and this explains his tendency to examine
history without ignoring inconvenient facts, but studying them. The role
of the Jewish nation in the light of its Old and New-Testament characteristics
is among such facts (as well as [relevant, interpreter] hypotheses
and assumptions). Without understanding this role, in his opinion, the spiritual-religious
sense of history may not be understood (which is the main goal of the book).
From the point of view of psychological examination of those inner conditions
of the author that are standing “behind the text,” it is important that the
author, touching upon the Jewish theme, selects a style that approaches scientifically
academic one. Striving for objectivity, the author uses quotes and facts
from over 400 sources in four languages. When the author deals with topics
in which the role of Jewry may look negatively in the eyes of a Russian reader,
he uses respectable Jewish sources. The author specifically stays away from
sources that might be construed as “anti-Semitic” from their obvious negative
social direction in regard to the Jewish people as such.
In the philosophical/ideological section of the book, the author proposes
an explanation of the (noted by him) unusual role of Jewry in history exclusively
from the point of view of the Orthodox Church teachings. It [the teaching,
interpreter] is the world-outlook basis of the entire system of ideological,
social, political, and other concepts of M. V. Nazarov related to socio-political
reality. The book is based on it. An individual view of the author outside
of the connection to the Orthodox tradition is absent. Consequently, his
treatment of the “fate of the Jewish people” should be sought in its Orthodox-Christian
treatment. This treatment talks (maximally simplifying this domain of theological
issues) about the falling of the “God-chosen people” into nationalistic arrogance
of worldly power over other peoples and the rejection of Messiah – God's
Son -- Jesus Christ, as not corresponding to these concepts. As a result
of the rejection of true Messiah, and in the expectation of their own nationalistic
“Messiah-Mochiakh,” (in the Orthodoxy – he is the impersonation of Antichrist,
acting against or instead of Christ), Jewish people, without realizing it,
essentially are serving forces of Antichrist (since anti-Christianity cannot
be but anti-God because of its struggle against Christ). The fact of being
the “God-chosen people” affects the subjects of New Testament, i.e., Christians.
All these theological notions are illustrated not only by quotes from the
scripture. The Orthodox treatment of the Jewish question is reinforced by
references to Jewish sources.
From a psychological point of view, one can see that non-Christian Jews,
without trying to comprehend the religious meaning of Orthodoxy, may perceive
the treatment of the Jewish question in a negative manner. But in this case
it is clear that claims to M. V. Nazarov are baseless, since the author simply
follows Orthodox-Christian teaching – a recognized world spiritual and moral
tradition.
Within the completed study, it is noted that the author proposes traditional
Orthodox treatment for the Jews as un-enlightened by the New Testament and,
therefore, “not knowing what they are doing,” coupled with the simultaneous
necessity to protect “holy items of faith,” steadfastness to anti-Christian
assaults from other psychological systems (in this case, Judaism). In the
book, there is no reliable psychological evidence as to some personal intolerant
attitude of the author to the Jewish people. The rejection by M. Nazarov,
that evolves from certain aspects of [his, interpreter] faith, of
Talmudist Judaism as the expectation of the Kingdom of Antichrist is not
projected by M. Nazarov to Jews as an ethnic group. This is demonstrated
both by references to Orthodox Jews in a positive sense and the offer to
Jews to accept Orthodoxy (pages 397, 579, and others), as well as by the
rejection of aggressive ethno-racial treatment of Jewish question by anti-Semitic
pagans (pp. 571-581).
From a psychological point of view it should be noted that the book “Taina
Rossii” not only was allowed in the official church book stores, but was
recognized as a bestseller in 1999. Books, inciting hatred, don't receive
blessings for publication by Orthodox top hierarchy, on the one hand, and
are subconsciously rejected by Orthodox audience as not corresponding to
the spirit of love and the Orthodox tradition of tolerance to heterodox and
the necessity to only pray for them.
On the basis of the completed study and the analysis of specific quotes
from the book “Taina Rossii,” the following was determined.
From the point of view of laws of interpreting of any text, the weight
of meaning of separate sentences, of their ability to form notions of specific
content depend upon a multilevel context – from the preceding text to the
meaning of sections, chapters, the text as a whole, and even to overall works
of the author.
