CC BY
11
the breakout of armed groups, the spread of hostile ideology, traffic in drugs and arms.
The author writes that today Tajikistan has ceased to be the weakest link on the southern borders of the former Soviet Union. Now the open spaces of the desert of Turkmenistan, which remains outside the CSTO, seem more vulnerable to possible intrusions of big bands from the territory of Afghanistan.
Selected strategic line of Russia to modernize the 201st RMB, and re-training of Tajik Armed Forces, the restoration of border infrastructure along the Tajik-Afghan border is optimal under the circumstances, and should be continued. It is important to avoid the growth of the number of Russian troops in Tajikistan in the future, at the same time increasing their mobility and ability to conduct remote hostilities in which the main burden of ground operations should be taken by the updated army and Border Service of Tajikistan.
The author of the abstract - N .Ginesina
2017.01.012. I. VOLKOV. A SYSTEM OF INTER-CONFESSIONAL RELATIONS IN THE RUSSIAN TURKMENISTAN AS A BASIS FOR THE INTER-CIVILIZED COOPERATION IN CENTRAL ASIA // "Islamovedenie", Makhachkala, 2016, № 2, p. 5-15.
Keywords: Turkestan, the Islam, ethno-confessional relations, the Christianity, Judaism.
I. Volkov,
Ph. D. (Political), Academic Secretary, Society for Study of the National Intelligence Services History
In the article the problems of the inter-confessional relations in the pre-Islamic Turkestan are considered during the period of the religion supremacy of the Prophet and also when this
territory was as the part of the Russian empire. The author points out that ethno-confessional relations impacted on the religious life in the region at different times adding unique features. Owing to it the Christian and other non-Islamic confessions of the Russian Turkestan coexisted peacefully with numerous followers of the Islam.
A system of ethno-confessional relations built up by Tsarist Russia in the region where practically absolute majority preached the Islam - 93%, encouraged intensive socio-economic development of the Russian Turkestan. The Russian Turkestan has existed since the 12-th of February 1865 when the Turkestan region was established up to the 9-th of March 1917 - when the Turkmen Governor-General, A.N. Kuropatkin, has issued the injunction to dissolve (liquidate) this territory. The Russian Turkestan as a reality, administrative-territorial and historical-geographical idea has lingered on as the part of the Russian empire 52 years. From the ancient times Turkestan (before Islam) was the center of the different religious confessions - the Christianity, the Buddhism, the Zoroastrianism, the Judaism, the Manicheism and etc. There is no information about inter-religious conflicts during that period in the existing documents. Concerning the mutual relations of the Turkestan confessions it is improperly to exclude heathen beliefs and cults from this "circle" because the most part of the population of Turkestan of that time followed them as both settled and wandering. They were inherent to a great extent to those people or clans and tribes who have joined some of the above-mentioned cults.
We first heard the Moslems in Central Asia in the middle of VII century when the Arabian troops attacked Maimurg in 654. Then they periodically made incursions on territory of the region but without the attempts to Islamize its population. One marks the attempts of the total Islamization of the indigenous population at the beginning of 8 century being followed by both the violent and the political acts when the Arabian commander Kuteiba ibn Muslim really began to conquest Turkestan.
The Arabians announced all the religions to be false and the Islam to be the only correct faith. They destroyed the temples and chapels, first of all, Zoroastrian, Buddhist, Christian, Manichaean and etc. having changed them into the mosques. The unknown religious literature was burnt.
However, in spite of the Arabian "missionary" efforts the Islam couldn't finally win all the religions of Turkestan though it had won the strong positions in the region. Islam acted as a formal "state" religion during the Sumanid and the Karakhanid dynasty period, therefore the life of all the non-Islamic confessions of Central Asia continued but not under such free conditions like during the pre-Islamic period. In many respects these conditions were relaxed during the Mongolian conquest and their control of Turkestan. The Chingisids tried to come to an understanding with all the religious communities of the region patronizing them. According to the documents inter-religious and ethno-confessional relations were peaceful and good neighbor in Turkmenistan during the Mongolian period. It has been lasted until the middle of 14 century till Catholics put a bee in political bonnet at the turn of 1330-1340-ss and it resulted in almost total depopulation of Christians. By Timur (Tamerlan) Christianity disappeared in Central Asia that is to say having left the existing system of inter-religious and ethno-confessional relations for centuries in the region. Soon Buddhism, Zoroastrianism, Manicheism followed it.
