12.10.2019

Abstract: Religious extremism: essence, causes, ways of prevention. And protection from them

Religious and political extremism can be classified as one of the forms of illegitimate political struggle, i.e. does not correspond to the norms of legality and ethical standards shared by the majority of the population. The use of violent methods of struggle and exceptional cruelty shown by supporters of religious and political extremism, as a rule, deprive it of the support of the broad masses.

Including those belonging to the religion whose followers the leaders of the extremist group declare themselves to be. This is what happens with the Muslim Brotherhood in the Middle East, with the Taliban in Afghanistan, with the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan in Central Asia. Like legitimate political struggle, religious and political extremism is realized in two main forms: practical-political and political-ideological.

Religious and political extremism is characterized by the desire for a quick solution to complex problems, regardless of the “price” that has to be paid for this. Hence the emphasis on forceful methods of struggle. Dialogue, agreement, consensus, mutual understanding are rejected by him. The extreme manifestation of religious and political extremism is terrorism, which is an activity aimed at achieving political goals with the help of particularly cruel, frightening forms and methods of political violence. It was widely used in the history of political struggles that took place under religious banners, sometimes acquiring the character of genocide (crusades, St. Barfalomeev's night, etc.).

In recent decades, religious and political extremism has increasingly turned to terror as a means of achieving its goals. We observe numerous facts of this kind in Chechnya, Uzbekistan, Yugoslavia, Ulster, the Middle East and other regions of the Earth.

In an effort to arouse or strengthen dissatisfaction with the existing system among the masses and gain their support for their plans, supporters of religious and political extremism in the ideological and political struggle often adopt methods and means of psychological warfare. They do not appeal to reason and logical arguments, but to the emotions and instincts of people, to prejudices and preconceptions, to various mythological constructs.

Manipulation of religious texts and reference to theological authorities, combined with the presentation of distorted information, are used by them to create emotional discomfort and suppress a person’s ability to think logically and soberly assess current events. Threats, blackmail and provocations are components of the “argumentation” of religious and political extremists.

Religious-political extremism and ethno-nationalist extremism are often intertwined with each other. A number of circumstances contribute to this. Among them is the close historical connection between religion and ethnicity. It has led to the fact that many peoples perceive this or that religion as their national religion, as an integral part of their historical heritage (for example, Russians, Ukrainians, Belarusians, Greeks, Serbs perceive Orthodoxy this way; Italians, Spaniards, French, Poles, many other peoples of Europe, Brazilians, Argentines and many other peoples of Latin America - Catholicism; Turks, Persians, Uzbeks, Tajiks, Tatars, Bashkirs, Avars, Dargins, Kumyks and many other peoples of the North Caucasus, as well as many peoples of Africa - Islam; Mongols, Thais, Buryats, Kalmyks, Tuvans - Buddhism).

As a result, in ethnic self-awareness the corresponding peoples are represented as ethno-confessional communities. This circumstance creates an opportunity for the leaders of ethnonationalist extremist formations to appeal to the “national religion”, to use its postulates to attract fellow tribesmen into their ranks, and for the leaders of religious and political extremist groups to appeal to ethnonational feelings and values to increase the number of supporters of their movement.

The intertwining of religious-political extremism and ethno-nationalist extremism is also facilitated by their identical focus on achieving largely coinciding political goals. By closing and intertwining, they mutually feed each other, which helps strengthen their positions and helps expand their social base. A striking example of such “mutual feeding” of ethno-nationalist extremism and religious-political extremism was given to us by recent events in the Chechen Republic.

In the early 90s of the twentieth century, the wave of ethno-nationalist extremism rose quite high here. Having put forward separatist slogans, the leaders of the movement, led by D. Dudayev, set as their goal to separate the territory of the republic from Russia and create a secular ethnocratic state. Even having met a decisive rebuff from the Center, supporters of preserving the secular nature of the movement for a long time rejected attempts by religious and political extremists to give it a religious overtones.

The death of D. Dudayev weakened the position of supporters of ethno-nationalist extremism. Wanting to correct the situation and attract new fighters to the ranks of the movement, they met the demands of the leaders of religious and political extremism to give the movement an Islamic character. Recalling the events of that period, the former vice-president of Ichkeria Z. Yandarbiev proudly stated that he considered it his great merit to introduce Sharia law in the republic, which, in his opinion, gave new strength to the ethno-nationalist movement, contributing to the consolidation of these two movements.

The intertwining of ethno-nationalist extremism with religious and political extremism became the impetus for the merging of the united movement with international terrorism and the subsequent attack of illegal armed groups under the leadership of Sh. Basayev and Khattab on the Republic of Dagestan with the aim of creating a unified Islamic state, which in fact became the beginning of the second Chechen war with all its dire consequences.

The factors that give rise to religious and political extremism include socio-economic crises that change the living conditions of the majority of society members for the worse; deterioration of the social prospects of a significant part of the population; increase in antisocial manifestations; fear of the future; a growing sense of infringement of the legitimate rights and interests of ethnic and religious communities, as well as the political ambitions of their leaders; aggravation of ethno-confessional relations.

Describing the reasons that encourage Muslims to join the ranks of extremist groups, Professor Akbar Ahmed, director of Islamic studies at the University of Washington, said: “In South Asia, the Middle and Far East, there is a common type of young Muslim who, as a rule, is poor, illiterate and cannot find a job. . He believes that Muslims are treated unfairly in the world. He is full of anger and rage and seeks easy solutions."

Unfortunately, there are many such young people of different religions in our country. The readiness of many of them to participate in protests, including using violent methods, is driven not so much by religious feelings as by despair, hopelessness and the desire to help save their ethnic communities from the degradation to which the so-called liberal reforms have led them.

