—Fifteen.
— OK, but not a minute more. Sen Sekar, do you intend to publish all that? I mean, the things we just told.
— Well, actually — the reporter hesitated — I think your participation in protecting the Ancestors hill and the history of your life here, with neighbors of different ethnic origin and, I guess, a different religion, right?
— Yes, different, — she said — no big deal.
Sekar nodded vigorously.
— Thus, this story — it is a very important detail. So, if you don’t mind, I’d publish that.
— I do not mind — Laysha shrugged — nothing wrong with it.
— I do not mind — echoed Graendal — although I don’t quite understand the importance.
— Here’s why it’s important. When you, sen Vlkov, were charged of intolerance towards people with views different from yours, you told the Speaker of the European Commission: "your tolerance is just cowardice". Your words have been interpreted as an apology for uncompromising ideological unification.
— Please speak straight. You mean fascism.
— Generally, yes. And after all your stories, these accusations are laughable.
— OK, you’re the press, you know better.
The reporter smiled and nodded again.
— To clarify your position, I'll ask another question: talking about swine boom, you mentioned that the father of the child haven’t presented his claims tactfully enough. Could you explain how could he do it right?
— He said something along the lines of: “Islam teaches pig is an unclean animal, and you do not have the right to insult my faith”. He began to dictate free people what they are allowed to do and what they are not. Had he presented the case of his son’s suffering because of this pig, and proposed, if the picture is not essential, to please ask the children to use pens with different pictures, the reaction would probably have been different.
— Mercy? — asked the reporter.
— Something like that. In the beginning nobody wanted to terrorize the boy with these piglets. The moral terror only began in response to the coercion attempt. When a vegetarian comes to visit us, we do not put meat on the table. Not out of respect to the vegetarian doctrine, but simply so as to not offend people just in spite.
— So — said Sekar — if vegetarians demanded you to stop eating meat in public places...
— ... I would defiantly go to the central park and barbecue sausages for everyone to see.
— And if they just asked, but not demanded?
— Then I would not have paid attention to it. Everyone has the right to campaign for what they want , within the limits of Magna Carta, but this specific agitation would not persuade me.
— In other words, you are willing to accommodate odd traits of an individual, but not of a social group?
— Right. Because each individual has some odd traits, but in public life, this is inappropriate.
— But in the case of the Ancestors hill you, however, have made concessions to the odd Aboriginal religion.
Graendal made a movement of his hand, as if pushing away an obstacle.
— Nothing like that, sen Sekar. We stood in a human chain to protect the objective rights of the people who, for objective reasons, could not do it for themselves. Everyone has the right to preserve their sanctuaries, what’s odd about it? The Inu-and-Tano religion and her sanctuary Leal Imo is no exception. The Magna Carta is one for everybody.
— What if the government decided to pave a highway through a Muslim mosque, would you, sen Vlkov, stand in a human chain then?
— No. But if I, as a judge, received a complaint, I would have banned destroying the mosque.
— I'm sure you would — said Sekar — but you would not personally defend Islam sanctuary is protected sanctuary Inu-and-Tano. Do not you consider these religions equal?
— I do not.
— Is that not against the Charter?
— Why so? The Charter requires direct action of citizens in three cases: if a person is in danger, if justice is trampled , and if power is usurped. Erroneous destruction of someone's sanctuaries is none of these. A citizen may intervene in such a situation at their own risk, but is not obliged to do so.
— But does the Charter not oblige us to consider all religions as equal?
— No. It only speaks of equal religious rights. Anyone can practice whatever religion, and no one can stop them, as long as the practice does not violate others’ rights. But a person can feel sympathy to one religion and revulsion to another. Which is why, during the “swine boom", the court decided to withdraw the "Muslims out of the country" posters, but did not touch the "Islam is shit, Muslims are pigs" ones.
— All the same, it's cruel. Most Mus lims were not involved in the riots. What are they guilty of?
— I understand, they feel it’s unfair — Graendal said thoughtfully — I think their problem is that they have not condemned their radicals. If they acted like our Hindu in the incident with the smash hit "Krishna avatar", or as our Roman Catholics in the history of the papal encyclical "on the satanic nature of eugenics", there would be no problem.
— But our Catholics were excommunicated for this — recalled Sekar — I do not think that was nice.
— Yes, probably, but they have to make a choice: to be citizens or servants of the church authorities. I think the choice they made is the right one. Now they have their own Catholic Church, with the statutes approved by a resolution of the Supreme Court, and I did not observe our Catholics suffering from this situation much.
— I do not know — noted the reporter — the Vatican and the World Council of Churches did not recognize this decision and have dragged through a resolution in the UN condemning confiscation of church property.
— Who cares about the UN. These clowns have not implemented any of their own resolutions in the last 20 years.
— Can I quote these words in my report, sen Vlkov?
— By all means. As long as the UN gives the right to vote to cocaine traffickers, sex maniacs, fanatics, terrorists, and cannibals, it can not claim to be an international authority. I said exactly that to their envoy.
— I can imagine how he took it — said Sekar, splashing through the keyboard — as you know, the chairman of the World Council of Churches called the Great Charter "a new dangerous and aggressive religion".
— Oh did he? — Graendal asked — why am I not surprised. When we announced the deportation of their mission, their representative shouted that the Confederation is dominated by Satanists. Satanism, I think it’s also a religion. Do you know about it?
— I’m not sure, sen Vlkov. Probably yes, at least, Satan is mentioned in the Bible.
— Right, I’m not sure either. Sen Sekar, it is certainly up to you, but won’t you be late for the meeting with Jella? You have a powerful machine, no doubt, but Akorera is nearly a thousand kilometers from here.
— Ugh! I'll try to get there on time. One last question: do you consider yourself religious?
— Me? Well, well, I think that there is something out there, but what exactly — I have no idea.
— May I record that?
— Sure, why not.
6. Jella Argenti, Chief Justice by rating
Compared to Sonfao, the Akorera island seemed huge, even though it was just 80 by 30 kilometers. The rock sports club, designed by the genius Hyun Tuan a few years ago, was located on the narrow northern tip of the island. Two gothic towers seemingly rose straight out of the ocean, and between them stood a three-tiered glass and concrete pagoda, half embedded into the rock. The composition was supposed to symbolize a postmodern synthesis of Western and Eastern cultures, but instead the local youth named it after Homer’s Odyssey: the pagoda was called Ithaca and the towers — Scilla and Charibda. When Malik called Jella, she asked to meet her at the Charibda side on the upper floor of Ithaca.