Central Asia and Islam

1
Central Asia and Islam

• Russian 375

2
Brief History

• Islam arrived in CA in 8th Century
• Whole of CA except northernmost Kazakhstan
  brought into Muslim world
• Arabic became literary, scientific, and
  administrative language and center of scholarly
  inquiry

3
History Central Asian Muslims

• Predominantly Sunni
• Members of the Hannifi school of law
• Shiite minorities in Bukhara, Samarkand, and
  Tajikistan (Ismailis)

4
Importance of Central Asian Islam

• Contribution of Islamic philosophy, ethics, legal
  codes, and scientific research
• Development of Sufism (aka Islamic mysticism).

5
Jadidism

• Introduced Western ideas, science, and led to
  reinterpretation of Islam by Jadids.
• Based on usul-e-jadi (new educational
  principles
• Outgrowth of Islamic reform movements that swept
  colonized Muslim world
• Tried to reconcile modern Westernism with Muslim
  traditions
• Advocated religious reform modern edu.

6
Jadidism

• Jadids opposed mullahs who they considered
  reactionary
• Russian opposed Jadids viewed them as threats
  as Jadids opposed to colonialism
• Jadids open new schools with modern curricula
• An intellectual (opposed to mass) movement
  (divided over ideology practice)

7
Jadidism

• 1917 some Jadids backed Bolsheviks
• Others joined Communist Party and played critical
  role in Central Asia but Stalin purged most (if
  not all) by 1937

8
Basmachis

• Anti- Bolshevik resistance led by local mullahs
  and clan leaders
• Anti-communist guerrilla-like groups sprang up
  all over CA
• Stood for Islam and Turkic nationalism
• Resistance continued to 1929, unable to dev.
  coherent ideology or leadership
• Defeated w/many fleeing to Afghan.

9
Islam and Central Asia

• Society in Central Asia traditionally relied on
  mahalla as its basis
• Based on Arabic word for place
• Refers to neighborhood
• Functions as site of social networks
• Mahallas controlled the flow of goods and
  services

10
Mahalla

• Provided access to education, employment
• Provided support for life events (birth, death)
• Source of identity for people
• Islam too, source of identity-transmitter of
  cultural tradition/way of life

11
Islam Soviet period

• Variation in govt policies towards Islam
• Early years official tolerance (1917-1920),
  followed by efforts of repression (periods of
  industrialization and collectivization
  accompanied by strong anti religious activity)
• 1922, waqf lands nationalized
• 1925, govt redistributed waqf to peasants

12
Islam Soviet Period

• 1930, all waqf properties nationalized
• 1927 Shariah courts declared invalid
• Religious schools closed 1928 and Union of
  Godless Zealots established
• 1938 relaxation of antireligious activity due to
  fear of possible ill effects of war effort
• Removed ban on Haj in 1944

13
Religious Boards/Islamic Spiritual Directorates

• Four boards established
• 1) Central Asia and Kazakhstan (Tashkent) 2)
  Eastern Russia and Siberia (Ufa) 3)Caucasus and
  Daghestan (Makhach-Qala) 4) Transcaucasus Region
  (Baku)
• Boards, regulators of Soviet Muslim relig. life
• Muftis (spiritual leaders) appt. by Soviet govt
  led each of the directorates

14
Directorates continued

• Mullahs co-opted if they
• registered with authorities
• submitted restrictions
• Cooperated with government

15
Directorates

• Trained and appointed clerics
• Operated mosques
• Held conferences and seminars
• Published religious books and calendars

16
1960s

• Soviets develop official Islam. Open new
  state-run madrassas to produce clergy for
  registered mosques
• Limited number of Muslims permitted to travel to
  Mecca
• Soviet motivation build relations with Muslim
  world and show Muslim dignitaries that Islam and
  socialism compatible

17
Gorbachev

• Adoption of a liberal all-Union in 1989 led to an
  Islamic revival in CA
• Increased number of travelers to Mecca
• Hundreds of new mosques built

18
Gorbachev era continued

• Islamic revival apolitical
• Islam treated as an element of traditional
  culture rather than political ideology
• Cultural and political intelligentsia tended to
  be highly secular in political outlook

19
Islams Response to the Soviet Threat/Unofficial
Islam

• Unregistered mosques
• Madrassas run out of homes
• Private gatherings of prayer
• Shrine/tomb visits
• Itinerant mullahs carry out religious rites (in
  Tajikistan 500 shrines served by 700 unregistered
  mullahs)

20
Islams response

• Soviet Muslim authorities moved away from a
  literal interpretation of Islam
• Salat could be performed once (instead of 5
  times/day)
• Sawm could be achieved with minimal fasting
  (could understand deprivation and hunger by a
  shortened fast)

21
Islams responses

• Hajj replaced by visits to local shrines
• Primary change was that Sufi leaders became
  regarded as unofficial mullahs