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MODERN RUSSIA: IDEOLOGY, POLITICS, CULTURE AND RELIGION
IGOR DOBAYEV. MAIN TRENDS OF OPPOSING TERRORISM IN THE YOUTH MEDIUM OF RUSSIA IN IDEOLOGICAL SPHERE // The article was written for the bulletin "Russia and the Moslem World."
Keywords: ideology, Islamism, young people, radicalism, terrorism, extremism.
Igor Dobayev,
Dr.Sc.(Philosophy), Professor,
Expert of Russian Academy of Sciences,
Southern Federal University, Rostov-on-Don
Abstract. The article examines successes and shortcomings of the fight against religious-political extremism in the ideological sphere among Russian young people. It is established that despite lower activity of jihadists, it was not possible to achieve a proper solution of the problem recently due to the lack of coordination in pursuing a strategy and policy of opposing terrorism. Various methods and approaches are offered to step up ideological and propaganda work in combating terrorism in the Russian youth medium.
After adoption of the Concept of opposition to terrorism in the Russian Federation in October 2009, experts have begun talking of the need to shift the emphasis in the anti-terrorist activity from fighting to preventing terrorism and avoiding
forcible methods. Later on, the National Anti-terrorist Committee (NAC) of the Russian Federation has time and again turned attention of participants in the anti-terrorist struggle to this circumstance. Special attention is paid to the need to concentrate efforts on preventing the spreading of terrorist ideology, above all in the youth medium [3].
However, it should be admitted that there are certain shortcomings in this system of opposing terrorism. It becomes evident, among other things, that the measures offered in this sphere concern a certain amorphous mass of the country's population, as a rule. Moreover, they are addressed to ordinary law-abiding citizens far from the ideology and practice of terrorism. At the same time there is an obvious shortage of concrete proposals connected with the vulnerable categories of young people preaching religious-political extremist ideas. In the South of Russia, where manifestations of terrorism are registered to this day from time to time, there is not a single government -sponsored center of Islamic studies. Such studies are carried on unsystematically, and more often than not on the initiative of individual scholars, mainly in the North Caucasus by Daghestani experts [1]. It should be taken into account that ideological and political terrorist ideas are widespread among young people in the North Caucasus.
A broad information-propaganda activity is carried on in the country. Thousands of conferences and round-tables are arranged, a great number of pamphlets, books and collections are printed, many articles and video subjects are circulated in the mass media, and films and video pictures on anti-terrorist subjects are made. However, the anti-terrorist fight in the North Caucasian region of Russia is not coming to an end, although its potential is relatively not too high. It should be admitted that we have not succeeded to create an adequate system to oppose terrorism in the information sphere. Apart from that, it is also necessary to oppose the ideology of terrorism in the information sphere [10]. The main task is to free real and potential supporters of terrorists from the influence of
jihadists, curtail the social base of their assistance and prevent the increase of their ranks.
Two factors of major importance: the Islamic factor in the formation of ideological doctrines of radical Islamists and the youth character of the terrorist and religious-political movement in certain regions of Russia, primarily the North Caucasus. It is common knowledge that the attractiveness of the ideology of radical Islamism, especially in the youth medium, is quite high. These two factors are closely interconnected and support each other.
At the same time it should be recognized that there has been no full-fledged state policy on the education of the younger generation in our country so far, although we do understand that young people should be taken proper care of by the state. The North Caucasian young people have grown in the epoch of permanent armed clashes, social inequality, and difficulties to find proper self-realization. They often get under the influence of religious extremist propaganda and all and sundry religious authorities, and this is why need a special attention on the part of the state [4]. Naturally, periodic "round-tables" will not be enough to solve the problem. What is needed is a serious day-to-day work with young people oriented to their education on bilingual basis and ethnic variety. For this purpose it is necessary to begin urgently the training of teachers at general educational establishments on cultural and historical subjects, emphasizing the unbreakable unity of the Russian Caucasus and rejection of all and sundry forms of violence. Apart from that, various studies, scientific, sports, military-patriotic and cultural programs should be initiated, and ties between young people of various parts of the Russian Federation should be broadened and strengthened.