Submitted [by A. S. Brod, interpreter] are two quotes from the
book proper – from the chapter “Triumph of the Behind-the-Scene Government,”
subsection “Democracy and ‘Luck of the Jews'.” The expression “Luck of the
Jews” was borrowed by M. Nazarov from the quoted article by a Jewish publicist
L. Radzikhovsky titled “Luck of the Jews” from a Jewish newspaper “Novoye
Russkoye Slovo” (New York, Jan. 17, 1996). Radzikhovsky uses the term “Luck
of the Jews” to describe the results of the democratic revolution [of
the 1990s, interpreter], in which he cites the decisive role of Jews
(pp. 394, 441).
Nevertheless, here is what can be said about the submitted [by A. S.
Brod, interpreter] quotes.
The first quote (“the crux of the matter is the fact that throughout
the world Jews have been dominant in the realm of finance since ancient
times…”) is based on cited in the book analogous statements by known
Jewish authors: Editor-in-Chief of the English-language “Jewish encyclopedia”
S. Rot (pp. 14-15), sociologist H. Arndt (pp. 15, 394), former president
of the European Reconstruction and Development Bank J. Attali (p. 15).
M. Nazarov indicates page numbers where these quotes came from. Since it
is impossible to assume that these authors wanted to incite hatred toward
“Jewry,” there are no psychological bases to ascribe such intentions to
M. V. Nazarov, who quotes such opinions as an illustration. From the point
of view of psychology of social concepts and stereotyping of social perception
(by K. Al'bukhanov, S. Moskvich, P. Shikhirev, and others), the sentence
reflects rooted in the collective sub conscience of grouped social subjects
stereotypical images based on facts that are known at the level of common
mass conscience (representation of Jewish capital in world finances, ethnic
solidarity of Jewish people, etc.).
The second quote (“In the manner, Jewish question in today's Russia
– is nor racial (as they would like us to believe…)),” also reinforced
by references to various sources, should be viewed in the context of the
overall Orthodox treatment of Jewish question. Besides, this quote shows
that M. Nazarov views the Jewish question not as ethno-racial (which
is usually related to the possibility of inciting ethnic animosity and
hatred), but as political, moral, and spiritual.
Therefore, from a psychological point of view, it is clear that, in the
absence of “personal ethnic hatred,” projected in the material, any opponents
– regardless of their disagreement with political, moral, and spiritual criteria
of M. V. Nazarov in his work,-- should object to him on the same level, assuming
a discussion, more specifically, of questions of politics and theology (Judaism
historically has an anti-Christian direction and contains tenets which, from
the point of view of laws of social perception may evoke psychologically
understandable negative reaction of Orthodox Christians). A special study
of publications concerning the problems of the 1990s will make this obvious
(for instance, facts cited in Orthodox press outside the evaluated works
of M. V. Nazarov).
A deposition by M. V. Nazarov (together with the analysis of the book “Taina
Rossii”) confirms [his, interpreter] the Orthodox-Christian position
toward non-Christian Jews.
Consequently, in the book and in the sentences that were the subject of
analysis and evaluation, there are no tenets aimed at the incitement of religious
or ethnic hatred or animosity, neither at abasement of dignity of a person
or a group of individuals on the basis of ethnicity or religion. The text
does not contain information inciting acts against any nation, race, religion,
or individuals as their members. More specifically, there is no content that
could be construed as “anti-Semitism” or “hatred toward the Jews” and calls
to acts against them. There are no bases to appraise the textual information
from the point of view of purposeful incitement of “fight among nations,”
urging them on to bloodshed. No intention on the part of the author to incite
negative social tenets has been established. Neither have there been involuntary
individual-personal projections of hostility into the text.
In consideration of the above and in the view of Article 24, Part 1, Criminal
Code of the Russian Federation
has resolved:
1. To reject the application to initiate a criminal case against M. V.
Nazarov in connection with the publication of the book “Taina Rossii” on
the basis of article 282, part 1, Criminal Code of the Russian Federation.
2. To notify all concerned about this resolution.
Cheremushkin Inter-precinct
Public Prosecutor of the city of Moscow
Senior Counselor of the Jurisprudence
V. Yu. Smirnov
Additional inks on the subject (in Russian):
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