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Al'bina Mikhaleva,
candidat of sciences (policy),
Institute of philosophy and law (Perm)
A REGIONAL PERSPECTIVE OF THE ISLAM IDENTITY
IN RUSSIA (IT'S EXEMPLIFIED IN PERM TERRITORY)
There is a concrete contradiction in the Moslem consciousness concerning the Islamic-regional ratio - in doctrine context the Islamic identity is realized at the transnational level and mustn't have regional perspectives. On the other hand, a religion as the essential of mentality reacts inevitably to occurring changes in the society. The Islam history demonstrates a possibility for such adaptation of the doctrine norms to concrete regional conditions in dependence of confessional, ethnic, geographic and even socio-political constituent. The bright examples of such regionalization at the national and sub-national level are such brands as "euro-Islam" (in the Russian (R. Khakimov) and the western interpretation (B. Tibi)), the "Turkish Islam" (M. Aidin), "the Russian Islam" (S. Gradirovskey) being continued at the state level.
In order to estimate a role of a regional component in the Moslem consciousness it's necessary to analyze the processes at a low, local level which can be revealed by means of a subject perspective of the Islamic identity. At the same time a religious identity is understood as a psychological category and component of a social person identity and becomes apparent in consciousness of its belonging to a concrete confessional community. The empiric background of studies were the results of inquires (2002, 2007-2008) and interviews (2007-2008, 2010) by the author in Perm territory during the last 8 years. A model of the state-Islamic mutual relations in the given region can be characterized as mutually distanced itself where the local Islamic leaders aren't very active. Many non-Moslem regions can be
characterized in the same way what allows having a concrete universality of the conclusions for the given group of the regions.
Islam as a marker of identity for a concrete part of the Russian population becomes noticeably apparent in 1990-ss when so-called "reviving" processes began becoming more active. In 2002 76,7% of the interrogated Tatars and Bashkirs declared about their religiousness in Perm territory. These data demonstrate one of the peculiarities of a religious consciousness including the Islamic one: namely, seemingly lost values can be quickly regenerated: "It (belief), belonging to the faithful, to Islam was probably genetically included by upbringing". The phenomenon being observed can be explained from the point of view of the minority psychology and a latency of the religious ideas during the soviet period. Even non-practicing Moslems categorically confirm in response to a question on a possibility to change religion: "I am the Moslem and I'll be and die as the Moslem but I shall not get the other religion".
For the faithful themselves "to be the Moslem" means to observe moral principles, customs, feel a participation in the common past history (foreshortened of ethnic history), correspond to appearance and concrete character traits and psychology. At the same time the Islamic identity is watered down very much among the faithful but a level of knowledge in the Islamic religious doctrine leaves much to be desired. Only 37,9% of the interrogated know the basic provisions of a belief.
The ethnic factor is very important in self-identification of the faithful as usual:" Though we consider ourselves as the Moslems-Tatars but we didn't know three words which began with a letter "m" -mullah, the Moslem and a mosque".
The Islamic identity like any other one isn't a static phenomenon and in its turn it can be changed. A transformation of the religious norms and behavioral models in consciousness of the faithful is very
noticeable in the sphere of family, gender and inter-confessional relations. According to the imam of one of the villages "... we have one dinner without alcohol then I say good-by and go away and they probably drink alcohol. Our population and the youth take a great interest in alcohol but there is no job there; this is very bad. The people prefer alcohol than religion now".
The Moslem identity of the interrogated isn't always aimed at a prescribed religious practice performing, with the rules and rituals some respondents aren't familiar with though they stress their undoubted importance and authority:" In fact I consider myself to be a believer but may be not as enough as it had to be, i.e. to observe all the Islamic norms. I don't observe because of my health but I always believe in my soul". Non-observance of ritual norms is subjectively grounded and it proves a flexibility of progressive processes in their consciousness. Only 35,7% of the respondents regularly observe a prescribed fivefold prayer. 36,5% of the Moslems (31% in Russia) do it periodically. The rest faithful (25%) don't pray so it's fair to speak about their nominal but not real religiousness.
At the same time one shouldn't underestimate the importance of the Islamic factor: 87,7% of the respondents stressed a religion importance in their life in 2007. But the importance of emotional-religious experience comes into the picture; a religious practice is secularized and a number of practicing customs is decreased.