The factors giving rise to religious and political extremism in our country should be the socio-economic crisis, mass unemployment, deep stratification of society into a narrow circle of rich people and the overwhelming majority of low-income citizens, the collapse of the previous value system, legal nihilism, political ambitions of religious leaders and the desire of politicians to use religion in the struggle for power and privilege.

A.A.Nurullaev

INTRODUCTION

One of the main tasks of a modern state is to achieve civil peace and harmony in society to ensure national security, which is a guarantee of its normal functioning. An important component of ensuring the national security of a multi-confessional state is the system of legal regulation of state-confessional relations, as well as the presence of an adequate state-legal policy aimed at countering extremism.

Extremism in all its manifestations is one of the main problems that destabilizes the sustainable development of any modern society. In practice, extremism manifests itself primarily in the sphere of political, national, religious, and social relations. In this regard, there are three main forms of it: political, national and religious, which are intertwined.

Recently, extremist groups have widely used religious and national factors to achieve political ideas. Moreover, there is a clear tendency to use extremist methods to solve their religious, political, nationalist, socio-economic and other issues. The results of an analysis of modern law enforcement practice in countering religious extremism show a steady increase in the activity of religious extremist groups around the world.

The ideology of extremism denies dissent and rigidly affirms a system of political, ideological, and religious views. From their supporters, extremists demand blind obedience and execution of any, even the most absurd, orders and instructions. The argumentation of extremism is based not on reason, but on the prejudices and feelings of people. Taken to the extreme, the ideologization of extremist actions creates a special type of supporters of extremism, prone to self-excitation, loss of control over their behavior, ready for any action, to violate the norms established in society.

Based on this, we can say that extremism is not something good, but on the contrary, it is something bad that negatively affects society and is capable of destroying it, for the sake of some abstract and far-fetched concepts that have no basis in reality. natural grounds. Although extremism, as a phenomenon, is dualistic. That is, on the one hand it causes rejection and condemnation, and on the other – understanding and, sometimes, sympathy. The latter is expressed to a lesser extent and exists as an exception to the rule, that is, in the vast majority of cases it is condemned. The logical conclusion follows that extremism must be fought. And if we consider extremism as an inflammatory process on the body of society, then it is necessary to understand what conditions and factors contribute to the onset of inflammatory processes, and then treat them at the earliest stages, as well as prevent these processes. After all, any doctor will tell you that it is better to prevent the disease or, if you get sick, to extinguish the disease at an early stage of its development. Thus, it is necessary to study the reasons that contribute to the formation of radical views in people on certain aspects of life.

In this work we will consider the features of the formation of religious extremist behavior.

RELIGIOUS EXTREMISM

What is religious extremism?

Religious extremism is a strict rejection of the ideas of another religious denomination, an aggressive attitude and behavior towards people of other faiths, propaganda of the inviolability, the “truth” of one religious doctrine; the desire to eradicate representatives of another faith, even to the point of physical elimination (which receives theological justification and justification). Also, religious extremism is the denial of the system of religious values and dogmatic foundations traditional for society, as well as the aggressive propaganda of ideas that contradict them. Religious extremism should be considered an extreme form of religious fanaticism.

In many confessions one can find religious ideas and the corresponding behavior of believers, which to one degree or another express rejection of secular society or other religions from the standpoint of one or another creed. This is manifested, in particular, in the desire and desire of adherents of a certain confession to extend their religious ideas and norms to the entire society.

Recently, the media most often talk about Islamic radicals (supporters of “Islamism” or “political Islam”) who, in the name of pure faith, as they understand it, oppose the so-called “traditional Islam”, as it has developed over the centuries. There are also elements of religious extremism among Orthodox Christians, which manifest themselves in radical anti-Westernism, propaganda of “conspiracy theories,” religiously based nationalism, and rejection of the secular nature of the state. For example, there are religious groups calling for the refusal of the Taxpayer Identification Number and even the receipt of passports by the established forms.

The need to combat extremism, including religiously tinged, should be the goal of the entire society and every citizen. The state can only allow such religious activity that does not conflict with the constitutional right to freedom of conscience and religion and the principle of the secular nature of the state. Specific ideas of adherents of a particular religion that turn out to be incompatible with these principles fall under the term “religious extremism” and should be recognized as anti-social and anti-state. It is necessary to identify such manifestations of religiosity, which are characterized by a desire for the good of one’s own confession to the detriment of the good of the whole society.

Over the past decade, extremists have increasingly turned to the religiously based use of terrorism as a means to achieve their goals. In modern conditions, extremism poses a real threat both to the entire world community and to the national security of a particular state, its territorial integrity, constitutional rights and freedoms of citizens. Particularly dangerous is extremism, hiding behind religious slogans, leading to the emergence and escalation of interethnic and interfaith conflicts.

The main goal of religious extremism is to recognize one’s own religion as the leading one and to suppress other religious denominations through forcing them to adhere to their own system of religious faith. The most ardent extremists set as their goal the creation of a separate state, the legal norms of which will be replaced by religious norms common to the entire population.

Religious extremism often merges with religious fundamentalism, the essence of which is the desire to recreate the fundamental foundations of “one’s” civilization, to return it to its “true appearance.”

The main methods of activity of religious extremist organizations are: distribution of literature, video and audio cassettes, which promote the ideas of extremism.

Recently, extremist phenomena that are connected with religious postulates, but occur in the political sphere of society, have become increasingly widespread. Here, instead of the term “religious extremism,” the term “religious-political extremism” is used.

Religious-political extremism is a religiously motivated or religiously camouflaged activity aimed at forcibly changing the state system or violent seizure of power, violating the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the state, and inciting religious enmity and hatred for these purposes.

