For months leading the to the Sochi games, the western leaders and their media relentlessly discussed their concerns over the state of human rights in Russian Federation, to the point that to show their protest in a strongest manner, the venue of the Winter Olympics were discussed to be moved to Vancouver, Canada. The main questions of, what are the human rights violations that the Western World is so much worried about, and what is considered as violation of human rights are yet left unanswered.
One of the signs of the western democracy is their liberal values that include the LGBT rights standing for the Lesbians, Gays, Bisexuals and Transsexuals, promotion of which is one of the items on agenda of the Western world, led by the United States. The matter of LGBT is usedas a means of influence in societies, normally hostile to the west. One of these societies targeted is the Russian societies that traditionally are against any type of Western influence, especially if it is led by the United States. Hence, values such as LGBT rights is considered as allowing the US to gain a corridor of influence to their society.
As a result of strong public displeasure towards this small, in most cases less than 10 members, in June 2013, the Russian Government passed an anti-Gay legislation that outlawed any sort of homosexual relationship in the Russian Federation. Taking such a bold step by the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, sparked an international outcry for the rights of gay worldwide. [junkie-alert style=”white”] Barak Obama, in response, not only met with the one leading gay activists in Moscow, but also sent gay athletes instead of his family members to represent the United States in Sochi. [/junkie-alert]
Following the Western leaders’ and media outcry on gay rights, there were a number of protests in support of gays in the Western world. However, is the members of LGBT the only ones who’s ‘Human Rights’ are not respected, or there are many other oppressed tens of people in Russia, who has been under this tyrannical regime for so long since its inception.
Since the rise of Putin to power as a prime minister in 1999 and as a president in 2000, he ran a brutal and tyrannical campaign against Muslim population in caucuses and the rest of Russia. Initiated by a military operation on Chechnya where countless of crimes against humanity were committed it continued across the country under the banner of a ‘fight against terror’. In fact it continues as we speak. Members of other Muslim communities across the Russian controlled Caucuses, are detained, prosecuted and tortured on daily basis.
In fact, the mayor of Moscow publicly announced the ban on construction of new mosques in the city and Members of the Parliament publicly call on limitation of birth for Muslim couplesto further marginalize their population in the country. Any Muslim activist arrested in the country is considered as a terrorist and in most cases; they do not even make it to the police station.
What the western leaders and media [deliberately] fail to report is a matter, the Muslims of Russia face on daily basis. They are normally considered as Islamist terrorists in the western media to throw the audience behind the walls of ignorance and driving them away from the fact of realities of lives of Russian Muslim population that pushes them for a fight of insurgence towards this intense oppression led by the President Vladimir Putin himself.
If there’s people of any religion that were totally banned from entering to Sochi games, it was only one and that is Islam, where even Muslim residents of the area were forced to move out of the city. The world did not only failed to witness any visit from president Obama to the leaders of this oppressed nation but also the level of reporting of these realities in the world media. It is not in the favor of the Western Leaders and their media to raise their voice on the current state of the oppressed Muslim population of the area. Had it been a matter of their interest, the situation would have been quite different.
The western world is so furious over Russian ‘oppression’ of her gay population. However, what we see as a loud outcry for the right of those, who in number may not go higher than a couple of hundreds, is merely a matter of political interest of Western Regimes, otherwise, the true people in need of this outcry are millions who lack their rights to live peacefully. [junkie-alert style=”white”] Muslims of Russia, unfortunately are forgotten by the rest of the world, deliberately, and are considered as an Overshadowed Population.[/junkie-alert]
About Author: Muhammad Mustafa Mustaan is an analyst of global politics, especially the Muslim World. Having the degrees in Political Science, International Relations and Public Administration, Mr. Mustaan has been able to track down several world important issues in his analysis and pieces.