Category Archives: World

Bad news — our friend Mikhail Iosilevich has been arrested and has been taken to prison.

Mikhail founded the first Church of FSM in Russia. The group he organized is very active, and by all measures a positive influence in the community. I remember many times seeing photos of their activities and being impressed with what he had put together.

You may remember Mikhail had been under investigation by the Russian government for some time. After Mikhail hosted a training session for election observers in October 2020, his apartment was raided and his devices confiscated. He was charged with ties to the banned political group Open Russia (something Mikhail denies). The criminal case has been moving along since that time.

Mikhail is now in prison on political charges.

I don’t know what we can do, but for a start we’re asking people to help spread the word. The more attention we can bring to the case, the better his chances for justice.

Below are some news articles about the case. Some are in Russian but can be translated through the browser.

Please let me know if you can offer any help or suggestions and I will pass them on to Mikhail’s team.

https://www.dailystar.co.uk/news/latest-news/russias-flying-spaghetti-monster-chief-22837053

https://www.kommersant.ru/doc/4671899

Here are some google news listings for this topic:

https://bit.ly/3tLTX59

Photos of Mikhail:

I just wanted to make it clear that medical professionals are allowed and encouraged to wear PPE (Personal Protective Equipment).

The N95 and similar ^[1] masks are recognized by the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster as acceptable alternative religious garb.

Religious texts tell us early Pastafarians wore bandanas and similar over their faces to protect against disease. They likely would have worn modern equipment had it been available in their time.

The right to wear religious garb at work is protected by state and federal laws.  Any church members who are denied their right to wear appropriate religious garb should consult with an attorney.  And let us know if we can help.

Let’s all stay safe.

Note- Some dispute whether the mask should go under or over the eye-patch. I would think under, but I am not a doctor nor do I wear an eye-patch. Beards also prevent the masks from sealing optimally. Also the man in the photo is a statue.

[1] Please consider all similar mask types as official holy garb: N95, N99, N100, P95, P99, P100, FFP1, FFP2, FFP3, KN95