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PLACE AND ROLE OF ISLAM IN REGIONS OF THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION, THE CAUCASSUS AND CENTRAL ASIA
2017.04.002. FARID ASADULLIN. ISLAM IN PUBLIC SPACE OF MOSCOW METROPOLIS IN THE 21 CENTURY // "Mir Islama v Obshchestvenno-Kulturnom Prostranstve Moskvy: Opyt Proshlogo i Sovremennost." Moscow, 2015, P. 171-184.
Keywords: Islam, migration, Moscow metropolis, religious identity, criminalization, Muslim ethnic groups.
Farid Asadullin,
PhD (Hist.),
Institute of Oriental Studies, RAS
The author writes that the 21st century is characterized by global integration processes which intensity is more obvious among the population of big cities. Their reverse side is aspiration of scientists to find a hypothetical formula for defining optimal proportions in the urban space of historically indigenous ("title") population and growing over the last years influxes of "new citizens" from migrants.
Intensive development of Moscow, constant population increase, territorial expansion around Moscow, and as a consequence expansion of labour market lead to constitution in the beginning of the XXI century of Moscow urban conglomeration - the biggest one not only in Russia but in Europe with population base about 15 million people. Being the most populous European metropolis Moscow suffers from
challenges of urbanization process because of considerable in resent years population increase for account of migration from other Russian cities and neighbouring states. About 35% of overall migration flow to the Russian Federation is accounted for Moscow and the Moscow region.
About 10% of Moscow population are representatives of Muslim nations, Islam and ritual practice are main ethnocultural marker of their identity. This population to different extents is incorporated in Moscow life reality. If there is no such a problem for the majority of Moscow Muslims, then for labour migrants from the Central Asia and their fellow believers from North Caucasus who were born in Fergana Valley, kishlaks or mountain villages, problem of social and cultural adaptation is one of the principles. For many of them who first ended up in multinational metropolis there is a question of indolent way of adaptation into new environment and conservation of primordial national and religious identity under new urban conditions. For this reason according to the experience representatives of these nations are often of rural districts descent tend to preserve close hometown ties entering into exogamous marriages only on extraordinary occasions. This is particularly the case of migrants from the Central Asian states. It is commonly recognized that especially system of housing and utility sector, newbuilds, trucking and retail business, fast food restaurants, public transport and service industry in Moscow and oblast (reconditioning and cleaning of roads and living accommodations, hairdressing saloons and so on) are held in place by the Tajiks, the Kirghiz and the Uzbeks. Recently in medical centers and various business and government institutions of Moscow there is an influx of specialists with diplomas of Uzbek, Kyrgyz and Tajik higher education establishments. Among illegal labour migrants which number is in 4-8 times more than officially registered there is a high level of unemployment and social exclusion that frequently result in their lumpenization and criminalization.
Indisputable problem of compact living of Muslim ethnic groups is essential for a big city rivalry of its citizens for "a place in the sun" and a complicated dialectic of relationship among "new" and "old" Muslim ethnic groups Asians , the Caucasians, civil and practicing Muslims and finally the most pressing one -indigenous Russian citizens. The roots of these frequently emerging conflicts are of different kinds: historic, religious-dogmatic, national-domestic or economic. Typically their dependence is aligned with birth place and one or another ethnic group, convoluted history of regional neighbours relations, for instance, the Azerbaijani and the Dagestanis, the Kyrgyz and the Uzbeks. Municipal criminal chronicle can give a lot of examples of stepped-up interethnic confrontations (quite often using weapons) when fiery temperament caused conflicts and domestic disputes by implication.
Migration problem leaves today one on the most principal pressure point of Moscow society that is confirmed by more frequent nationality conflicts. Phobia of migrants is considerably fuelled by formerly deeply-rooted in Russian society phobia of Islam that is an urgent social problem of all big cities suffering from influx of excess population. Moscow as St.Petersburg and European million cities constitute open multi-ethnic and multi-confessional societies experiencing rapid economic and demographic growth. Interests of different cultures representatives and religious traditions neighbor and often overlap in this urban space. Attempts to restrict affectedly display of Muslims' religiousness on the part of authorities with a deficit of Muslim temples backfired a few years ago - by opening of "alternative" mosques so called unofficial chapels and demonstration of religious enthusiasm and zealousness among young Muslim people. It was particularly notable on days of Friday and festive mass. Current explosive growth of Islamic religious identity manifestation (especially on days of Kurban Bayram and Eid festival) makes city authorities take suitable measures for regulating and organizing public religious events.
