The Struggle for Leadership of the Qatari-Turkish Alliance in Somalia

The article examines the struggle of the Qatari- Turkish alliance for regional leadership in the Federal Republic of Somalia. The analysis revealed that the foreign policy activity of Turkey and Qatar in Somalia began during the events of the Arab Spring. Ankara and Doha used diplomatic, military and fi nancial instruments to strengthen their infl uence in the country. Moreover, Qatari money played an important role in promoting pro-qatari candidates to power during the 2012 and 2017 presidential elections. However, the eff orts of the Turkish- Qatari alliance to strengthen its position in Somalia have clashed with the interests of the Saudi- Emirati bloc seeking regional dominance. On the other hand, the inability to close the main cooperation with the central government in Somalia forced the UAE to support such autonomous regions as Somaliland, thereby intensifying the destabilization processes in the country.

Islam in Karachay-Cherkessia Region During the Soviet Period

Based on a wide range of sources, this article shows the development of Islam on the territory of Karachay- Cherkessia during the Soviet period. In the fi rst years of Soviet power, the declared atheism did not prevent the Bolsheviks from using the religious factor to attract the sympathy of the population. The commonality of Islam and Bolshevism in relation to social equality and justice was declared, and the system of Shari‘a legal proceedings was preserved for some time. As their positions were strengthened, the Bolsheviks no longer needed allies, the religious infrastructure was destroyed, and the clergy, including the Islamic ones, were repressed. However, in the conditions of the Great Patriotic War, when the need arose for the formation of patriotic sentiments, religion again took its, albeit limited, place in public life. The sound policy pursued by the regional authorities with regard to Islam in the 1980s made it possible to successfully resist the onslaught of religious extremism that hit the country in the post- Soviet period and build a religious infrastructure practically from scratch.

Islam and Traditional Culture in Present-Day Uzbekistan: Relationship and Features

The article discusses the changes that occur in the religious policy of Uzbekistan after gaining state independence (1991), and the impact that they have on various areas of everyday culture — traditional ceremonies, costume, religious and everyday behavior, etc. It is noted that along with justifi ed government measures aimed at preventing religious extremism are strengthening the control of offi cial Muslim organizations and their representatives over everyday life, over the execution of something only religious, but also family and social norms and ritual practices. The policy of religious tolerance and the course towards enlightened Islam, which is currently being conducted in Uzbekistan, imply not only the freedom of Muslims to openly demonstrate their religious affi liation through visits to mosques, the performance of Muslim rites, through special details of a costume, etc., but also the “purifi cation” of Islam from pre- Islamic performances and rituals that traditionally existed in the “everyday” form of its functioning among local Muslims, the modifi cation of ancient rites and rituals and the revaluation of cultural heritage. Modern realities determine the relevance of the ethnographic study of Islam in Central Asia and the need for new approaches to the study of traditional everyday and everyday culture — its consideration in the context of the processes that occur in regional Islam. The article is based on the author’s fi eld materials, mainly collected during trips to Uzbekistan.

On Development of Muslim Community of the Republic of Tatarstan in 2021

The article is devoted to the development of the Muslim community of the Republic of Tatarstan (RT) in 2021. The author continues a series of articles exploring the Muslim community of Tatarstan in 2000–2010-s. The article concludes that stability in the religious sphere is generally maintained in the Republic of Tatarstan. In the context of the continuation of the pandemic, social activities are becoming increasingly important. The most important socio- political plot for the Tatar religious fi gures of Russia was the preparation and participation in the All- Russian Population Census of 2021. The VIII Congress of the Muslim Spiritual Administration (MSA) of the Republic of Tatarstan retained the former Mufti and Bash-qadi (the main Sharia judge) of the MSA of the Republic of Tatarstan in their posts. Law enforcement agencies continue to identify the activities and punish representatives of radical organizations banned in the Russian Federation

Islam in the Republic of Bashkortostan in 2020 in Context of the COVID-19 Pandemic

The article is a monitoring of the main events concerning the Muslim community of the Republic of Bashkortostan in 2020 based on content analysis of text materials from government reports, press releases, websites and social media pages of Islamic organizations. The pandemic that began at the end of 2019 and the lockdown introduced in Russia demanded that Islamic communities adapt to new conditions. The danger of the spread of COVID-19 has reduced the internal confl ict in the Islamic environment and the public’s attention to the problems of radicalism. The drop in mosques attendance was off set by the development and use of digital resources in religious activities. At the same time, limited contacts, reduced offl ine events and meetings contributed to strengthening the new course of the Spiritual Administration of Muslims of the Republic of Bashkortostan towards decentralization and regionalisation. The activities of the Central Spiritual Administration of Russia, located in Ufa, remained without change on a national scale.

