R. M. MUKHAMETZYANOVA-DUGGAL

Candidate of Political Sciences

З. R. KHABIBULLINA

(Ufa)

The conditions for meeting the religious needs of Muslims in different periods of Russian history had certain specifics. In tsarist Russia, religious institutions were dependent on the state, and their activities were regulated by the Ministry of Internal Affairs and local government agencies. Performing the Hajj, which was fraught with many difficulties, was a rare and extremely expensive event. The duration of the hajj ranged from six months to several years, and it was performed by a small number of people, mostly clerics, so there was no special need for it to be organized by the state. Sometimes pilgrims had to abandon their journey due to the closure of Russian borders in the event of plague epidemics in eastern countries.

During the Soviet period, the number of pilgrims was strictly regulated (no more than 20-30 people from all over the country), candidates were strictly selected and checked by the Council for Religious Affairs under the Council of Ministers of the USSR and security agencies. As a rule, they were nomenclatural cultural figures, secretaries of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Central Asian republics, loyal representatives of the spiritual elite, and Muslim veterans of war and labor.

During the period of Perestroika and especially after the collapse of the Soviet Union, the number of people willing to go on the Hajj increased. The first large group of pilgrims from the USSR (about 1.5 thousand people) arrived in Mecca in 1990.1 This opportunity appeared for Russian Muslims in the late 80's and early 90's^.

Since religious associations in Russia are separated from the state, pilgrimage as a religious rite falls within the competence of religious organizations. The State cannot establish firm rules and restrictions on Hajj.

As a result, the main task of establishing contacts with Saudi Arabia to send pilgrims fell on the shoulders of the spiritual administrations of Muslims (DUM).

In 2002, the coordinating body of Muslim spiritual directorates, the Hajj Council under the Government of the Russian Federation, was established. Currently, the status of the Council is an unregistered public association. It includes representatives of the largest Dumas in Russia, where all decisions are made by a majority vote. It was supposed that representatives of the Russian DUMAS would register the Hajj Council as an independent legal entity and create a fund to promote hajj under it, but everything stopped at the level of making a decision to create a working group on registering the organization.

THE PROBLEM OF HAJJ QUOTAS

In addition, it is very difficult to determine the number of representatives of a particular denomination in Russia.

Russian population censuses do not indicate religious affiliation. The spread in figures on the number of Russian Muslims is very large: from 10 to 35 million people. The most widely reported number of Muslims in Russia is 20 million. According to the ethnic criterion for calculating Muslims, i.e. by origin, there are approximately 15 million adherents of Islam in Russia. If you add between 2 and 5 million migrants from the former Soviet republics, the real number of Muslims in Russia will be approximately 15-20 million. Thus, Muslims in Russia make up between 10 and 14% of the country's population2.

The number of Russian pilgrims to Mecca has increased many times over the past decade and now exceeds the official quota that Saudi Arabia, in agreement with the Organization of the Islamic Conference, has set for all countries of the world: one pilgrim out of every thousand Muslims living in the country.

In 2009, a quota of 20.5 thousand people was set for Russia. This number of pilgrims is recorded in the Russian-Saudi protocol signed in Mecca in April of the same year.

In the 8 years since the establishment of the Hajj Council, the State has done a lot for spiritual administrations. An intergovernmental agreement was signed with Saudi Arabia, a single Russian hajj mission was formed, and direct air service from Moscow to Jeddah was established for the convenience of pilgrims.

However, the distribution of the all-Russian quota for pilgrimage within the country remains an acute problem. It should be noted that quotas are allocated not for regions, but for spiritual administrations of Muslims in the regions. Dumas, in turn, transfer this quota to travel companies, but do not work directly with believers on Hajj issues.

In this regard, the study of foreign experience deserves attention. In our opinion, setting up a case in India is of particular value for Russia.

First, the constitutional status of religion in our countries is similar: Russia and India are countries of secular statehood. Secondly, Russia has a comparable percentage of the Muslim population to India. Third, India has been operating a special GO for more than 90 years-

The government agency is the Indian Haj Committee of India.

