Islamic History In Russia and Central Asia
Approximately twenty million of the world's one billion Muslims live in Russia, even more in Eastern Europe. The media and academics alike are scurrying to react to this seemingly new wave of Islam in Russia, however attention is mainly focused on extremist activity. "Fundamentalism," "Wahhabism," "Islamism," and other such banner concepts are tainting our perception of Islam in Russia. The place of Islam in Russia is being assessed primarily as a factor of danger that threatens its national security and the interests of its citizens.
This current wave of Islamic activity in Eastern Europe is largely an extension of thousands of years of history. In Russia, Islam was the unfortunate foe of Communist politicians who challenged the very notion of religious freedom. Indeed, Islam has endured centuries of antagonistic regimes and related controversy. The following analysis will consider in what ways the demise of Communism is likely to impact the growth of Islam in Russia and Eastern Europe.
To speculate about whether or not the removal of Marxist-Leninist ideology from the Central Asian scene will prove a blessing requires that the region be understood with political, religious and global considerations in mind. By the mid-1980s, the Soviet Union was in decline. Communism was being fundamentally and practically challenged, and political analysts speculated about its replacement.
In the U.S.S.R.'s Central Asian republics, Islam hung like a question mark over the land. The growing access between these republics and the rest of the Muslim world made the religion an obvious contender to replace communism. But what was even less clear, and hotly debated, was the type of Islam that would emerge. Analysts worried that an anti-Western, fundamentalist variety was surfacing.
After living three generations under a Communist regime, where the practice of religion was altogether discouraged by the government, new freedoms moved many Russians and Eastern Europeans to embrace Islam....
Islamic History In Russia and Central Asia The collapse of the Soviet Union is perhaps one of the most influential events in world history, with political and economic consequences that reverberated across the world. The once-great nation's southern region, now divided into eight independent republics, have been attempting to enter democratic society, but the transition from republic to democracy has been difficult at best -- and in some cases has failed outright. The
Russia NATO relations Russia was among the main opponents of NATO countries and despite this there is a history of collaboration between NATO and Russia which dates way back in 1991.This was when Russia became part of the North Atlantic Cooperation Council. The Russian Federation in 1994 took part in a project titled partnership for peace and in 1997; the founding act of the NATO-Russian council was signed in France. It
It consists a series of successively smaller platforms which lifted to a height of about 64 feet, and was constructed with a solid core of mud-brick covered by a thick skin of burnt-brick to guard it from the forces of nature (Burney). The Ziggurat's corners are oriented to the compass points, with walls sloping slightly inwards (Molleson and Hodgson) . The Ziggurat of Ur was a component of a temple
Yet it is somewhat biased, due to the author being a strict fundamentalist. Said, Edward. "The Clash of Definitions." Emran Qureshi & Michael a. Sells, eds. The New Crusades: Constructing the Muslim Enemy. New York: Columbia University Press, 2003, 70-80. This essay presents a very divergent viewpoint as compared to that of political theorist and practitioner Samuel P. Huntington whose views on the "Clash of Civilizations" is now being questioned and
Chechnya [...] Chechen conflict with Russia, including how it started and when, along with the causes, effects, main events and attacks, and a current perspective on events in Chechnya today. Chechnya has always desired independence from Russia, and continues to fight for its' freedom today. The tiny country has not been able to shed Russian influence and government, but it has evolved into a world political crisis that has
Still, the relationship with Russia also bears importance. After the disintegration of the U.S.S.R. back in 1991, the post communist policy regarding the former soviet satellite countries had set in motion the Community of Independent States, as a mechanism for maintaining political, economic and trade relations between the countries of the demised Union. Such an influence is still felt today, at the regional level, Russia acting from a dominant
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