Review on: Islam A, Zaripov, Gardens of Qur'anic Wisdom, Vol. 1, Moscow: Medina, 2021.

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Review on: Mahmud Shaltut Islam: Doctrine and Law (Russian translation), Moscow: Medina, 2020.

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On Emergence of Institute of Commissioners of Council for Religious Cults under the Council of People’s Commissars of the RSFSR in 1944–1945

The article deals with Muslim religious fi gures (imams, seyids, abyzs, muezzins, mullahs) of the Tatar Sloboda of Moscow, located in the Zamoskvorechye district, of the 17th-18th centuries. Many names and details of the life of religious fi gures are for the fi rst time described by means of use of documents of the Russian State Archive of Ancient Acts and the Central Historical Archive of Moscow. The Council for Religious Aff airs under the Council of People’s Commissars of the USSR, created in May and June 1944, faced a number of problems from the very beginning of its work. One of them was the creation of new posts in the regions those authorized by this Council. Some of the leaders of the regions of the USSR believed that such positions were not necessary. In many respects, this attitude resulted in diffi culties in the work of the authorized representatives of this Council: delays in the allocation of specially equipped offi ces, sending on long business trips not related to the performance of duties, failure to comply with the decisions of the state leadership on the payment of salaries to the authorized representatives, which should have corresponded to their position. Despite the measures taken from the fi rst days by the leadership of the Council, relying on the leadership of the USSR, many of the problems associated with the commissioners, primarily with the staffi ng of their staff , both in quality and quantity, in the 1940s became chronic and did not were resolved during these years. In many ways, a signifi cant part of the diffi culties in the work of the commissioners arose from ignorance and failure to comply with a set of offi cial documents, including service letters and instructions. Analysis of various aspects of the activities of the authorized representatives of the Council for Religious Aff airs is not only purely theoretical, but also of great practical importance for the authorities at all levels, which interact with religious organizations in their daily work.

F. Isac’s Qur’anic Hermeneutics in Context of Islamic Liberation Theology

Farid Esack is a modern Islamic scholar of South African origin who suggests original Qur’anic hermeneutics in the scope of theology of liberation. The characteristics of his theology considered in this article are: the praxis of liberation, contextualism, scrupulous textual analysis, hermeneutics oriented at struggle with institutions of oppression. It is noted that his hermeneutics diff ers from the hermeneutics of other theologians of liberation — he represents the praxis of liberation as a main task of theology of liberation. His method is not only theoretical scholarly speculative exercise on textual interpretation, at the same it inspires and encourages people for changes in society, for enhancement the lives of people where justice comes as its necessary fundamental stipulation. His refl ective theology is an intellectual response to the challenges of postmodern world aimed at establishing such virtues in society as justice, freedom, mercy and setting up more egalitarian Islamic society.

The History of Russian Qur’аn Translations (19th Century — Middle 20th Century)

This article is devoted to the history of the tradition of translations of the Qur’an into Russian from the nineteenth century to the translation by I. Yu. Krachkovsky. The article examines the background to the creation of these translations, their key features and their importance for the development of the Russian tradition of translation and interpretation of the Qur’an. Particular attention is paid to the importance of studying these translations of the Qur’an into Russian in the context of the development of the Russian tradition of Qur’anic interpretation and the Russian school of Islamic studies. The purpose of this study is also to attract Russian and foreign Islamologists and Qur’anologists to a thorough study of the heritage of the Russian tradition of Qur’anic translation and to consider the prospects of its development in the twenty- fi rst century.