The right to believe, to worship and witness
The right to change one’s belief or religion
The right to join together and express one’s belief
11 April 2003
RUSSIA: Few complaints over Kalmykia's state support for Buddhism
Despite large state subsidies for building Buddhist temples and training Buddhist monks, while "the basics of traditional religions are taught in a historical-informational context" in schools, officials and Buddhist leaders reject suggestions that Buddhism has become Kalmykia's state religion. "In Russia the government and churches are separate, so it doesn't unite us that much," Buddhist leader Telo Tulku Rinpoche told Forum 18 News Service. Members of religious minorities voiced few complaints about this government support for Buddhism.