The main style of behavior of religious extremists is confrontation with state institutions. The principles of the “golden mean” and “do not act towards others as you would not want others to act towards you” are rejected by them. Adventurers who use religious ideas and slogans to achieve their goals are well aware of the power of religious teachings to attract people and mobilize them for an uncompromising struggle. At the same time, they take into account that people “bound” by religious oaths “burn all their bridges” and it is already difficult for them to leave the “game”.

FEATURES OF THE FORMATION OF RELIGIOUS EXTREMISM

To understand the peculiarities of the formation of extremism, including religious extremism, let us consider some factors and motives that contribute to the emergence of extremist behavior. In classifying factors, many scientists propose to proceed from the scale of the social system that generates these factors.

In the complex of macrosocial factors, structural factors are distinguished:

The presence of extreme social polarization of society and the youth environment and, as a consequence, increased alienation and hostility between social groups;

Reduced efficiency of social elevators, low level of social mobility of young people and the formation of preconditions for new “class” hatred;

The multi-ethnic structure of society with the presence of ethnic groups experiencing the period of formation and rise of ethno-cultural, ethno-religious self-awareness (this includes Central Asian societies, North Caucasian society, etc.);

Strengthening migration processes, which are predominantly ethnic in nature;

The formation of quantitatively significant ethnocultural diasporas with a high degree of heterogeneity of society (especially along racial, ethnocultural and religious grounds);

Today the problem of free movement of people has become acute. In society, any movement or migration is perceived as a threat to security. This is due to the fact that migration is often accompanied by such phenomena as the emergence of an ethnic monopoly of migrants on certain types of economic activity, the influx of some emigrants into the criminal sector of the economy, which contributes to the growth of crime. In response, tensions intensify in the places where migrants are localized; on this basis, pockets of ethnosocial violence arise, and the potential for political radicalism and extremism is formed.

Manifestations of xenophobia, racism and anti-Semitism are very pronounced, which are mainly characteristic of young people, due to their age, the most emotional part of society. Xenophobia is a state of protest based on rejection, fear of strangers, strangers, intolerance, and inadequate perception of visitors. Often this condition develops under the influence of targeted information and propaganda efforts. religious extremism confession

Let us pay attention to the modern mechanisms of the formation of extremist movements. Often, those groups that commit crimes of an extreme nature form through the Internet, searching for like-minded people on special forums.

Situational factors also play an equally important role in the formation of religious extremism:

Dynamics of the domestic and foreign political situation - the emergence of tension in relations with other states (for example, the armed conflict with Georgia in 2008);

Facts of interethnic clashes in society;

The activities of extremist, including radical nationalist and radical religious organizations, creating a favorable social and informational background for recruiting new participants, mainly from among young people;

The activity of the “extremist core” of youth;

Information background of interethnic and interfaith relations in society;

We should not forget about the impact of environmental factors that operate at the level of an individual’s everyday communication and are formed under the influence of the reference group. Environmental factors influencing the manifestation of extremism should be considered negative experience of interaction with representatives of other nations or faiths, as well as incompetence with respect to the customs and traditions of other peoples.

Finally, family factors play a special role. These include features of the status of families and family upbringing. The majority of experts surveyed during a sociological survey identified pedagogical failures in upbringing and the low standard of living of the family as the main family factors of extremism. Blind parental love and faith in the sinlessness of their own children, forgiveness of any unfavorable actions, unlimited indulgence in the whims of a growing child adversely affect the upbringing of the younger generation and act as conditions for an extremely selfish way of thinking. On the other hand, the use of bullying, abuse and beatings in education leads to the alienation of adolescents, contributes to the emergence of embitterment, resentment, and even aggressiveness, which becomes the basis for extremist manifestations against those guilty of a “bad” life.

There are also factors associated with the educational sphere, characterized by the problem of the predominance of teaching over upbringing. Educational institutions today practically do not use educational tools to influence the consciousness of students, but are only engaged in the transfer of knowledge and skills. This leads to deviant behavior of young people and insufficient assimilation by adolescents of social norms of behavior.

Now let's look at some of the motives that encourage an individual to engage in extremist activities.

Mercantile (selfish) motive. For most ordinary members of an extremist organization, it is this that is of paramount importance. This is explained by the fact that extremism, like any human activity, often represents a kind of “paid labor.”

Ideological motive. Based on the coincidence of a person’s own values, his ideological positions with the ideological values of any religious or political organization. It arises as a result of a person’s entry into some community that is close in spirit. In such cases, extremism becomes not only a means of implementing certain ideas, but also a kind of “mission” on behalf of a given community.

The motive of transformation, of actively changing the world, is a strong incentive associated with an understanding of the imperfections and injustice of the existing world and a persistent desire to improve it. For them, extremism is both a tool and a goal of transforming the world.

The motive of power over people is one of the most ancient and deepest motives. The need for power is the main driving force behind many human actions. Through extremist actions based on the thirst for power, the individual asserts itself and asserts itself. This motive is closely related to the desire to dominate, suppress and control others. Such a need is usually associated with high anxiety, and the desire to dominate can also be achieved through brute force, which in turn can be justified by ideological arguments.

The motive for the interest and attractiveness of extremism as a new field of activity. For a certain circle of people, especially those who are wealthy and sufficiently educated, extremism is interesting as a new, unusual field of activity. They are concerned with the risks associated with this activity, the development of plans, and the nuances of carrying out extremist actions. This motive is also typical for bored young people who have not found the purpose and meaning of life.

Friendly motive. It is based on various types of emotional attachment - from the desire to take revenge for harm caused to comrades in the struggle, fellow believers, relatives, to the desire to participate in extremist activities when one of the friends or relatives is a member of the organization.

