--- Chuck Grimes <cgrimes at rawbw.com> wrote:
> > I have a deeply serious question about this
> Islamalic vodka. If after
> two small glasses, or about 4-6 ounces, am I ready
> to read The Rubaiyat
> of Omar Khayyam, or perish the thought, the Qu'ran?
>
> CG
>
I almost never drink vodka, as it gives me a ferocious hangover, so I can't tell you. ;)
The vodka in question (the label is green), is a product of Tatarstan, one of my favorite places. Not only does Tatarstan have the largest mosque in Europe (I've been inside: http://eng.e-islam.ru/mosque/kazan/kul-sharif/ ), it is a marvel of interethnic and interconfessional harmony -- just over 50% Sunni Muslim, and most of the rest Russian Orthodox -- which is nicely symbolized by the fact that the Kazan Kremlin is dominated by two buildings, the aforementioned giant mosque and a giant gold-incrusted Russian Orthodox Cathedral.
As the official website of the Rebublic of Tatarstan sez in bad English:
During its centuries-old history, Tatarstan has accumulated the richest experience of people of various nationalities and religions living together. It has become a tradition to pay special attention to safeguarding interethnic and interconfessional peace and accord.
There are 8 nationalities in Tatarstan the population of which is over 10 thousand people. Alongside with Tatars (52.9 percent) and Russians (39.5 percent) there are Chuvashes, Udmurts, Ukrainians, Mordvinians, Maris, Bashkirs, et al. During last years, the number of Azerbaidzhanians, Armenians, Tajiks, Uzbeks permanently residing in the republic increased.
The favourable social climate in the republic is positively influenced by adjustment of interconfessional relations.
Islam and Orthodox Christianity are traditional confessions of the republic. The Tatars and Bashkirs (more than a half of the population of the republic) practice Islam. The other part of the population, so that Russians, Chavashes, Maris, Udmurts, Mordvinians, are Christians practicing Orthodoxy. Catholicism, Protestantism, Judaism and other confessions are also represented in the republic.
Safeguarding the balance of the two major religions of the republic and equality of all religions before the law is in the basis of interconfessional accord in the republic.
Among strategic priorities of social and economic policy of the Republic of Tatarstan is the task of gradual bringing of life quality to international standards. Thus, improvement of well-being of people, increasing of life level of working people and pensioners, who make more than one fourth of the population of the republic, are on the first place.
Rich natural resources of Tatarstan, diversified economy, multilevel system of education and high cultural and scientific potential make the basis for stable development of the society.
http://www.tatar.ru/index.php?DNSID=c755f0e70fc8c6c52952a81d0c53fc1d&node_id=152
____________________________________________________________________________________ Bored stiff? Loosen up... Download and play hundreds of games for free on Yahoo! Games. http://games.yahoo.com/games/front