"We must be tolerant and teach the history of all religions," said Fursenko.

MOSCOW — A decision in five Russian regions to order mandatory teaching of Orthodox Christian "culture" has caused uproar, with critics warning that the initiative could fuel xenophobic tendencies in this multi-confessional country.

"Our country is multi-confessional. We must be tolerant and teach the history of all religions," said Education Minister Andrei Fursenko in the Rossiyskaya Gazeta daily, Agence France-Presse (AFP) reported Monday, September 11.

After five years of debate and protests by other religious groups, authorities in five regions -- Belgorod, Smolensk, Kaluga, Bryansk and Kursk -- this month introduced the "Basics of Orthodox culture" as a compulsory "regional civilization course."

But the regions did not require Moscow's approval, since although the law stipulates that religious courses should be optional, it is more vague regarding "religious culture."

Alexander Verkhovsky, an expert at the independent research group Sova, feared that teachers "risk presenting Russia as an Orthodox country, which would traumatize, for example, (Muslim) Ingush students."

"The course is harmful, because it resurrects the empire mentality," he said.

But a spokesman for the patriarchy said students would not be learning prayers or church rites, but would become sensitive to wider perspective on Orthodox history and art.

He insisted that "whatever their origins, every Russian citizen should know that it was Orthodoxy that formed the Russian state."

Islam is the country's second-largest religion, behind the Russian Orthodoxy. There are some 20 million Muslims in the Russian Federation concentrated in north of the Caucasus.

Unfair

Experts said that the move is "unfair" and will fan up already rising xenophobia.

"This forced measure is unfair to other religions and will contribute to the rise of xenophobia," warned Vladimir Ilyushenko, an expert at the Sociology Institute at Russia's Academy of Sciences.

Mandatory teaching "of Orthodoxy will give additional ideological support to xenophobes and make an already existing problem only worse," echoed religions expert Valery Yemeliyanov.

The number of murders with racist motives tripled to 14 between March and May, compared to the same period in 2005, according to Sova.

Since communism's fall, the Orthodox Church has rapidly gained influence, enjoying strong support from the authorities.

It owns a television channel, has a high-profile role in blessing historical buildings and units of the armed forces, and has even pushed for Orthodox priests to be integrated into the ranks of the army.