Survey Reports Mass Media Propagates Religious Intolerance in Armenia
Freedom of Religion in Armenia research revealed a number of legal and public problems which do not allow people to profess this or that religion, or be profess atheism or agnosticism. The research also reflects the attitude of society and mass media towards freedom of conscience and different religious organizations.
“Mass media publications indicate that violation of freedom of conscience and religion comes not so much from the authorities, but rather from mass media. If covering political issues, mass media representatives are divided into opposition and pro-government, then while covering this issue [freedom of conscience and religion], almost all mass media representatives, with few exceptions, are against activities of (non traditional) religious organizations,” journalist Vahan Ishkhanyan, co- author of the research, told ArmeniaNow.
The Helsinki Committee of Armenia, which has studied 1,451 mass media publications related to freedom of conscience and religion, held the research which illustrates that the majority of mass media representatives have a negative attitude towards those organizations.
Mass media, as an important institute for forming public opinion, must introduce a complete overview of Armenia’s religious life. However, as representatives of religious organizations state in the research work, mass media either ignore them or carry out anti-propaganda against them in the name of the Armenian Apostolic Church.
Yerevan Evangelical Church Pastor Levon Partakchyan says in the research that mass media do not want to tell the truth.
“A month ago I saw a video material on ‘Armenia’ TV, where a priest clearly said that all Evangelicals, Pentecostals and others must be driven away. There are even leaflets with such propaganda. It is discrimination when mass media covers and participates in all Apostolic Church ceremonies, but not those by the Evangelical Church,” he says.
Levon Sargsyan, deputy head of the board of the Jehovah’s Witnesses Christian religious organization, appreciates A1+ and ArmeniaNow among mass media representatives which cover their activities in an objective and balanced manner.
“We are not satisfied with the work of Shant, Shoghakat, Avetis, Yerkir Media TV companies and Aravot and Hayots Ahskharh dailies: very often they spread disinformation. From time to time the Armenian Public Television (H1), the Armenian Public Radio and Armenia TV Company present objective information,” he says.
Pastor of St. Katoghike Church in Kotayk Ter-Kyuregh Talyan, reflecting on the positions of the Armenian Apostolic Church, says that a well-brought up Armenian will necessarily become a convert of the traditional Armenian Church. And if other religious organizations complain that the mass media news coverage is one-sided, then the Armenian Apostolic Church complains that very few people watch their Shoghakat TV and listen to Vem radio.
The research also reveals public attitude towards the Armenian Apostolic Church, as well as a number of religious organizations. A total of 1,040 people participated in the survey for the research. According to the overwhelming majority of mass media, political figures, religious organizations representatives, freedom of conscience and religion is “partly respected” in Armenia.
About 73 percent of the survey participants believe that everyone must have the freedom of accepting, not accepting, or changing a religion and denomination.
The research also shows that the most negative public attitude is towards Jehovah’s Witnesses (77.1 percent); there is a neutral attitude towards the Armenian Evangelic Church (48.3 percent) and the Armenian Katoghike Church (45.5 percent), and a positive attitude towards the Armenian Apostolic Church (80 percent).
Since Armenia’s independence, religious organizations, which either went underground or were functioning illegally before, have started functioning freely. The RA Law ‘On Freedom of Conscience and Religious Organizations’ was adopted in 1991; in 2001, Armenia became a member of the Council of Europe and in 2002 ratified the European Convention on Human Rights.
Co-authors of the research – Avetik Ishkhanyan, Chairman of Helsinki Committee of Armenia, and sociologist Mary Yeranosyan – state that even nine years after becoming a Council member, Armenia is still far from tolerance to religious organizations, and it does not secure equal conditions for the activities of all religious groups.
The National Assembly is planning to discuss a new draft-package of amendments to the RA Law ‘On Freedom of Conscience and Religious Organizations’ at the autumn session this year.
Helsinki Committee of Armenia hopes that before the NA hearings, lawmakers and civil society representatives will hold joint discussions over the existing problems voiced in the research and their possible solutions.
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Look, religious freedom is fine and dandy, I for one, belong to an Armenian Protestant church. Nothing extraordinary about it. The issue here is Not about freedom of religion, we do have absolute FREEDOM to practice religion, however, some of Armenias foes have different agendas for Armenia. They care less about freedom of religion, and these enemies of our nation have one strong weapon in their hands, one with which they can destroy Armenia from within. The so called Jehovahs Witnesses, who are growing in Armenia, are encouraging our youth to abstain from serving our nation. If they stick to religion, no one will dare bother them, but they are encouraging our youth not to fight the enemy and not to serve in the armed forces. They cannot dare to go to Saudi Arabia or any other Muslim country, because they will be swiftly decapitated, and as such, they are trying to destroy Armenia. Religion and State have never had a beautiful love relationship, and as such, those cults and phony foreign bred activists who are encouraged to destroy Armenia, should be banned from practicing their much “politicized religions.”
Let me give you an example, imagine a small republic/kingdom. Let us assume for a moment that Principality of Monaco people convert to the Jehovas Witness religion, and one day, France wants to annex the little principality, but since there are no patriots to fight for their country, France will simply walk and annex Monaco. Another example, Armenia, small, landlocked and weak, and next our youth overwhelmingly refuse to serve the country, because of this cult. Next Azerbaijani soldiers simply walk, and take over the country and finish off every Armenian, including the Jehovas witnesses.
I would encourage all these cults to serve Jehovah and bring glory to His name, by going to Muslim countries and bringing these Muslims the good news about Jehovah. Trust me, they will last a few minutes before being beheaded.