Finally, Government policy on freedom of conscience in India is conducted in a political democracy. India is recognized by the international community as a state that enjoys the reputation of "the largest democracy in the world".

THE PILGRIMAGE BEGAN IN BOMBAY

The history of ICH is inextricably linked with the" gateway of India " - Bombay (now Mumbai). Even before the establishment of British rule, Muslims who went on the Hajj by sea began their journey to the holy places from the village on the site of which the metropolis grew up. Available sources indicate the existence of the Hajj Committee since 1927. It then consisted of 10 members, including prominent members of the Muslim community and the President of the committee, the Bombay Police Commissioner.

But since the 1990s, trips by sea have become less attractive, and the number of people who want to travel by air has increased. According to the IKH, from India in 1994 (with the quota for Indian Muslims - 25 thousand people), about 5 thousand pilgrims went to the Hajj by sea, and more than 25 thousand preferred to travel by air. Since 1995, the delivery of pilgrims by sea from India to Saudi Arabia has been completely discontinued, and all those who wish to perform the Hajj have begun to travel by air; in this regard, there is no need for pilgrims to travel to Bombay. Gradually, the Indian government introduced additional points of departure for pilgrims, the number of which continued to increase from year to year. In 2009, flights were organized from 19 cities, including the capital of the country and the largest megacities - Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai.

The forms of hajj management have also changed. Since 2002, the Indian Hajj Committee has opened its offices in all regions of the country. For this purpose, the entire territory of India was divided into six zones. Six representatives from these zones, as well as three from the states from which the largest number of pilgrims has traveled in the last three years, are the largest group of functionaries in the ICH. In addition to them, the ECC consists of three Muslim members of Parliament, officials from the Foreign Ministry, Interior Ministry, Finance and Civil Aviation ministries, as well as Muslims appointed by the central Government from among those with knowledge of Muslim theology.³

The ECC operates on the basis of the Hajj Committee Act of 2002, according to which its main function is to take measures to organize Muslim pilgrimages.

It is the responsibility of the IKH to publish announcements in the country's leading newspapers about the upcoming Hajj. It checks applications from the states, processes them by computer and sends them to the Consulate General of India in Jeddah.

ICH organizes collection of funds for housing, mandatory fees, air travel, as well as the exchange of Indian money for foreign currency. The Committee fixes the exchange rate of the Saudi rial against the Indian rupee, which is valid for the entire Hajj season. All monetary transactions are made only through the bank, mainly through the Bank of India.

For those who are preparing to make a pilgrimage, the IKH sends out a guide to the hajj with information about the rituals performed during the Hajj and Umrah (small pilgrimage), about material and technical details, as well as the main provisions of the laws of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The guide is published in ten languages, including Urdu, Hindi and English. The Committee also organizes two-day training courses, where specially trained instructors teach pilgrims in all regions of the country.

ICH makes necessary preparations for the delivery of vaccines

Chart. Religious minority communities in India (2001 census).

from meningitis and polio. According to the norms of the World Health Organization, those who wish to make a pilgrimage are required to get the necessary vaccinations and get the appropriate certificates. Since 2004, an accident insurance and compensation program for pilgrims has been introduced. In this regard, pilgrims are charged a one-time insurance premium ⁴.

Not all pilgrims are happy with the work of the ICH. For example, in 2008, many pilgrims received a letter from the Committee months after their trip, demanding an additional 5,000 rupees due to the depreciation of the exchange rate of the Indian rupee to the Saudi rial at the time of booking accommodation. This letter caused outrage also because many pilgrims were placed in hotels of a lower category than those that were paid for. Complaints also related to poor service during the pilgrimage: insufficient toilets (12 for several thousand people); accommodation of pilgrims in double rooms for 4 to 5 people; lack of necessary conditions for separate accommodation of women, many of whom were forced to sleep next to strangers in cramped tents and hotel rooms, while the rest of the pilgrims were forced to stay in the same according to Sharia law, women must travel and be accompanied by a male relative.⁵

In general, the activities of the Indian Hajj Committee are characterized by openness and transparency, which is largely facilitated by the Right to Information Act of 2005. Information related to the preparation and performance of the Hajj, including lists of pilgrims, is publicly available on the Internet.

