Իսլամական արմատականությունը Վրաստանում. նոր միտումներ և մարտահրավերներ

Abstract

The purpose of the paper is to study the main features and tendencies of Salafi Islam and Islamic radicalism in Georgia, to identify the threats and challenges facing Georgia as well as the region. The objectives of the article are to discuss the internal and external motives and impulses, preconditions and consequences of the spread of Sunni radical Islam in the Muslim communities of Georgia, the issues of their integration into the Georgian society, the causes and consequences of the propaganda of Salafism and Sunni Islamic radicalismamong the ethnic Shi’i Azerbaijanis of Georgia. The paper was written on the basis of monitoring of the international press and materials on this topic, an extensive study of professional literature on various sides of Radical Islam in Georgia. In the course of the study, the authors concluded that the spreed of Salafism and radical Islam in Georgia poses a serious threat not only to Georgia, but also to the security environment of the region. The Georgian authorities are losing real control over Adjara, gradually "handing it over" to Turkey. Therefore, a "platform of radicalism" can be formed here with the possibility of direct penetration into the surrounding areas. Adjara, which is actively used by various Turkish Islamic organizations, may also become a "hotbed of terrorism" against Armenia in the event of certain developments. The spread of radical Sunni Islamic ideology in the Azerbaijani-populated regions of Georgia is leading to the retreat of traditional Shi’i Islam. This phenomenon, of course, affects not only the religious map of the region, but also changes the existing geopolitical balance of power. Turkey, using its Islamic tools, is consistently pushing Iran out of Georgia's ethnic Azerbaijani-populated regions, squeezing the circle of Islamic radicalism around Armenia.