Religious Activity of Muslim Women in the North Caucasus: Trends and Perspectives

Abstract

The increasing role of religion in the life of Muslim society requires a new analysis devoted to the involvement of different demographic and social groups in religious practices. The article analyses the results of a sociological study among Muslims living in the republics of the North Caucasus (Dagestan, the Chechen Republic, the Republic of Ingushetia), dedicated to the religious activity of women. The author analyses to new empirical data obtained as a result of qualitative and quantitative sociological research in the region and allows to identify the directions and prospects for the development of religious activity of Muslim women. The results of the study showed that women’s activity can have both positive and destructive effects on society. In recent years, the second direction has become more well-known, which has been reflected in numerous Russian and foreign publications about female suicide bombers. The article attempts to objectively and comprehensively consider women’s activity in the field of religion. The forms and directions of modern women’s religious activity are shown. The prospects of its development and the attitude of the population of the republics of the North Caucasus to it are analysed. The study showed that women’s activity in the religious sphere is quite high, it is focused primarily on everyday non-public practices, despite the fact that destructive activity remains the most well-known and the threat of deviant activity persists, more and more new women’s social initiatives and activity appear, forms of women’s activity are becoming more diverse. It is these initiatives that could become the basis for overcoming the problems of women and female radicalisation and the threat of terrorist activity. Keywords: women, gender, religion, North Caucasus, Islam, gender studies, women’s activity.