Abstract
A group of 101 Sunni Muslims, dwellers of Daghestan Republic, Russian Federation, were interviewed with the help of three standard questionnaires, two of which had been elaborated by Russian religious psychologists, and one was a Russian version of the well-known Scale of Religious Orientations by Allport-Ross. The study formed part of a mass comparative study of religious attitudes of present-day Russian citizens, conducted by UNESCO Chair on Comparative Studies of Spiritual Traditions, their Specific Cultures and Interreligious Dialogue, which functions at the basis of D.S. Likhachev Russian Institute of Cultural and Natural Heritage, and belongs to International Network of UNITWIN/UNESCO Chairs in Inter-religious Dialogue and Intercultural Understanding (IDIU). Basic trends in personal religiosity were revealed by Sunni Muslims, starting from high level of integral religiosity, and ending with deep personal connection to God. Considerable affinity to the corresponding dimensions of the religious experience of Shia Muslims, studied earlier in the framework of this study, both in absolute values of indices, and structural patterns of their organization, was proven, as well as presence of important differences. A trend, being strong by young Sunni Muslims, both male and female, weak by aged Sunni Muslims of any sex, and absent by Shia Muslims in general, serves as a plausible example. It consists in high assessment of the level of one’s personal religiosity, positively linked to high appreciation of religion as source of one’s moral standards, and of its function as help in resolving everyday problems. Regularities revealed as result of this study are most constructive for the sake of conducting responsible intercultural / interfaith dialogue with Sunni Muslims.
Published Version
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