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Friends United Meeting |
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December 1999
Candles in the Dark
by Johan Maurer
"Only eight months after his army call-up, my son was sent to fight in Chechnya," begins a plaintive letter from a mother to the editors of the Russian newsweekly Argu-menti i Fakti. "He did not agree to this voluntarily. On what basis did they chase my boy in the direction of Chechen bullets?"
The editors explained that the "basis" was Boris Yeltsin's decree number 1366 of October 15, 1999. But in a larger sense, the question remains unanswered. In supposed response to terrorism, the Russian government bombs Chechen population centers while blocking exit points for the resulting refugees, the vast majority of whom have had nothing to do with terrorism. These horrors take place against the background of a vicious parliamentary and presidential election campaign.
Sitting in the living room of my Elektrostal host family last night, I discussed the situation with my host's son-in-law. Reflecting popular cynicism, he said, "It is all money. We know where our money [i.e., taxes] ends up-in Switzerland. But the USA has money in this, too. The more they [the U.S.] control the Caucasus, the more they can guarantee their oil supplies."
Public debate over Chechnya seems weak. Most of the mass media follows the government line-the absolute priority of fighting terrorism. Most grassroots sentiment, as far as I can read it, agrees half-heartedly. This reflects traditional Russian suspicions of the Caucasian mountains' ethnic groups (including their contemporary alleged heavy involvement in terrorism and Russian organized crime). But, Russians are also skeptical about political posturing and don't want their own children to face "Chechen bullets." And some media outlets reveal the suffering of the over 200,000 refugees and homeless people whose biggest enemy may now not be bombs and artillery, but winter.
In this gloomy scene, where are the candles of hope? I caught a glimpse of a few of them at the Friends House Moscow board meeting in mid-October. The indefatigable "friend of Friends," Natasha Nelidova, is busy organizing a "House of Warmth," offering many forms of formal and informal assistance to Chechen and other refugees who somehow make it to the big city. Moscow Friend Natasha Zhuravenkova is teaching English to some of these refugees, giving the successful students a head start in the search for employment. Just a few days ago, another Moscow Friend, Misha Roshchin, along with his brother in Christ, Victor Popkov (both with deep backgrounds in the "Old Believers" church, somewhat equivalent to Conservative Quakers in the Russian Orthodox spectrum), have organized a public hunger strike and prayer vigil against the war in Chechnya. Through this prayer action, they hope to express solidarity with Chechen people, repentance, and respect for the memory of all-Russians, Chechens, Christians, Muslims-who have been victims in the conflict. In the face of hostility, apathy, and (I hope and pray) also increasing awareness, they plan to keep the vigil going until the war ends. Watch for an interview with Misha Roshchin in our January issue.
Longer term prospects for peace in Russia may depend on "building a culture of peace," using current United Nations jargon, among a people who seem nearly paralyzed by a culture of stoic passivity. On this level, another "candle" has appeared: the publication of Lighting Candles in the Dark in an attractive Russian-English edition. (See page 5.) Thanks to generous donations (several through Friends United Meeting), this book will be offered free to English teachers in many parts of Russia. Its stories of real-life victories through nonviolence and high ethics seem to touch all who read them.
The most important candle of all is unceasing prayer. If this winter,
this Christmas season, finds you warm and comfortable, pray for the people
whom Victor Popkov, Misha Roshchin, Natasha Nelidova, and Natasha Zhuravenkova
are praying for. Pray for those who are still out in the cold.
Johan Maurer is general secretary of Friends United Meeting and editor of Quaker Life.
Copyright (c) 1999 Friends United Meeting
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