There are such motives as youth romance and heroism, the desire to give one’s life and activities special significance, brightness, and unusualness. This motive is also associated with a gaming motive, associated with the need for risk, life-threatening operations, and the desire to be in an unusual situation. By preparing for extremist actions, planning them, looking for accomplices, committing extremist actions and evading persecution, the criminal lives his life to the fullest. By accepting responsibility for the crime committed, the extremist thereby communicates certain information about himself, and from that moment begins a new game. His situation becomes delicate and he mobilizes his strength as much as possible and tries to prove himself, thereby once again asserting himself.

How diverse and many-sided extremism is, so diverse are the motives that give rise to it. The motives themselves are largely unconscious, so they must be distinguished depending on many factors, including the type of specific criminal act. Many motives are intertwined with each other, some may be conscious, others not. In specific types of extremist behavior, the motives differ markedly even within the same criminal act; different participants may be stimulated by different motives.

In scientific research, the characteristics of the subject of extremist crimes have been studied. Most of them are young people aged 14 to 20 years (rarely up to 25 - 30 years old), who are members of informal youth extremist groups. They have a low level of education due to their age. Almost none of the perpetrators have been previously convicted. At the time of the crime, they are studying in schools, technical schools, universities and do not work anywhere. The subjects of crimes are males, but girls are also members of the groups.

CONCLUSION

Thus, we can conclude that the main factors influencing the emergence of extremism among young people, including religious extremism, are:

Low level of legal and spiritual education of the population, both in society and in families;

A significant percentage of the population has a low standard of living and is at risk of poverty;

Missionary, propaganda activities among young people;

Lack of a verified migration policy, which leads to an increase in migrants. Among such emigrants are often persons who were persecuted in their homeland for participation in extremist religious organizations or engaged in illegal religious activities.

The issue of creating a system for the participation of civil society in the prevention of extremist and terrorist manifestations, for the improvement of society, the prevention of xenophobia and the formation of a tolerant consciousness in society is important.

The school and family should be the center of tolerant education. It is necessary to fully promote citizenship, patriotism, and internationalism among students, as well as cultivate respect and tolerance in young people, explain the danger and destructiveness of extremism, and the inadmissibility of using violence to achieve goals, no matter how noble they may be. The creative intelligentsia has great resources for preventing extremism and terrorism.

Youth, as a demographic group in society, are among the most vulnerable to the spread of extremism. The National Security Strategy of the Russian Federation until 2020 indicates that among the main sources of threats to national security in the sphere of state and public security is the extremist activity of nationalist, religious, ethnic and other organizations and structures aimed at violating the unity and territorial integrity of the Russian Federation, destabilizing internal political and social situation in the country.

Extremist activities must be combated. To do this, it is necessary to study the essence and forms of this phenomenon. The Strategy notes that “to prevent threats to national security, it is necessary to ensure social stability, ethnic and religious harmony, increase the mobilization potential and growth of the national economy, improve the quality of work of government bodies and create effective mechanisms for their interaction with civil society in order to realize the benefits of citizens of the Russian Federation the rights to life, safety, work, housing, health and a healthy lifestyle, to accessible education and cultural development.”

The greatest danger to both the national security of the Russian Federation, its cultural, civilizational and socio-political structure is posed by organizations belonging to the directions of Islamic radical fundamentalism (which claims to establish its influence not only in traditionally Muslim regions, but throughout the entire country) and new religious movements destructive in nature. The main world religions, such as Christianity, Buddhism, Islam, are based on tolerance and love of humanity, are not aggressive in nature, and do not directly call for hostility towards other believers. However, there are religious movements that directly justify violence and cruelty.

In the last decade, the concept of “religious extremism” has been used more and more widely, and it refers to inhumane activities emanating from a religion that promotes violence. However, this term is conceptually contradictory: religion, in itself, as a socio-cultural phenomenon, inherently cannot carry aggression, and if it does, then it is no longer a religion, but some kind of extremist movement and cannot be called a religion. This type of extremism actively exploits individual doctrinal provisions of religion (at present there is a particularly active use of Islamic rhetoric) - hence the impression that extremism of this kind is religious.

There is no unambiguous definition of religious extremism. The effectiveness of political and law enforcement practices depends on the clear definition of the very concept of “religious extremism.” We can only give a general description of religious extremism. Religious extremism is:

a type of religious ideology and activity that is distinguished by extreme radicalism, focused on uncompromising confrontation with established traditions, a sharp increase in tension within a religious group and in the social environment (aggression, destructive nature of goals and activities);
the ideology and practice of some movements, groups, individual figures in confessions and religious organizations, characterized by adherence to extreme interpretations of religious doctrine and methods of action to achieve their goals, dissemination of their views and influence;
the implementation of ideas, relationships and activities of organized social subjects on the basis of a certain fundamental religious experience, which forms a negative perception of social existence as the embodiment of what should not be, and requiring a radical change in society to the ideally proper one (from the point of view of the content of this religious experience and the corresponding religious picture of the world and ideology ) through all forms of social violence and in all spheres and at all levels of society.

In modern conditions, religious extremism is formed as an expansion of religious and pseudo-religious organizations and systems. With its help, appropriate models of social structure and behavior of individuals are formed, and in some cases, models of globalization. Religious extremism is a complex social phenomenon that exists in three interrelated forms:

as a state of consciousness (social and individual), which is characterized by the following characteristics: hyperbolization of a religious idea, imparting the properties of a whole to a part of a social phenomenon, nihilism and fanaticism;
as an ideology (a religious doctrine characterized by an unambiguous explanation of the problems of the existing world and the proposal of simple ways to solve them, the division of the world into “good” and “evil”), giving a dominant position to one aspect of being that does not correspond to the hierarchy of values accepted in society, ignoring, leveling others normal;
as a set of actions to implement religious doctrines.

Forms of religious extremism:

intra-confessional (aimed at deep deformation of the confession);
non-confessional (aimed at eliminating other faiths);
personality-oriented (aimed at destructive transformation of personality);
ethno-religious (aimed at transforming the ethnic group);
religious-political (aimed at changing the political system);
social (aimed at changing the socio-economic system).

