Islam Recognized as an Official Religion?
New Constantinople, Derscon
Dersconi International Broadcasting Corporation
Today, Derscon's various Islamic groups and people gathered on the streets of New Constantinople today to protest the long-standing unrecognition of Islam as a faith. As many know, in Derscon, in order to be a citizen, one must profess a recognized Christian faith -- such things as Jehovah's Witnesses and the Church of Latter-Day Saints are not recognized, neither are New Age churches, or UU -- and, now recently, a Jewish faith. With Derscon's growing Muslim population -- now reaching one hundred thousand -- support for the recognition of Islam as a religion, hence granting Muslims citizenship, is increasing rapidly.
However, that's not to say that there are not people who don't want them around. To counter the fifty thousand or so Muslims, as well as about one thousand liberal Christians, protesting the government, there were a total of about seventy-five thousand anti-Islamic protestors from groups ranging from as small as the Dersconi National Socialist Movement to the Dersconi National Protestant Council, whose membership, due to the many organizations belonging to it, ranges in the billions.
Thankfully, due to the civilized nature of all parties, as well as the strong police force present, there have been no reports of the protests becoming violent.
The Kremlin has not yet released a statement concerning these protests.
Dersconi International Broadcasting Corporation
In a recent national poll, eighty-seven percent of people do not want to see Islam recognized as an official religion, eleven percent wish to see it recognized, and the rest chose not to respond for various reasons.
Many think tanks believe that the Tsar will go along with the majority of the people and not recognize Islam, because of the long-standing tradition and history of Derscon, as well as the fact that rarely can monarchs make such decisions and continue to have a support rate as high as Tsar Andropov XIV currently has.
However, the Kremlin still has not responded to the call as of yet, even though the protests are entering it's second day in New Constantinople.
Hear ye, Tsar Andropov XIV of Derscon, the wisdom of the Synod of Isriya, in communion with the Fallen, who reveal to we Archons in their beneficence all the truths of Earth and the Immaterium:
We offer you our counsel freely and in friendship; we fully understand that you are unlikely to heed our advice, but we have been blessed by fortune with the opportunity to commune with those beings which have clear sight of Heaven, Hell, and all the physical plane and feel it is our duty to humanity to impart such whenever we may, given the appropriate circumstances. Often our small nation, peaceful though it may be, has come into conflict with Jews, Christians, Muslims, and other religious groups of Levantine origin who were filled with hatred for Isriya on account of its people's faith, so we believe we know well their doctrines, aims, and organization. Under occupation of Hebrew, Syrian, and Frankish crusader we have been forced to feign membership in these various cults, though always remaining faithful to the teachings of the Fallen in our hearts and minds. We tell you this not to approach as adversaries, but simply to show that we know not only by oracle but by experience what the world's monotheisms offer and how.
Our conclusion is that Christians, Muslims, and Jews all seek the same thing, though they may name it differently: To serve the will of the Light (which may be called God, Allah, Yaweh, Ahura Mazda, or whatsoever one desires), to oppose the will of the Shadow (which may be known as Satan, Lucifer, Shaitan, Angra Mainyu, or otherwise), and to ensure the faithful soul's consumption by the Light (or, to speak more commonly, ascendence into Heaven) upon the death of the physical body. All the percieved differences are minor points upon which it is useless and foolish to quibble; what difference which historical figure(s) taught this way, or how those that follow it make reaffirmation of their purpose? To the enlightened it is clear that there is none.
We in Isriya, of course, have accepted that the will of the Light is no different, in any matters of concern to humanity, to the will of the Shadow, that both are cold, distant, and indifferent to our fate, and also that union with the Light which is spoken of as a great reward is, in truth, complete oblivion of the soul as an independent entity and should be feared rather than sought. However, we do not mean to preach our way to you. Our only purpose is to advise that you regard Islam and Christianity as paths of equal value, though that value may be little.
Prime Archon Valerius of Isriya,
in assembly with the Synod,
by the guidance of the Fallen
Prime Archon Valerius of Isriya,
While the Tsar understands your position, to regard Islam and Christianity on the same level is simply heretical to both Christians and Muslims. While the Tsar thanks you for your council, he cannot place Islam and Christianity as equal in value.
Also, we would like to make it clear that any attempt to insert your "faith" amongst the ranks of the Dersconi people will be considered an act of hostility.
Deo Vindice
Count Franz von Papen
Foreign Minister to the Tsar
The Divine Prussian Empire of Derscon
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Council of Ministers, Kremlin Palace
"Absolutely not!" Minister Golovko shouted across the table at the other man. "To allow this is to be committing national suicide! You, being the Culture Minister, should know this! I thought it was your job to PROTECT our culture, not destroy it!" Yuri Golovko, Minister of State Security, was probably the most vocal person on the Council of Ministers, and was also the most resistant to change. His counterpart, Sir Charles Camille Saint-Saens, the Minister of Culture, was his polar opposite.
"I don't see it as destroying out culture at all. If anything, it's enhancing it," Sir Charles retorted his flaming foil. "To adopt their culture into ours would be allowing us to pick the things that they have perfected and add it into our own."
"For once, I agree with Golovko," stated Foreign Minister Count Franz von Papen. Papen, the oldest person in the room, as well as the most respected (other than that Tsar, of course), rarely sided with Golovko due to his flamboyant and outspoken nature. "The legalization of Islam would be undermining five hundred years of Christian Monarchy, and short of two thousand years of Christian culture. The minute you legalized a religion other than one honouring YHWH, you completely remove the legitimacy of the Crown, considering it's nature as a gift from the Lord." After two hours of debate, Papen was getting tired of the shouting.
Tsar Alexei Alexandrovich Andropov XIV was looking on at the spectacle, praying for Divine Guidence that God would tell him what to do, as his councilors do not.
"Okay, thank you." The Tsar stood up from his chair and the room quited down. "I have made my decision. In the interest of peace, the Muslims will be able to continue to practice their religion without government interference. However, I will continue to uphold the law forbidding any person professing a non-Christian or non-Jewish faith to be a citizen. A public address will be made tomorrow. You are dismissed."
The Synod of Isriya calls upon ye, Tsar Andropov XIV of Derscon, in the name of the Fallen, to heed their words carefully, lest their divinely inspired wisdom be wasted:
We anticipated that you would respond so, and though such lack of understanding is disappointing to us, we have grown to accept it as almost inevitable when dealing with the Light-blinded. We also understand that, being as you are so far from Isriya and the Abyss, you lack the guidance of the Fallen with which we here have been blessed, and so cannot be expected to see clearly the true geography of the cosmos. Though we have made every effort to impart that knowledge which has in turn been bestowed upon us by our angelic patrons to others, those who hear the truth only through us, fallible as we freely acknowledge ourselves to be, will of course be doubtful. If you wish to come to Isriya, the Synod may deem you worthy to commune with our beloved teachers, which surely would make you believe, but such decisions cannot be made hastily or from afar.
We do not send missionaries to Derscon or seek converts, so fear us not on that front. However, if any of your people were to hear the voices of the Fallen and take to the path to wisdom with us, such a thing would be beyond our control and we fully trust that you are not so paranoid as to see the work of foreign agents where there would so clearly be none. At any rate, it is highly improbable that this would happen, as greater distance from the Abyss seems to negatively affect the likelihood of communion in any form.
The Synod will remain hopeful that you and all others will someday accept the nature of the world beyond as we have.
Prime Archon Valerius of Isriya,
with the Synod assembled,
under the protection and guidance of the Fallen