Islam in Russia

[Rehmat]

Muslim merchants introduced Islam to European Russia in the 10th century. In 921 CE, Kazan ruler Ajmas Khan bin Silki sent his emissary to the Abbaside Caliph Muqtadir Billah requesting the teams of Ulema and Fiqh scholars for paving the way for the dissemination of the Islamic Shariah in his Khanate. He also invited Muslim engineers to set the direction of Qiblah (Kaaba) and for the construction of mosques. Several eminent ulema and reformers were born among local Muslims, including the renowned writer and historian Qazi Yaqub Nauman.

The Russians invaded these Muslim-populated areas in 962 CE, and Kazan became a part of the Russian empire in 1552 CE, and Muslims here were subjected to untold hardships. At a later stage, hundreds of thousands of Muslims were forced to declare themselves Christian.

After the Communist Revolution, these areas became free and the Muslims started constructing new mosques. But in 1918 CE the Communist army invaded and occupied Kazan. Subsequently thousands of ulema took refuge in Manchuria and Japan. In 1919 CE, a socialist republic of the Tatar and Bashkar nation were established. Thereafter, the Arabic script was discarded, mosques were converted into clubs and brothels. Those who tried to resist, were deprived of their land. In 1931 CE, there was an uprising in Tatar and Bashkar which was ruthlessly crushed by the Red Army.

Over 70 years of Russian domination did not stifle the Muslim passion for independence. This passion was aroused anew in the 1990's with the failure of Communism as result of Russian forces’ withdrawal from Afghanistan. Muslims Chechen are in the forefront of Jihad against Russian occupation.

Currently there are over 15 million Muslims in the Tatar, Bashkar, Kazan, the Ural and in the Volga river valley. The Muslims are in majority in Tatar and Bashkar but instead of establishing a separate republic, these areas were merged with the Soviet Union.

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