Paul Goble
Staunton, March 1 – Five new statistics about Russia this past week – one about Muslims in the army, a second about the state of its roads, a third about the number of illegal migrants in the country, a fourth about Russian attitudes toward religious instruction in the schools, and a fifth about public trust in television news – say far more that a first glance might suggest.
First, Boris Lukichev, the head of the Russian Armed Forces Administration for Work with Believing Soldiers, said that "up to 20 percent” of those in uniform are Muslims and that in some units and districts, their share is much higher. As a result, the military is working hard to provide them with mullahs and opportunities to attend prayers at mosques on Fridays (tass-ural.ru/lentanews/v_rossiyskoy_armii_70_prots_voennosluzhashchikh_ispoveduyut_pravoslavie_sotsopros.html).
Luichev’s figures, which he said were based on a recent poll, are much higher than Russian officials ...