THE LARGEST RELIGIOUS MINORITY

Today, India can rightly be considered one of the largest Muslim countries. Unlike Russia, India has a known number of Muslims. According to the latest census of India in 2001 (the next one should be held in 2011 - ed.), Muslims make up 13.4% of the population, and their number reached 138 million people.⁶ Followers of Islam are the most significant religious minority in India. Their share in the total number of officially recognized religious minorities, which, in addition to Muslims, include Christians, Sikhs, Buddhists and Zoroastrians (Parsis), is 73.7% ⁷ (see chart). The Hajj quota for Indian Muslims is set by the central government of the country in coordination with Saudi Arabia. The distribution of quotas between states and Union territories is carried out in proportion to the Muslim population living in them, based on census data. If there are no applications submitted to the state hajj committees in excess of the quota, the places among those wishing to make the voyage are distributed by drawing lots.

If the number of applications submitted to the no Hajj committee of a state is less than the allocated quota, then the available seats are placed at the disposal of the ECC, which redistributes them to the states where the number of people wishing to perform Hajj exceeds the quota.

The vast majority of pilgrims travel through the Indian Hajj Committee (see table).

Table

Quota for the Indian Hajj Committee and the number of pilgrims who performed Hajj through IKH (2000-2009) ⁸

In India, there is a practice of deterring those who want to perform the Hajj again. Persons who have made a pilgrimage are not allowed to apply for Hajj to the Hajj Committee for the next five years. This restriction applies even to those who have performed Badal Hajj.

Among young Indian Muslims, the appeal of the Hajj is growing. Affluent young believers are increasingly choosing the hardships of pilgrimage over tourism in Europe. There are cases when some newlyweds go to the Hajj.

According to G. S. Ansari, Chairman of the Maharashtra State Hajj Committee, approximately 85% of pilgrims are in the 25-35 age group. A lawyer and social activist from Pune claims that he has been observing a similar trend for the past 10 years. Previously, this was not typical for India ⁹.

STATE SUPPORT: NEW TRENDS

The policy of secularism and support for religious minorities is fundamental for the ruling political alliance led by the Indian National Congress (INC). The concept of "secularism" in India has no clear definition.-

* Badal-hajj - hajj performed in place of another person who is unable to perform it independently due to illness, including for a deceased relative.

no division, no legislative consolidation. Most often, it is interpreted as an equal, patronizing attitude of the state towards all religions and communities.

Since coming to power in 2004, the INC-led United Progressive Alliance (UGA) government has not only increased the number of Hajj pilgrims from India, but also restored subsidies that were abolished by the previous government. India is the only country where the state pays for part of the air travel for low-income pilgrims. So, for example, discounted tickets for flights from India to Saudi Arabia and back in 2009 cost followers of Islam from low-income segments of the population in 16 thousand rupees, and the price for the same flight by Air India is 80-90 thousand rupees.

However, due to the fact that public spending on air travel subsidies has increased significantly in recent years, the Government is seeking to reduce such costs and recognizes that the current subsidy model is outdated. In October 2009, during the ceremony of sending Indian pilgrims to the Hajj, Foreign Minister S. M. Krishna announced that reforms were planned to make the system of preferential financing of Hajj "scientifically sound, more transparent and effective"^.10 One of the first steps in this direction was the proposal of the Foreign Ministry to reduce the annual 10% reduction in the number of people who are eligible for the Hajj. the number of pilgrims sent at subsidized ticket prices. The proposal is currently being approved by all agencies involved in organizing the pilgrimage, such as the Ministries of Civil Aviation, Finance and Minority Affairs.

