Читая Асада, Ахмеда и Халлака: что есть ислам сегодня?

This essay is a brief review of three books, What is Islam? The importance of being Islamic by Shahab Ahmed (2016), Secular translations: Nation-state, Modern Self, and Calculative Reason by Talal Asad (2018), and Restating Orientalism: A Critique of Modern Knowledge by Wael Hallaq (2018). The authors’ arguments are analyzed in terms of the ongoing “linguistic turn” in Western studies of Islam, that is, the creation of a methodological paradigm that recognizes the value of the polysemy of the global Muslim community (past and present) and pays attention to multiple languages (imperial, colonial, academic, etc.) to describe Islam. The essay concludes with a discussion of the strengths and weaknesses of this paradigm and its applicability to studies of Islam in Russia.

The strategies of building relations between the State and Islam in Russia and in the Arab World

This article is dedicated to the issues of relations between the state and Islam in Arab countries (Algeria, Egypt, Syria) and in Russia in the contemporary era. Despite the fundamental diff erences between political systems and diff erent experiences in relations between the state and religion, all these societies are facing similar threats and challenges in recent years, causing certain parallels between policies towards Islam. This work is based on both published materials and around 20 interviews with experts, politicians and religious leaders from the researched countries recorded by the authors. The research allowed to defi ne common and diff erent traits of implemented political strategies, made it possible to show the infl uence of such processes as securitization of religion administrating, growing individualization of faith practicing, integration of religious institutions in the civil society structures on the transformation of StateIslam relationship models.

Исламские Религиозные Объединения В Правовом, Политическом И Социальном Контексте России (Islamic Religious Associations In The Legal, Political and Social Context Of Russia)

The purpose of this article is to describe and analyze the activities of Islamic spiritual administrations in Russia. The method used in writing this article is a method of descriptive analysis using data from the literature. The results of the study show that the Spiritual administration of Muslims represents the interests of all Muslims in Russia. The spiritual administration of Muslims is increasingly promoting Islamic education in Russia. It represents the rights of Russian Muslims as citizens and helps to overcome religious extremism, terrorism, xenophobia and Islamophobia in Russia. Interaction between Islam and the state has become a priority. For the state, Islam in Russia is a valuable diplomacy abroad. In the future, the role of the spiritual administration of Muslims should be strengthened, strive for unity and cooperation between the Spiritual administration of Muslims, and give priority to the interests of Russian Muslims Keywords: Muslim spiritual administration, Russian Muslims

The Talking Dead: Everyday Muslim Practice in Russia

This article focusses on the issue of “traditional Islam” in Russia and the practices associated with it. Employing an approach that combines the concepts of lived religion and everyday nationalism, those practices are taken into consideration that are often interpreted in terms of vernacular Islam and regarded skeptically, if not outright rejected, by proponents of a more global Islam. Discussed in detail are commemoration ceremonies for the dead, prayers in the cemetery, saint veneration and local pilgrimage, the mawlid celebration and the use of prayer beads. These practices indicate an outlook on life, where Muslim believers cultivate a close connection to their environment and maintain personal relations to various human and more-than-human beings, thus creating the space for an exchange crossing the boundary between life and death. The article contributes to the anthropological study of Islam in Russia and—by focusing on religious practice—specifically attempts to capture the main characteristics of “traditional Islam.”