The terms influencing on the Islamic identity actualization in consciousness of some citizens in each concrete case are different: it's necessary to take into consideration socialization peculiarities, subjective life circumstances of the faithful, their theoretical foundations, psychological comfort of living in any or that region and etc. However, one can name a general term - a religious surroundings (wife and husband, relatives, friends). A family institute is as before an
important channel of translation, support and transfer of the Islamic values.
A religiousness actualization is also promoted by the external factor - a religious minority status with all the ensuing consequences: discussions about the Islam essence in mass media, its compatibility with the democratic systems, about its "militant character" bring inevitably to self-identification strengthening in the Moslem environment.
Besides the conditions promoting a religious consciousness becoming active one can name the main reasons of the respondents to experience religion - it's spiritual Odyssey and psychological motivation of a person. A religion fulfils identity and compensatory functions. The Islamic identity includes many socially possible practices.
One practically meets the examples of individual actualization of the regional Islamic identity (the "Perm Moslems") among the informers nowhere. As the analysis of Internet-publications and mass media shows it's produced either by the leaders of the Moslem communities or the regional mass media confirming once more a possibility to form a regional religious identity in dependence of the goals and situational context.
According to data of the inquires the considerable part of the respondents-Moslems (34,4%) have the problems on their identity structuring. The rest part identify itself within the framework of Russia: either at a level of a parish (19,4%) or at a level of oblast (14%) or a state (11,3%). Only 21% of the Moslems understand a world. However, all the faithful see their future only with Russia:" I am the Russian for myself. Russia is my homeland of own will of Lord in the Highest. We don't choose our homeland and epoch. Allah should know better... Any Moslem must defend its homeland".
The Islamic identity of the respondents is realized in poly-confessional social medium. The respondents used to feel themselves as a part of a complex world having many identity and cultural models what is a guarantee for free performance of their religious convictions. The faithful overcome doubled challenge: in a cultural field within the framework of ethno-confessional minority and in the modern regional society where they try to find their own place. At the same time the Moslem being and the present aren't contra theses. But the Islam regional field can't suggest them attractive perspectives for self-realization. The respondents feel themselves like living in two worlds as minimum allowing a partial holding of the different socio-cultural standards and value systems. Balancing between the different cultural demands the respondents review their subjective attitude towards the cultural models. Social practices of the past generations don't quite correspond to the modern professional and religious demands and so the faithful develop their own strategies to overcome a challenge and also for the account of the externals of a religion decrease.
The Moslems having taken a participation in the inquiry had a negative experience many times with respect to their otherness:" When we began only putting headscarf one named us as Krishna worshippers". However, the respondents don't share radical moods and coercive methods to solve problems.
The greater part of the Moslems lives and builds plans relatively future in poly-confessional society. It doesn't allow considering Islam and carriers of the Islamic identity in the Russian poly-confessional regions as a threat for the existing system. On the other hand, one can't deny that owing to heterogeneity of the Moslem umma the extremist forces can hide under the Islamic identity.
A problem on specifics of the Islamic identity in some regions is directly associated with a problem of the regional-doctrine Islam ratio. Taking into account a historical process of the Islamic and the national culture interpenetration it's more correct to speak not about the regional kinds of Islam ("the Russian", the "Turkish" and etc.) but about the regional forms of its being. A religious consciousness of the Moslems of Perm land is subjected to transformation processes. We observe a religious tradition washing out without losing its importance. The Islamic identity of the informers is closely interwoven with the positive Russian identity. A process of the faithful consciousness regionalization is more noticeable in the ethnic field and it can't but influence on its confessional constituent. At the same time a weakness of a regional aspect of the Islamic identity doesn't mean impossibility for its forming for the concrete socio-political goals.
"Identichnost' kakpredmet politicheskogo analiza", M., p. 252-256.
Zamir Dumanov,
political scientist
(Kabardino-Balkar scientific center of RAS)
THE NORTH CAUCASUS:
FROM SEPARATISM TO THE RADICAL ISLAM
At the present one can observe a protracted ethno-political crisis on the Northern Caucasus suppressing a region development to a great extent and making it very exposed. Many problems were defined as early as during the soviet period (people resettlement, border redrawing and unequal distribution of production) but their considerable part was actualized during "transition period" (setback in production having achieved 90% in some republics, "division of labor" being ethnically established, mass unemployment). As a result a democratization and