These types of religious extremism are often mixed in nature and do not appear in their pure form. The goal of religious extremism: radical reform of the existing religious system as a whole or some component of it. The implementation of this goal is connected with the tasks of deep transformation of the social, legal, political, moral and other foundations of society associated with the religious system.

Criteria for religious extremism as a social threat:

the presence of a special mission formed on the basis of religious experience or on the basis of an assessment of religious texts;
the cult of one’s own exclusivity and superiority, the radical self-difference of a religious group in relation to other religious groups and secular society as a whole, the presence of an aristocratic code of conduct (comparing oneself with the “aristocracy of the spirit”);
own subculture filled with the spirit of expansion;
high group cohesion and corporatism;
the presence of a religious doctrine of transforming the world, even through its denial and categorical consciousness;
activity of distinctive opposition towards “strangers”;
aggressiveness towards society and other religious groups.

The essence of religious extremism is the denial of the system of traditional

society of moral and ethical values and dogmatic foundations and aggressive propaganda of ideological aspects that contradict traditional universal values. This is manifested, in particular, in the desire and desire of adherents of a certain confession to extend their religious ideas and norms to the whole society.

Characteristic features of religious extremism: extreme intolerance towards dissent, towards all those of different faiths and especially towards non-believers, preaching one’s exclusivity and superiority over others, xenophobia.

Religious extremism manifests itself not only in the religious environment. It is often directed against the secular state, the existing social system, the laws and norms in force in it, in particular those regulating state-confessional relations, in its most extreme forms, focusing on theocratic rule. Religious extremism has manifestations in the sphere of politics, culture, and interethnic relations. In these cases, it acts as a religious motivation or religious ideological design of political, nationalist extremism, etc. Slogans, appeals, and ideological actions of extremist religious organizations are, as a rule, addressed not to reason, but to the feelings and prejudices of people, designed for uncritical, emotional perception, blind adherence to customs and traditions, and the crowd effect. And the actions, sometimes extremely cruel,

aimed at sowing fear, suppressing the enemy psychologically, and causing shock in society.

The social environment of religious extremism consists mainly of marginal and disadvantaged layers and groups of society who experience a feeling of dissatisfaction with their position and uncertainty in the future, fear of undermining or losing their national or religious identity.

Religious extremism, like other forms of extremism in society, can be generated by socio-economic crises and their consequences, such as unemployment and a decline in people's living standards, socio-political deformations and shocks, national discrimination, historical grievances and religious strife, the desire for social, political and ethnocratic elites and their leaders use the religious factor to achieve their goals and satisfy personal political ambitions. Various components of the social existence of peoples can also be sources of religious extremism.

Among the main reasons contributing to the growth of religious extremism in the Russian Federation, internal and external ones should be highlighted: socio-economic, political, cultural and educational, illegal activities of foreign special services and various extremist centers.

A characteristic feature of modern extremism and, as a consequence, terrorism that Russia faces is the fusion of ethnic extremism and criminal terrorism. At the same time, the religious factor is often used as an ideological and organizational basis in realizing the practical interests of political subjects.

Despite the emphasis in the socio-political discourse on the connection between Islamic radical organizations and extremist political strategies, destructive religious organizations should be placed in first place in terms of the degree of public danger. In the political and legal sphere, they are leaders in the number of crimes committed, financial fraud and corruption. In the cultural and civilizational plane, it is precisely such religious organizations that pose the greatest danger to the traditional spiritual and value foundations of Russian society.

Fundamentalism is religious extremism (missiological, extroverted component of religious activity) - terrorism on a religious basis. Fundamentalism and extremism are interconnected. The second is a consequence and development of the first. In its extreme forms, religious fundamentalism degenerates into extremism. In this sense, religious extremism is precisely a commitment to extreme views and measures in an effort to reorganize the world in accordance with religious fundamentalist views. Extremism is a harsh attitude towards “strangers”. But in this internationality (orientation), religious extremism does not yet transform into the form of open violence. However, it is extremism that becomes the last step to the emergence of terrorism.

Religious and political extremism is a type of extremist activity aimed at inciting religious or national enmity and hatred, a violent change in the government system or a violent seizure of power, or a violation of the territorial integrity of the country. The combination of religious intolerance with political activity gives rise to religious and political extremism.

Religious and political extremism has its own characteristic features. The main goal of religious and political extremism is a violent change in the state system, the desire to replace secular rule with theocracy (a political system in which religious figures have a decisive influence on state policy). Religious-political extremism is a type of activity that is motivated by religious tenets or slogans, which distinguishes it from economic, nationalist, environmental and other types of extremism, which have a different motivation. Religious and political extremism is distinguished by the desire of subjects of extremist activity to appeal to traditional faiths (Orthodoxy, Islam, etc.) in order to likely receive help and support in the fight against “infidels” and representatives of other “hostile” faiths. This type of activity is characterized by the dominance of violent, forceful methods of struggle to achieve their goals in politics. Religious and political extremism can manifest itself in the form of separatism, motivated or camouflaged by religious considerations.

The use of terrorist and violent methods of struggle by supporters of religious and political extremism, as a rule, deprive it of the support of the broad masses, including representatives of those religious teachings whose followers members of extremist organizations and groups declare themselves to be. Therefore, religious and political extremism refers to one of the forms of illegitimate political struggle, that is, one that does not correspond to the norms of legality and ethics shared by the majority of the population.

The socially dangerous activities of extremist religious organizations and political extremism must meet with active opposition from state institutions and civil society. Constant explanatory and preventive work must be carried out to prevent extremist manifestations in all spheres of the political and religious life of society. Only with targeted, constant work to prevent and counter religious extremism and fundamentalism is it possible to ensure the safety of both the population and the state from extremist and terrorist crimes.

