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....

This rebirth of Islam was exemplified in Tatarstan, an autonomous republic of the Russian Federation, where half of the population is Tatar, a Muslim sect originating in the 10th century.
In 1990, at the time of perestroika, there was merely one mosque in Tatarstan. Today, there are more than fifty. In the mosques and in the madrassas of Tatarstan, thousands of Tatars relearn the basic tenets of Islam. This trend demonstrates the profound impact that Islam has had on post-communist attitudes toward Islam in Russia and Eastern Europe. It has, at least, provided a context for religious exploration and freedoms. The elimination of Communism opened floodgates that had been sealed shut long ago.

Most Eastern Europeans who returned to Islam suggest that they have merely resumed practising a religion they never entirely gave up. Some, albeit the minority, admit they were members of the Communist Party. Perhaps most striking is that those who practise Islam today are part of a popular trend that mixes the rebirth of nationalism and the rebirth of Islam. It is tricky, therefore, to assess how many newly aligned Muslims feel truly connected religiously, and how many are conforming to popular behaviors.

The trend toward Islamic observance was tempered by shades of fundamentalism. Fundamentalism surfaced in Russia in the early 1990s, when the doors to Muslim communities were open to proselytizers from all religious walks of life. In areas where poverty and clan conflicts were common (and they were profuse) they were met with marked success.

Two reasons behind the increasing radicalization of Islam in Russia have been suggested: the availability of foreign financial aid and the economical state of Eastern European communities. Fundamentalists have received millions of dollars from international Muslim organizations since the decline of Communism, and this significant support has influenced communities in Russia, often making them more radical.

There is typically agreement amongst experts that the ability of…