In addition, the Government has a number of other proposals regarding subsidies. One of the options is suggested by K. Rahman Khan and some Muslim members of Parliament who advise using the Malaysia model. Its essence is that the government agency-the Management of the Malaysia Pilgrimage Fund (Malaysian Tabung Haji) is responsible for organizing pilgrimages to Mecca and investing Muslims according to Islamic teachings. It helps to ensure that the savings of future pilgrims are invested, including in vehicles. Muslims make deposits of the amount they can afford, for a certain period of time. Depositors can withdraw this money at any time when they wish to perform Hajj ¹¹. However, there are concerns that this model is hardly acceptable today for Indian Muslims.

Some Muslim leaders believe that it is enough to eliminate the monopoly of Air India on the transportation of pilgrims. According to the Hajj Act of 1959 and bilateral agreements with Saudi Arabia, all pilgrims traveling through the Indian Hajj Committee can only be carried out by the State-owned Air India company or any Saudi airline provided for in the contract. The cost of a flight by Air India, as already mentioned, ranges from 80 - 90 thousand rupees, depending on the landing point, while on regular flights the fee for the Delhi-Jeddah route is much lower - 18-25 thousand rupees. Air India officials explain the overpayment by saying that it is necessary to remove planes from regular flights in order to use them for transporting pilgrims.

Many pilgrims agree that instead of the current practice, it would be possible to carry out transportation on the basis of long-term lease of air transport from other companies. "We demand that the IKH be authorized to conduct global tenders... in order to maintain the availability of Hajj. I am sure that many of the world's airlines will be happy to transport 100,000 passengers at a cheaper fare, " said Imam Ahmed Bukhari of the Delhi Cathedral Mosque ¹².

The ECJ sees the government's intention to phase out funding for the Hajj as a "step in the right direction", and subsidies are doing more "harm" than good to the Muslim community.

Many Muslims refuse state support for the Hajj on principle, justifying this by the Islamic principle, which states that the Hajj is obligatory only for those who can afford it. "The Qur'an clearly states that hajj is a duty only for those who are financially able to perform it," said Abdul Khalek Madrazi, deputy rector of the leading Islamic school Dar Ululum in Deoband, Uttar Pradesh.

* * *

India has accumulated extensive and valuable experience in organizing Muslim pilgrimages to Saudi Arabia - a conceptual framework and legal framework for state regulation of the Hajj, as well as relevant organizations, have been created.

In Russia, the business of sending Muslims to holy sites does not yet have a solid organizational basis. It is therefore important to establish an exchange of experience with Indian state and public structures working with the Islamic religious minority.

¹ Hadj 1990 Annual report // Current archive of the Central Spiritual Administration of Muslims of Russia and European CIS countries.

^{Yarlykapov A.} 2 Osnovnye problemy vzaimosheniyakh islama i vlasti na Tsentralnom i Severo-Zapadnom Kavkaze [The main problems of relations between Islam and power in the Central and North-Western Caucasus].

³ The Haj Committee Act, 2002 - http://hajcommittee.com/index.php?value=theact

⁴ Function of Haj Committee of India - http://hajcommittee.com/index.php?value=functions

^{Dasgupte D.} 5 Piligrim's regress // Outlook, Delhi, 6.07.2009.

⁶ Census of India 2001 - http://www.censusindia.gov.in/Census_Data_2001/Census_data_finder/H_Series?Households _By_Religion.htm

⁷ Ibidem.

⁸ Statement showing the original quota & no. of pilgrims proceeded from 1990 to 2009 - http://hajcommittee.com/index.php?value=records

^{Johari A.} 9 More young people going for haj // The Hindustan Times, 22.10.2009; Haq Z. The dole devotees frown upon // The Hindustan Times, 26.10.2009.

¹⁰ Comprehensive policy likely before next Haj season: Krishna // The Hindustan Times, 25.10.2009.

^{Jacob J.} 11 Govt wants end rising Haj subsidy // The Hindustan Times, 10.04.2010.

^{Haq Z.} 12 The dole devotees frown upon...

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