In recent decades, extremists have increasingly turned to the organized and religiously based use of terrorist acts as a means of achieving their goals.
It is well known that in modern conditions, extremism in its various forms of manifestation poses a real threat both to the entire world community and to the national security of a particular state, its territorial integrity, constitutional rights and freedoms of citizens. Particularly dangerous is extremism, hiding behind religious slogans, leading to the emergence and escalation of interethnic and interfaith conflicts.

The main goal of religious extremism is the recognition of one’s own religion as the leading one and the suppression of other religious denominations through forcing them to their system of religious faith. The most ardent extremists set themselves the task of creating a separate state, the legal norms of which will be replaced by the norms of a religion common to the entire population. Religious extremism often merges with religious fundamentalism, the essence of which is the desire to recreate the fundamental foundations of “one’s own” civilization, cleansing it of alien innovations and borrowings, and returning it to its “true appearance.”

Extremism is often understood as a variety of phenomena: from various forms of class and liberation struggle, accompanied by the use of violence, to crimes committed by semi-criminal elements, hired agents and provocateurs.

Extremism (from the Latin extremus - extreme, last) as a specific line in politics means the commitment of political movements located on the extreme left or extreme right political positions to radical views and the same extreme methods of their implementation, denying compromises, agreements with political opponents and aspiring achieve your goals by any means.

An important feature of a number of non-governmental religious and political organizations of an extremist persuasion is the presence in them of actually two organizations - open and secret, conspiratorial, which makes it easier for them to maneuver politically and helps them quickly change methods of activity when the situation changes.

The main methods of activity of religious extremist organizations include the following: distribution of literature, video and audio tapes of an extremist nature, which promote extremist ideas.

Extremism, as is known, in its most general form is characterized as adherence to extreme views and actions that radically deny the norms and rules existing in society. Extremism manifested in the political sphere of society is called political extremism, while extremism manifested in the religious sphere is called religious extremism. In recent decades, extremist phenomena that are connected with religious tenets, but occur in the political sphere of society and cannot be covered by the concept of “religious extremism,” have become increasingly widespread.

Religious-political extremism is a religiously motivated or religiously camouflaged activity aimed at violently changing the state system or violent seizure of power, violating the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the state, and inciting religious hostility and hatred for these purposes.

Just like ethno-nationalist extremism, religious-political extremism is a type of political extremism. Its characteristic features distinguish it from other types of extremism.

1. Religious and political extremism is activity aimed at violent change of the state system or violent seizure of power, violation of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the state. The pursuit of political goals makes it possible to distinguish religious and political extremism from religious extremism. According to the mentioned criteria, it also differs from economic, environmental and spiritual extremism.

2. Religious and political extremism is a type of illegal political activity that is motivated or camouflaged by religious tenets or slogans. On this basis, it differs from ethnonationalist, environmental and other types of extremism, which have a different motivation.

3. The predominance of forceful methods of struggle to achieve one’s goals is a characteristic feature of religious and political extremism. On this basis, religious and political extremism can be distinguished from religious, economic, spiritual and environmental extremism.

Religious and political extremism rejects the possibility of negotiation, compromise, and even more so consensus ways to solve socio-political problems. Supporters of religious and political extremism are characterized by extreme intolerance towards anyone who does not share their political views, including fellow believers. For them there are no “rules of the political game”, no boundaries of what is permitted and what is not permitted.

Confrontation with state institutions is their style of behavior. The principles of the “golden mean” and the requirement “don’t do to others as you would not want them to do to you,” which are fundamental to world religions, are rejected by them. In their arsenal, the main ones are violence, extreme cruelty and aggressiveness, combined with demagoguery.

Adventurers who use religious ideas and slogans in the struggle to achieve their illegal political goals are well aware of the potential of religious teachings and symbols as an important factor in attracting people and mobilizing them for an uncompromising struggle. At the same time, they take into account that people “bound” by religious oaths “burn bridges”; it is difficult, if not impossible, for them to “leave the game.”

The calculation is made that even those who have lost their illusions and realized the unrighteousness of their actions will find it very difficult to leave its ranks: they will fear that their refusal to confront the authorities and transition to a normal peaceful life may be perceived as a betrayal of the religion of their people, as an attack against faith and God.

The introduction of the concept of “religious-political extremism”, first of all, will make it possible to more clearly separate phenomena occurring in the religious sphere from actions committed in the world of politics, but having religious motivation and religious camouflage.

In fact, can the actions of those who accuse their co-religionists of heresy for contacts with people of other faiths or exert moral pressure on those intending to leave one Christian religious community for another Christian confessional community, and actions that fall under articles of the criminal code, be considered of the same order? which provide for liability for crossing the state border with weapons in hand with the aim of violating the state unity of the country or gaining power, for participating in gangs, killing people, taking hostages, even if they are motivated by religious considerations?

In both cases we are dealing with extremist actions. However, the difference between them is extremely great. If in the first case we are talking about manifestations of religious extremism, then in the second there are actions included in the content of the concept of “religious and political extremism.” Meanwhile, both in the media and in specialized literature, all such actions are united by one concept “religious extremism” (“Islamic extremism”, “Protestant extremism”, etc.).

Differentiation of concepts will make it possible to more accurately determine the reasons that give rise to this or that type of extremism, will contribute to a more correct choice of means and methods of combating them, and, therefore, will help predict events and find effective ways to prevent and overcome various forms of extremism.

Religious and political extremism most often manifests itself:

In the form of activities aimed at undermining the secular socio-political system and creating a clerical state;

In the form of a struggle to assert the power of representatives of one confession (religion) on the territory of the entire country or part of it;

In the form of religiously based political activity carried out from abroad, aimed at violating the territorial integrity of the state or overthrowing the constitutional order;

In the form of separatism, motivated or camouflaged by religious considerations;

In the form of a desire to impose a certain religious teaching as a state ideology.

