Nationalism and Religion in the Discourse of Russia’s ‘Critical Experts of Islam’

Abstract

ABSTRACTThis article focuses on a number of prominent journalists and experts distinctive for their critical attitudes towards both radical Islam and the Russian official representatives of the Muslim umbrella organizations (muftiates) in the Russian Federation, and implicitly, for what they see as the Kremlin’s lenient policies towards Islam in Russia. As many of these journalists have links to the Russian Orthodox Church (ROC), and some also to the intelligence community, the central argument of this contribution is that the debate on Islam should be seen within the triangle of state, ROC and Islam. While some of these experts work in Moscow and have access to resources in the centre, others operate in republics such as Tatarstan, where they also criticize the local administration for its pro-Islamic and anti-Orthodox policies. As most of these critics of Islam have academic qualifications (though usually not in Islamic studies), they give academic legitimacy to the view that there is an oppositional dichotomy between ‘traditional Islam’ and ‘non-traditional Islam’, the latter term being used as an umbrella for all trends in Islam that are perceived as being of foreign origin. Similarly, ‘traditional Islam’ is not defined by its Islamic content but simply by its loyalty to the Kremlin. The article also touches upon Muslim responses to these discursive constructions, which reflect the strong competition between the existing muftiates in Russia.