For that end religious ceremonies except for 4 mosques are held at dedicated places in Sokolniki, in Southern administrative district and Chertanovo and in Moscow satellite towns. However the quantity of mosques and allocated sites is not sufficient. Best way for integration of Islam into familiar public scenery and at the same time best preventative measures of extremism based on religious belief and youth radicalism (in F. Asadullin opinion) is visualization of Islam in urban realm by creation of Islamic infrastructure under Moscow authorities and mufti. European experience in this sphere even if not giving guaranteed positive effect shows ongoing Islamisation of migrant communities is ultimate establishment of integration impossibility. Eurasian Moscow which has centuries-old history of close Islamic-Christian interplay (more exactly Russian-Tatarian one) is in a better position. Complete reconstruction of Moscow cathedral mosque (area and capacity of which is manifoldly extended) is an important however not the only step in this field.
Talking about problems connected to processes of migrants' socialization and looking for ways of communication with host society it is important to notice an experience of Tatarian community which can be exemplary for new Muslim ethnic groups settling down Moscow and Moscow region. Search process of balance between own traditional culture and faith on the one hand and new social realm on the other one long and difficult but its alternative can be steadily producing mutual vigilance and throwback of intolerance. Moscow Tatars demonstrate put by the course of history integration possibilities, this cultural reconcilability test with Russian ethnos traveled the long evolutionary path but finally reserved their language, faith and customs. Along with that there is really existing threat of "parallel society" genesis in a short time from the generation of Muslim migrants' children who found themselves in servant class because of social barriers as their fathers bothers many experts. F. Asadullin agrees with a number of well-known scientists who defend prospects of intercultural hybridization
ideas of new and indigenous residents in contemporaneous metropolises.
Modern Moscow first time in the recent history faced phenomenon of migrants network functioning as evidenced by acting in the capital formal and informal associations of Uzbeks, Tajiks, Kyrgyz, Uighurs and so on. Since 2005 in the capital it is published a newspaper "Voice of Tajik people" All-Russian social movement agency "Tajik labour migrants," and it is intermittently issued a Russian newspaper for migrants "Uzbegim." On pages of "Voice of Tajik people" there can be found a lot of material about the difficulties and deprivation with which migrants workers face in the capital. There are reveled numerous facts of money extortion from migrants by police officers in the course of document checks. In the newspaper it's largely highlighten the problem of "parallel marriages," about 50% of married Tajiks in Russia that gives an opportunity to obtain concessions for living and work in Moscow. In 2013 it was published a research and information publication "Russian Kyrgyz" - All-Russian non-governmental organization "Kyrgyz Congress" agency. Upon an initiative of the Congress there are formed pilot projects aimed at social assistance, education and business programs for Kyrgyz expats in Russia. As far as from the end of 2012 testing by Russian for labour migrants who want to work in the area of municipal service, retail trade or domestic services became binding. An interregional social movement of Kyrgyzstan labour migrants and the Centre of interregional and international cooperation "Dialogue of cultures" basing on one of Moscow libraries organized courses in Russian for foreigners from neighbouring countries since May 2013. Since 2015 such a requirement should be spread to all categories of migrants who besides that will have to pass exams in history and basic legislative principles of Russia.
Moscow religious tolerance, about which it was known in medieval Eastern Europe from the time of Peter the Great and today thanks to concern of traditional religions headers and
policy of Moscow authorities, is still one of the main characteristics of the capital social life. Violations made by ethnic Muslims or directed against them and their family members as a rule have religious subcurrent rather than aligned with character of coexistence and rivalry (commercial, economic or related to amenities) of various ethnic groups in the setting of metropolis. Incidents on grounds of religious intolerance on extraordinary occasions often have purely domestic or incendiary character playing into nationalists' hands.