Subjects of religious and political extremism can be individuals and groups, as well as public organizations (religious and secular) and even (at certain stages) entire states and their unions.

The use of violent methods of struggle and the exceptional cruelty shown by supporters of religious and political extremism, as a rule, deprive it of the support of the broad masses, including those belonging to the religion of which the leaders of the extremist group declare themselves to be followers. Like legitimate political struggle, religious and political extremism is realized in two main forms: practical-political and political-ideological.

Religious and political extremism is characterized by the desire for a quick solution to complex problems, regardless of the “price” that has to be paid for this. Hence the emphasis on forceful methods of struggle. Dialogue, agreement, consensus, mutual understanding are rejected by him. The extreme manifestation of religious and political extremism is terrorism, which is a set of particularly cruel forms and means of political violence. In recent decades, religious and political extremism has increasingly turned to terror as a means of achieving its goals. We observe numerous facts of this kind in Chechnya, Uzbekistan, Yugoslavia, Ulster, the Middle East and other regions of the Earth.

In an effort to arouse or strengthen dissatisfaction with the existing system among the masses and gain their support for their plans, supporters of religious and political extremism in the ideological and political struggle often adopt methods and means of psychological warfare, turning not to reason and logical arguments, but to emotions and instincts people, to prejudices and preconceptions, to various mythological constructs.

They use manipulation of religious texts and references to theological authorities, combined with the presentation of distorted information, to create emotional discomfort and suppress a person’s ability to think logically and soberly assess current events. Threats, blackmail and provocations are components of the “argumentation” of religious and political extremists.

The factors giving rise to religious and political extremism in our country include the socio-economic crisis, mass unemployment, a sharp drop in the standard of living of the bulk of the population, the weakening of state power and the discrediting of its institutions that are unable to solve pressing issues of social development, the collapse of the previous system of values, legal nihilism, the political ambitions of religious leaders and the desire of politicians to use religion in the struggle for power and privilege.

Among the reasons contributing to the strengthening of religious and political extremism in Russia, one cannot fail to mention violations of the rights of religious and ethnic minorities committed by officials, as well as the activities of foreign religious and political centers aimed at inciting political, ethnonational and interfaith contradictions in our country.

LIST OF REFERENCES USED

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Relevance of the research topic: At the turn of the century, extremism ceased to be an episodic and extraordinary phenomenon. In the modern world, it has become a method widely practiced by various religious, political, and nationalist movements to forcefully resolve a number of pressing problems. Manifesting itself from time to time in open form, it poses a threat to the stability of the entire world community, since globalization has turned regional threats into universal ones.

The works of I.A. are devoted to the analysis of the human right to freedom of conscience and the construction of an optimal model of state-confessional relations. Kunitsina, A.S. Lovinyukova, N.A. Trofimchuk and others. The publications of scientists studying the relationship between religion, politics and law are relevant: SI. Samygina, M. Mchedlova, A. Tikhomirov and others.

Of particular interest are publications concerning the essence of religious extremism, including the works of P.P. Baranova, V.Yu. Vereshchagina, M.I. Labuntsa, N.N. Afanasyeva, A. Nurullaeva and others.

The spread of new religious movements of an extremist and destructive nature in Russia is also reflected in modern scientific research by A. Khvyl-Olinter. M. Kurochkina, I.N. Yablokov. LEE. Grigorieva. T. Bazhan. E.G. Balagushkina. ON THE. Trofimchuk and others.

A large number of works are devoted to the study of Islamic fundamentalism and extremism both in the countries of the Middle East and the North Caucasus, including the works of A. A. Ignatenko. A.V. Malashenko, L.R. Syukiyainen, I. Dobaeva. A. Khvylya-Olintera. IV. Kudryashova and others.

The purpose of the work is to consider the features of religious extremism and its development. In the last decade, this term has been used more and more widely; it refers to aggression emanating from religion. However, this term is conceptually contradictory: religion inherently cannot carry aggression, and if it does, then it is no longer a religion. Consequently, some other content is mixed with religion, with which aggression is associated. But it cannot be denied that this extremism actively exploits certain doctrinal provisions of religion (Islamic doctrines are currently being used) - hence the impression that this kind of extremism is religious.

It is no less obvious that so-called “religious extremism” cannot be purely religious. In any case, it includes socio-political and economic components. Religion can and should be fundamentalist, i.e. it must insist on its roots in fundamental dogmas, but a religion cannot be extremist (that is, going beyond its limits). Other, non-religious factors make it so. Religion is connected to current politics, and the more religion is rooted in social issues, the more it can be politicized.

The ideology of extremism denies dissent and rigidly asserts its own system of political, ideological, and religious views. From their supporters, extremists demand blind obedience and execution of any, even the most absurd, orders and instructions. The argumentation of extremism is addressed not to reason, but to the prejudices and feelings of people.

Taken to the extreme, the ideologization of extremist actions creates a special type of supporters of extremism, prone to self-excitation, loss of control over their behavior, ready for any action, to violate the norms established in society.

Extremists are characterized by a desire for ochlocracy, the rule of the “crowd”; they reject democratic methods for resolving conflicts that arise. Extremism is inseparable from totalitarianism, the cult of leaders - bearers of the highest wisdom, whose ideas should be perceived by the masses solely on faith.

The main essential characteristics of extremism are: intolerance towards supporters of other views (political, economic, religious, etc.); attempts to ideologically justify the use of violence against both opponents and those who do not share the beliefs of extremists; not only an appeal to well-known ideological or religious teachings, but also claims to their true interpretation while actually denying many of the basic provisions of these teachings; the dominance of emotional methods of influence in the process of propaganda of extremist ideas; creating a charismatic image of the leaders of extremist movements, the desire to present these individuals as “infallible”, and all their orders are not subject to discussion.