In spite of Islam total control in Turkestan it wasn't the only religion in the region even in this period, besides, the followers of Judaism and Hinduism lived here. Though the both lived under ignominious terms in Central Asia, however, the mere fact of their presence testified that the inter-religious and ethno-confessional relations existed to any extent but after all.
Everything cardinally changed when Central Asia has joined to Russia. Christians of all the trends returned here in 500 years (Orthodoxy, Catholicism, Armenian-Gregorian, Protestantism and etc.). But the followers of Buddhism and all the
more Zoroastrianism weren't presented here but Judaism adepts have been increased for the account of a so-called "the European Jews from "internal provinces of Russia. Therefore, a principally new religious situation and correspondingly, the adequate system of ethno-religious and ethno-confessional relations have emerged owing to a regime confirmation of Russia in Turkestan. However, the main "actors" in the regional religious life - Islam, Christianity, Judaism and Buddhism - remained the same in spite of the fact that a number of their followers were different to a great extent. The religion of the Prophet remained to be the main and dominant confession of the Russian Turkestan. As for Islam relations with Christian confessions one should note its inter-religious and ethno-confessional connections with the Russian Orthodoxy. The Moslems in Central Asia understood well that the Orthodox Christians were the followers of "dominant" religion of Russia with a privileged status being different from others. It indirectly impacted on a character of inter-religious and ethno-confessional relations of the Islam with Orthodoxy in the Russian Turkestan. The Moslem clergy being officially acknowledged by the crown glorified not only civil authorities but also hierarchy during the festive occasions and ceremonies. As a whole, according to many contemporaries declaration the Islam-Orthodox relations in Russian Turkestan were tolerant enough. With that it should not go unspoken that Islam in Central Asia differed by a remarkable "faith devotion". Everywhere where it was possible it hurt the positions of "dominant faith: It was especially sensibly in the field of the proselytism. Islam managed to involve many dozens of the Orthodox believers in the rows of its adepts.
The Russian Separatists - Baptists, Molokans, Stundists, "Khlysty" and etc. - were mostly close to the Turkestan Islam among the Christian confessions. The Moslems consider that the "separatists" (as they were officially named by a crown) are "persecuted" religious communities being in need for help. And
they got it from the Moslems to "spite" to the Russian government.
The main point of inter-religious and ethno-confessional connections of the Christian communities in Central Asia was their attitude towards the Islam. The military administration of the Russian Turkestan understood this fact so it initially opposed to a missionary activity of the Orthodoxy among the Moslems in Central Asia because it was forbidden for the other confessions. However, The Separatists were beyond "dominant faith" in the field of Christian proselytism in the system of inter-regional and ethno-confessional relations in Turkestan region. In the national archives of Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan there are hundreds facts concerning petitions of the Orthodox believers to renegade: Baptism, Adventism, Molokans and etc. In the pre-revolutionary period the Orthodox piety came down in the country and it also happened in the Russian Turkestan. Some governmental and church figures were ready to consider it as Islam intrigues and appealed to tighten a struggle against them by legislative and administration measures.
A system of inter-religious and ethno-confessional relations was complex and varied in the Russian Turkestan. Islam being confessed by the majority of the region population tried to adapt to the indicated system. The Moslem clergy conducted friendly and tolerant regulations with Christianity, first of all, Orthodoxy but "dominant faith" was sympathetic and respected the Turkestan Islam. This system was an effective basis for the Moslems in Central Asia to cooperate and interact with Orthodox Christians and the representatives of other confessions in the Russian empire and create the conditions for a rapid modernization of Russian regions with the prevailing Moslem population.
The author of the abstract - V. Schensnovich.
