Moscow, July 25, 2022

Albir Krganov, head of the Spiritual Assembly of Muslims of Russia (SAMR), Mufti of Moscow, expressed support for the deputy’s initiative to create public councils on television, theaters and cinema.

Nikolai Burlyaev, deputy head of the State Duma Committee on the Development of Civil Society, Issues of Public and Religious Associations, a member of the Patriarchal Council for Culture, informed Interfax on Monday about the preparation of the relevant bill.

According to the mufti, the creation of such public councils would be “absolutely logical”. “Cinema, theater and television actually belong to the people of our country, and society should control what happens on the screen and stage,” Krganov told Interfax, adding that such councils should include professionals in the mentioned fields.

Mufti Krganov believes that representatives of religious organizations could also take part in the work of public councils, and mentioned that similar bodies already exist under the muftis of Russia, and cultural figures take part in their work.

He called the opinion that there should be no censorship erroneous. According to the mufti, the same Hollywood has been engaged in the formation of public opinion throughout its history and continues to do so “under the strict control of US military experts”. “There should be no problem with censorship, rather with permissiveness. You can say a lot of the right words at universities, temples, mosques, but our youth watch films, and what they see there is recorded in their minds,” said the head of the Spiritual Assembly of Muslims of Russia.