Lewis
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- Aug 5, 2005
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The Russian Orthodox Church has come up with an initiative to take a number of measures aimed at making the hotel business in Russia more religious tourist-friendly. According to the Church representatives, many Christian travellers annually stay in Russian hotels and they would like to find the hotel conditions paying respect to their religious feelings. The Church suggests that every Russian hotel room must have a Bible, a prayer book, also preferably saints` images, and other religious attributes.
Taking into account the fact that Russia is a multinational and multi religious country, here emerges the question: must the hotels also pay respect to other faiths and provide their guests with the Koran, Torah, etc?
For instance, the head of Muslim Religious Board of the Asian part of Russia Nafigulla Ashirov says it is impossible to place the Bible in every hotel room in Russia as the hotels are also visited by atheists and members of other confessions who find the idea of saints` images and Christianity on the whole unacceptable.
Andrey Kuraev, professor of Moscow Theological Academy, is sure that hotels must be ready to provide their guests with an option whether to have the Bible and saints` images in the room or other sacred books.
One of 2007 statistics shows that 63% of Russians regard themselves as Orthodox, 6% - Muslim, 16% are non-religious, 12% believe in God but do not belong to any religious confessions and the rest practice some other religions.
http://www.russia-ic.com/news/show/4321/
Taking into account the fact that Russia is a multinational and multi religious country, here emerges the question: must the hotels also pay respect to other faiths and provide their guests with the Koran, Torah, etc?
For instance, the head of Muslim Religious Board of the Asian part of Russia Nafigulla Ashirov says it is impossible to place the Bible in every hotel room in Russia as the hotels are also visited by atheists and members of other confessions who find the idea of saints` images and Christianity on the whole unacceptable.
Andrey Kuraev, professor of Moscow Theological Academy, is sure that hotels must be ready to provide their guests with an option whether to have the Bible and saints` images in the room or other sacred books.
One of 2007 statistics shows that 63% of Russians regard themselves as Orthodox, 6% - Muslim, 16% are non-religious, 12% believe in God but do not belong to any religious confessions and the rest practice some other religions.
http://www.russia-ic.com/news/show/4321/