Today we can state that "Moscow" Islam is a significant and dynamically developing segment of socially-religious and cultural life not only of Moscow region but all Russia. The history of Muslim community in Moscow in which there is a reflected history of Russian Islam on the whole demonstrates its complicated and at times the tragic fate. Religion for which it was prepared honorary in essence official role in the beginning of XIV in times of he Golden Horde, became persecuted after conquest of Kazan by Ivan the Terrible, later beginning with ruling of Catherine the Great tolerable, and finally nowadays it's got a status of established religion as an integral part of Russian nations legacy. Concentration of the capital Islamic life today is a huge experience of institutional cooperation with the state-Moscow Muslim Spiritual Authority (operating on the base of the cathedral mosque) which got an authoritative religious body during a short historical period uniting Muslim communities of the Russian Federation. Today this activity is fulfilled by two official religious structures directed by mufti Rawil Gaynetdin -Council of Muftis of Russia and Spiritual Body of the Muslims of Russia. Most important achievements of spiritual renovation are aligned with the name of mufti Rawil Gaynetdin in Russia and CIS nations. There is a significant role in the process of other civil, youth, national and other organizations - Mardjani Foundation, Association of cultural and educational non-governmental organizations "Sobranie," Congress of Caucasian nations, Fund of Karachaytvo-Balkarian younger generation advancement
"Elbrusoid," Cultural and educational fund "Nadezhda," charity fund "Zakyat," Center "Spiritual tradition and modernity." Traditionally an important place in organization of cultural and religious life for Moscow Muslims belongs to Arab Islamic countries Embassies and various national communities.
Modern-day Moscow is a huge metropolis Muslim component of which, according to forecasts of scientists in the globalized world, will change quantitatively and its weight in social-economic processes, cultural transformation of urban space. Today the Russian capital taking into account rapidly developing national diasporas from Azerbaijan, republics of the Northern Caucasus, Central-Asian and other Islamic countries (Egypt, Syria, Lebanon, Pakistan, Turkey) is the biggest Muslim city in Russia with over 3 million people ethnically and spiritually related to Islam.
In contemporary Islamic society there is almost all communal spectrum of Islam as a world religion - from Isma'ilism and other Shia denominations to traditional for Russia Hanafism and Shafi'ism in Salafi or other version and variety of semilegally acting Salafi tariqahs including Maghrebian and other exotic branches. According to scientists project role of Muslims in the capital public space will develop dynamically in spite of islamophobia outbreaks and ethnic discrimination and arising administrative barriers (for example in relation to plans of new mosques building).
To the end that Moscow becomes as noted by scientists-urbanists - livablecity it is necessary together with simple for a big city economic and social questions to regulate the problem of illegal migration and consequentially excess population that will allow bringing a level of international and interreligious relations into compliance with interests of Moscow metropolis population and general strategy of the capital development for the next few years. In addition, it is important to take into account the increased importance of Islamic factor in the country and the world, and expand understanding of Russians about Islam as an
integral part of Russian state multi-ethnic legacy through federal and municipal social and cultural programs. The Russian Federation strategy of state national policy for the period until 2025 accepted December 19, 2012 by presidential decree, creates objective conditions for rising of Russian multinational society unity and preserving of ethno-cultural singularity of Russians. Today on the basis of established tendencies it can be stated that forecasting of future characteristics of the Russian capital and the state in general excluding the increased ethno-Muslim factors is impossible.
The future of Moscow metropolis depends on many factors but its main formal feature will leave close cooperation of different, due to course of history, ethno cultural traditions being the basis of multinational Moscow, as the researcher suggest.
Author of the abstract - Valentina Schensnovich
2017.04.003. SERGEY USTINKIN, NATALIA MOROZOVA. INTERETHNIC RELATIONS IN NIZHNY NOVGOROD REGION // "Observer." Moscow, 2017, No 4, P. 51-58.
Keywords: interethnic relations in Nizhny Novgorod region, migration policy, nationalities policy, media-discourse, diaspora, interethnic conflict.
Sergey Ustinkin,
D.Sc. (Hist.), professor,
Director of the Volga affiliation of Institute of Sociology, RAS Natalia Morozova, PhD (Politics),
Deputy Director of the Volga affiliation of Institute of Sociology RAS
Nizhny Novgorod region has unique ethnic-demographic characteristics: on the one hand, it is a multinational part of the