The history of the development of human relations has convincingly proven that extremism, as an expression of extreme views and attitudes of certain social forces, has the ability to penetrate into all spheres of society and social relations.

1. The concept and main signs of extremism. The essence of his religiosity.

Extremism is a commitment to extreme views and actions. Extremism is generated by socio-economic crises, deformations of political institutions, a sharp drop in living standards, deterioration in the social prospects of a significant part of the population, the dominance in society of feelings, moods of melancholy, social and personal unrealization, incompleteness of being, fear of the future, suppression by the authorities of opposition, dissent, blocking legitimate individual activity, national oppression, ambitions of leaders, political parties, orientation of leaders of the political process towards extreme means of political activity.

The social base of extremism consists of marginal strata, representatives of nationalist and religious movements, intellectuals dissatisfied with the existing political reality, youth, students, and the military. As a phenomenon, extremism is dualistic in the sense that, on the one hand, it evokes understanding and, at times, sympathy, and on the other, rejection and condemnation. Extremism is usually divided into two types: rational and irrational, which are behavioral acts that are logically difficult to explain.

Rational extremism aims to overcome social dysfunctions as effectively as possible through radical measures. Often, the determinant of national extremism is the inactivity of the executive branch or legislator, who are unable to solve the emerging social problem in a legitimate way. If physical elimination or other kind of psychophysical influence is used that can cause harm to the life and health of even an unscrupulous official, then the role of criminal law is undoubted. And yet, recognizing the undoubted role of criminal law in the event of harm to a person, even with the best intentions, one should sometimes take into account the compulsion of this kind of action, which is a response to the inaction of the authorities.

Irrational extremism is also often ruthless, but its goals are mundane and do not evoke the kind of sympathy that can be experienced in front of variants of rational extremism. This is youth extremism (vandals), psychopathic (unmotivated massacres, for example, in schools), sports (fans), etc., although this type of extremism is very easy to explain, taking into account the psychological perception of the crowd and the nuances of psychological perception, mainly minors.

According to their orientation, extremism is distinguished: economic, political, nationalistic, religious, environmental, spiritual, etc. Economic extremism is aimed at the destruction of diversity and the establishment of any one form of ownership, uniform methods of economic management, a complete rejection of the principle of state regulation of the economic sphere, and the elimination of competition in business activities. Nationalist extremism rejects the interests and rights of other nations. It is organically connected with separatism and is aimed at the collapse of multinational states.

Religious extremism is manifested by intolerance towards representatives of other faiths or in violent confrontation within the same faith. Environmental extremists oppose not only effective environmental policies, but also scientific and technological progress in general, believing that the elimination of environmentally unfavorable industries is the only possible way to improve the quality of the environment. Spiritual extremism is focused on isolationism, rejects the experience and achievements of another culture, and imposes certain social, religious, and ethnic standards as the official ideology. The goal of political extremism is destabilization, destruction of the existing political system, government structures and the establishment of a “legal” and “left” regime. In political practice, these types of extremism practically never occur in their pure form.

So, extremism is a complex social phenomenon, characterized by commitment to extreme views and actions, including a variety of forms and manifestations of radicalism.

PACE defined the concept of “extremism” in 2003. According to this definition, “extremism is a form of political activity that directly or indirectly rejects the principles of parliamentary democracy.”

Main signs of extremism:

1) public calls for the establishment of a dictatorship in Russia, that is, a system that significantly infringes on the political and civil rights of Russian citizens;

2) public calls for the violent overthrow of the constitutional order or the seizure of power;

3) creation of armed formations;

4) inciting social, racial, national, linguistic or religious hatred and publicly expressing intentions to limit the rights of citizens on these grounds;

5) presenting their goals, ideals or distinctive features with the help of symbols, in the recent past inherent in the National Socialist regime of Germany and the fascist regime of Italy;

6) public approval of national socialist, fascist and other totalitarian regimes; denial of crimes committed by such regimes, justification of their leaders and policies.

Religious extremism is the denial of the system of religious values and dogmatic foundations traditional for society, as well as the aggressive propaganda of “ideas” that contradict them. In many, if not all, confessions, one can find religious ideas and corresponding actions of believers that are antisocial in nature, that is, to one degree or another, they express rejection of secular society and other religions from the standpoint of one or another religious belief. This is manifested, in particular, in the desire and desire of adherents of a certain confession to extend their religious ideas and norms to the entire society.

Recently, the media most often talk about Islamic radicals (supporters of “Islamism” or “political Islam”) who, in the name of the purity of faith, as they understand it, oppose the so-called. traditional Russian Islam, as it has developed in our country over the centuries.

Elements of religious extremism are also widespread among Orthodox Christians. It manifests itself in radical anti-Westernism, propaganda of “conspiracy theories,” religiously based nationalism, and rejection of the secular nature of the state. For example, there are religious groups calling on believers to renounce the Taxpayer Identification Number (TIN) and even to obtain passports of the established form.

It is obvious that some closed religious associations, commonly called “totalitarian sects,” must also be classified as extremist. The need to combat extremism, including religiously tinged extremism, should be the goal of the entire society and every citizen.

The state can only allow such religious activity that does not conflict with the constitutional right to freedom of conscience and religion and the principle of the secular nature of the state.

Specific religious ideas of adherents of a particular religion that turn out to be incompatible with these principles fall under the term “religious extremism” and should be recognized as anti-social and anti-state.

It is necessary to identify and publicly discuss such manifestations of religiosity, which are characterized by a desire for the good of one’s own confession or religious community to the detriment of the good of the whole society.

2. Forms of religious extremism. Socio-economic and
political reasons for religious extremism. Religious and political extremism.