The religious factor in the developments in the North Caucasus should not be ignored. Certain scholars of Islam openly talk of radicalism inherent in Islam, and also of the existing connection between individual trends in Islam and terrorism, claiming that "excessive political correctness closely connected
with political interests does not allow the Russian leadership to be open and outspoken enough in this question" [6]. Today in the North Caucasus groups of mujaheds arms in hand continue to fight for creating an Islamic state, liberating the land of Islam, and try to solve this spiritual and ideological problem with a simple increase of the number of jobs, which is definitely improper, to say the least.
The religious factor does exist and acts. In Islam, just as in other religions, there are radical trends, which are out to establish very harsh rules of life and behavior. Ideologists of radical Islam are doing everything possible to persuade young Muslims that they should wage a relentless offensive struggle ("jihad against the infidels"), against apostates and hypocrites, the struggle against who in the specific conditions of the North Caucasus often takes the form of vendetta. Thus, local pre-Islamic customs (adat) join the specific features of Islam and even ordinary crime.
There is no doubt that growing religious and political extremism in the North Caucasus is largely due not only to a profound crisis of all secular ideologies of our time, but also the ideological foundations of traditional Islam in the region which needs radical modernization. Tackling this problem seems, necessary along several mutually coordinated and dependent directions.
In the 1990s - first decade of the 2000s the country's leadership placed great hope on the prestige of representatives of traditional official Islam. However, the social alienation and political passivity of "official Islam" with its shortage of well-educated experts on Islam and connoisseurs of Muslim traditions have actually raised the chances of Islamists in ideological rivalry for winning the sympathies of the Muslim population, primarily young people [8]. Despite the fact that quite a few representatives of the Muslim clergy have been mercilessly killed by terrorists, their role cannot be ignored in fighting the man-hating ideology of jihadists. However, the confrontation between the Wahhabis and representatives of official Islam is not confined to ideological
struggle. Wahhabi ideology regards those who do not share it enemies of Islam and calls on all its supporters to a sacred war against them, that is, to jihad. A true Wahhabi is bound to hate all enemies of Islam, his hatred should take concrete practical forms [9]. Among these "enemies" are representatives of official Islam, and the most active of them are under close watch of radical Islamists.
It is known that the biggest terrorist activity is observed in Daghestan at present, where the Sufi tariqats rule the roost. In the view of the Daghestani sociologist Z. Abdulagatov, more and more Daghestani young men join the ranks of Salaphites, which is directly connected with the fact that Sufism itself gives birth to tariqat ideology and religious extremism [2].
Apart from that, inasmuch as "official" Islam is striving to come closer to the state, and it succeeds to do it, opposition to the official clergy includes opposition to the state. This is why, Z. Abdulagatov thinks, "the state should find ways closer to all Islamic confessions. Openness towards them, even to those which are in harsh competition with "official Islam" is an effective way to oppose radicalization [2]. This idea finds support among the leadership of the NAC.
However, it is not that simple: there are doubts concerning the expediency of work with moderate Islamists. For example, experts at the Center of Situational Analysis at the Russian Academy of Sciences believe that the implementation of definite slogans calling for contacts of the authorities with Salaphites are fraught with negative consequences for followers of traditional Islam. They assert that the attempts of the Daghestani authorities to hold negotiations with the "forest people" have resulted in their putting forward their conditions, including demands to appoint their representatives on high administrative posts [8].
There is no doubt that to oppose radicals at the intellectual level there should be well-versed connoisseurs of Islam, who are few and far between in the Russian traditionalist circles so far. In this connection the training of Muslim clergymen in Russia causes serious concern. The quality of Muslim religious education is at a
low level, there are practically no secular experts on Islamic theology, a shortage of specialists of the Arab language, the number of translators from and into Arabic and Turkish is inadequate. Books translated from Arabic and Turkish quite often contain extremist ideas.
It is evident that in order to oppose religious and political extremism the state and society should pay special attention to the system of religious education. It is necessary to create our own model of Islamic education in both intramural and extramural studies. It should be admitted that in Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Afghanistan, Pakistan, other countries of the Middle East and North Africa students from Russia continue to study Islam in its most radical forms and undergo anti-Russian ideological indoctrination. Quite a few leaders of the armed underground have studied in Saudi Arabia, the state dominated by Sunna Islam of the Wahhabi trend. All in all, after the disintegration of the U.S.S.R. the number of those who have received Islamic education abroad exceeded 10,000 men [8].
