"Our Religious Mentor": Musa Bigeev and the Tatars in Finland

Abstract

The influence of progressive Muslim theologian Musa Jarullah Bigeev (1875–1949) on the Tatarcommunity in Finland during the first half of the twentieth century is the focus of this article. Bigeevwas very popular among the Tatar bourgeoisie in Russia and the diaspora abroad. Already at anearly stage of his career he became widely known as the “Muslim Luther”. We briefly describe thescientific biography of this theologian, his relations with the Tatars in Finland and personal memoriesfrom visiting the country. The main part of the study presents an analysis of the perceptionof his ideas by a few important community leaders in Finland, Weli-Ahmed Hakim, ZinnetullahAhsen Böre and Habibur-Rahman Shakir, as reflected in their correspondence and publications.This article also provides examples of Bigeev’s recommendations to the community on variousissues of their ethno-confessional life, transmitted through letters to its leaders. The recommendationsinclude a range of aspects from the establishment of an organization and development of thecommunity’s education system to questions of religious practice and personal spiritual growth.His ideas contributed to the adaptation of the Tatars to Finnish society and simultaneously to thepreservation of Tatar culture, language and identity.