Transnational Islam in Russia and Crimea
Details
Type of record: Book
Title: Transnational Islam in Russia and Crimea
Classmark: Large Leeds Russian Archive 8695
Creator(s): Münster, Anna
Additional creator(s): Russia and Eurasia Programme (Royal Institute of International Affairs) (Issuing body)
Publisher: Chatham House, The Royal Institute of International Affairs
Publication city: London
Date(s): November 2014
Language: English
Size and medium: 18 pages
Persistent link: https://explore.library.leeds.ac.uk/special-collections-explore/638795
Printed items catalogue: https://leeds.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/fulldisplay?vid=44LEE_INST:VU1&docid=alma991001213699705181
Collection group(s): Leeds Russian Archive
Description
Title taken from cover.
Includes bibliographical references.
Islam in Russia is changing. Its presence is no longer confined to traditional forms and established centres of Muslim power; it also increasingly includes transnational Islam. Islamic groups with transnational connections are part of wider Islamic networks. Transnational Islam in Russia forms a complex, diverse phenomenon ranging from the so-called jihadists to more moderate groups such as the Fethullah Gülen movement. Transnational Islamic networks such as Salafis, Hizb ut-Tahrir, the Muslim Brotherhood, and the Fethullah Gülen movement have sought to extend their presence and influence in Russia, and they have played an important role in bringing changes to the region. Though these organizations are small, and they are currently restricted by Russian legislation, their active members have a growing impact on the Russian Muslim communities and beyond. While some transnational Islamic groups may share a similar goal of dominance and Islamization, they may differ in their methods and
discourses that facilitate recruitment and the spread of their ideology. Some groups opt for insurgency and terrorist tactics, while others prefer gradualist approaches. The Russian government has consistently used repressive measures against both insurgent and gradualist transnational Islamic groups. This has been controversial and at times counterproductive. Another challenge for the Russian state is Crimean Muslim population. In Crimea, transnational Islamic groups used to operate freely under Ukrainian legislation. Since Crimea was annexed by Russia, they have been considered a security threat and became a target for the law-enforcement agencies. The Crimean Tatar Mejlis and Muftiat, and even the national library and the media, have been targeted. This only increased the distrust of the Crimean Tatar community in the Russian authorities. Foreign fighters from Russia and Crimea have become an integral part of the insurgency in the Middle East. Repressive government policies towards Islam
in its local and transnational forms, growing ethno-social tensions in Russian society, and deepening sectarian divisions in Islam itself can influence the socio-political situation in Russia. Russia's clamp-down on Muslims in Crimea in particular may destabilize the situation --Page 1 summary.
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