Moreover, the system of Islamic education in Russia is still one of the major sources of the formation of fundamentalist mentality of young people [9]. As justly noted by the Daghestani scholar I. Shamov, the curricula of Islamic educational institutions of the Republic of Daghestan do not contain history, geography, mathematics, foreign languages, computer ABC - in short - nothing making a person educated, and society itself developed [12].
Apart from creating and improving Russian Muslim education today, it is exceptionally important to carry on a sound stable information policy on Islamic problems, including publication of periodical material, study aids, and setting up special Internet sites opposing similar products made by radical Islamists.
It is necessary to emphasize that undermining Islamic literature gets to this country not only from abroad, but also directly from Russian territory (for instance, the "Badr" Publishers
printed such literature in Moscow and in Moscow region.) Naturally, such publications should be completely banned.
The activity of various telecommunication systems of the Internet type also merits close attention [5]. Virtual space is filled with Islamist sites, forums and disputes of an extremist character. All terrorist acts are fixed on the sites of terrorists coming out for the "world jihad," and also in social networks. The activity of individual subjects of the Internet bears a definitely anti-Russian character. Accordingly, opposition to ideological subversion should have a specific character. Yet, Russia has not found effective solutions so far to prevent the use of the Internet for spreading terrorist ideology [7]. Work to compromise the ideology and practical work of radical Islamists is far from adequate. The available opportunities are not used as they should. Propaganda against the Wahhabi militants is weak, bodies of power and administrative units fail to work properly and effectively fight the ideology of religious-political extremism.
It is necessary to step up and strengthen organizationally and materially the already working near-Islamic bodies - the Fund of support of Islamic culture, science and education and the Group of strategic vision entitled "Russia - the Islamic World." Similar approach is necessary to other structures which have not been supported by the Federal Center and heads of the administrative parts of the Russian Federation. (We mean a number of organizations in the South of Russia and in the North Caucasus.)
A new generation of Islamic scholars should be trained, who well know the realities and languages of Muslims abroad, and first and foremost the Arabic, Persian and Turkish languages.
At the same time, it is necessary to uphold the secular character of the Russian state and its equal attitude to all traditional confessions. There is no doubt that a modern state is able to achieve successes in civil construction only on the basis of values common to representatives of all religions and cultures; moreover, it is on a secular state that can ensure genuine personal freedom of conscience.
Apart from that, of great importance is the elaboration of an effective youth policy in the Russian Federation and is regions with due account of its specific features. In the North Caucasus today young people are the main medium for spreading extremist ideas and their implementation in political activity. Youth policy should be based on a firm ideological foundation of Russian patriotism, for which purpose it is necessary to form the basis of modern national ideology, without which the anti-terrorist activity will not be successful. Besides, the elaboration of youth policy should be closely connected with a comprehensive solution of problems facing modern North Caucasian society (and not only that society), especially with such its vices as corruption, embezzlement and clan structure, In other words, in tackling youth and Islamic problems it is necessary to use all measures and approaches to oppose modern terrorism at the national level and bring to naught foreign influence, which increases it.
It is only by joint efforts of the authorities and civil society will it be possible to strengthen the front of fighting terrorism in the information field.
Literature
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[Religious-political Extremism as Seen by Daghestanis]. - Makhachkala, 2011.
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11 A. Sidorov. Zelyonoe znamya s dvuglavym orlom [Green Banner with Double-headed Eagle] // Interfax. 2009. August 31.
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2018.04.01. KONSTANTIN VODENKO. THE INTERETHNIC HARMONY RESOURCE IN THE YOUTH CIRCLES IN RUSSIAN SOCIETY // "Gumanitari Yuga Rossii," Rostov-on-Don, 2017, Vol. 6, № 3, P. 203-214.
Keywords: resource of interethnic consent, Russian youth, interethnic relations, value and normative orientations.
Konstantin Vodenko,
Dr.Sc.(Philosophy)/ Leading Research Associate, Institute of Sociology and Regional Studies, Southern Federal University,Rostov-on-Don, Professor, M.I. Platov South Russian State Technical University, Novocherkassk
In the article it is investigated the resource of interethnic consent as a factor influencing realization of vital strategies, and the sphere of civil activity of Russian youth. The author considers structural, institutional and valuable criteria of the relation of
