The Islamic Factor in the Struggle for the Paths of Dagestan Development in the Conditions of the 1917 Revolution

The article examines the revolutionary events of 1917 in Dagestan from the standpoint of legal awareness of Muslim public figures and clergy and their participation in the socio-political life of the region. The events had both common for the entire Russia and specific features due to the level of socio-economic and political development of the region and the role of Islam in its society. The article examines how the turbulent revolutionary time brought authoritative Muslim leaders to the political scene. Later, they aspired to develop their own tactics and strategy in order to influence the course of events in Dagestan after the February Revolution of 1917. Each representative of the secular and spiritual intelligentsia had their own attitude to the political forces that emerged during the struggle for the revolutionary democracy. The author notes such a characteristic feature of the revolutionary democracy of 1917 in Dagestan as the active involvement of the Muslim clergy in the new government institutions, their appeal to Islam and Sharia when clarifying and resolving various issues of socio-political importance. It is shown that the most important and discussed issue was the election of the head of the Caucasian Spiritual Board of Muslims from among muftis or imams by the Muslims of Dagestan and the North Caucasus. The healthy socio-political forces of the region aspired to preserve law and order in the region appealing to Sharia and Islam.

Aziz Gazi-Mansur in Bakhchisarai

On the basis of various groups of sources, the author considers the origins and functioning of a spiritual cult complex formed in the medieval period around the Gazi-Mansur Medini Aziz in the southeastern suburb of Bakhchisarai. The phenomenon of a wide spread of azizes in the territory of the Crimean Peninsula connected, primarily, with a high popularity of various Sufi teachings with the population of the region, is analyzed. The author traces the etymology of the term aziz, in all probability derived from the Arabic word عزیز, aziyzun translated as “friend”, “neighbor”, “om-nipotent”, “precious”. Given the lack of reliable historical facts about Gazi-Mansur, a large number of legends and folk traditions have been studied in order to find information about this semi-legendary personality. The author admits that, a native of Medina, he might have been a companion to the Prophet (Sakhab). It was established that his grave could be only one of the places of appear-ance of the saint (maqam), where one could enter into a spiritual connection with him. If this as-sumption is correct, it is possible that such saints’ maqams may exist anywhere in the Muslim world where he could be popular. On the basis of the late 19th century photographic sources, the architec-tural appearance of the complex, whose centre was a tekieh presumably built in the 15th century, was recreated. The author has reconstructed the chronology of functioning of the spiritual centre that had been almost completely destroyed by the mid 20th century. The current state of the landmark, which is still in a state of neglect, is considered. Emphasis is put on the need for a comprehensive scholarl study of the complex based on fundamental archaeological research.

The Syrian Crisis (2011–2021): Development of Conflict

The author analyses the course of the conflict, the composition and the actions of the armed opposition. The methods of the media war against the Syrian Arab Republic are examined. The role of Russia in the suppression of ISIS and the political solution of the Syrian crisis is demonstrated. The academic novelty of the author’s approach is its focus on the new stage of the Syrian crisis in the years 2018–2021, i. e. after the downfall of ISIS. The internal situation in SAR, the activity of the Constitutional Committee, the Presidential elections in 2021 are examined and analyzed. The author concludes that after the defeat of ISIS and its affiliated radical Islamist groupings, the main factors of the conflict continuation are the external actors illegitimately presented in SAR and the armed groups under their control, as well as the Kurdish factor. The author maintains that the polit-ical solution of the Syrian crisis is possible after the transformation of the armed groups of the moderate opposition into a political force and under the condition of the territorial integrity and sover-eignty of Syria that would guarantee the free creed of all its confessions.

Crime under Islamic Law: Definition, Relation with Sins, and Classification

This article appears to be the result of extensive research dedicated to the question of the correct use of the common language while studying Islamic legal culture, and particularly the con-cepts of sin and crime. Consisting of the Quran and Sunnah of the Prophet Muhammad, Sharia turns out to be the basis for fiqh and Islamic law. The latter is a legal phenomenon implying differ-ent legal concepts such as crimes. As we can see from the legal works analysed, the authors often synonymise the terms ‘sin’ and ‘crime’; at the same time it is strongly recommended to differentiate these terms in the context of Sharia, fiqh and Islamic law. However, in our opinion, it is necessary to distinguish between these two categories, since Sharia that deals only with sins is a set of reli-gious norms not relevant to law and jurisprudence. There is no doubt that Sharia norms can be re-flected in the law, but it is just another evidence of Islamic law to be based on Sharia. Quite the con-trary, crime is a legal concept established by legislation. There are times when Sharia, legislation and legal doctrines coincide, and the same act can be considered both as a sin and as a crime, but it does not mean that they are identified. Thus, the novelty of the study consists in the distinction between the concepts of ‘sin’ and ‘crime’ in Sharia and Islamic Law. Besides, having finished the research in such categories as ‘qisas’, ‘diya’ and ‘tazir’, the author comes to a conclusion that the states which hold themselves out to be ‘Islamic’ ought to include these types in their legislation. Elsewise, such states do not have the right to be called ‘Islamic’.

Islamic Activism in Trans-Kama Region: History and Modernity

The article examines the development of Islam in the Trans-Kama (Zakamsky) region of the Republic of Tatarstan. The region is characterized by the natural and geographical isolation from the center, economic uniqueness, specificity of the historical process and the formation of a distinct socio-cultural environment. On the one hand, this is an area of traditional agriculture with a sus-tained history of Islam development in а different confessional surrounding. On the other hand, new cities and monotowns with their marginality, the lack of spirituality and cultural bonds create a fa-vorable environment for the spread of new religious movements. The empirical basis of the article are the results of monitoring publications in the media and social networks of recent years (1,171 messages, 2016-2020) that refute the prevailing idea that the activity of Muslims in Trans-Kama region of Tatarstan in the post-Soviet period has an overall extremist orientation. The author con-cludes that, as a whole, the Muslim community of Trans-Kama region is capable to adequately per-ceive the reality, adapt to it and move to a new development level.

On the Problems of Police Services in the States of the Muslim East: the Middle Ages and the Modern Period

The article is devoted to the history of the police in the states of the Muslim East in the Middle Ages and the modern period. According to the author, the police appeared in the tribal com-munities of this region even before the emergence of the state and performed, among other things, the functions of political investigation. In the countries of the Muslim East, the formation of the police was determined by the general regularities of global change, as well as the specificity of Islam as a religion and Sharia as legislation. The article identifies the historical models and reveals the na-ture of the institution of the police in the Muslim world, including their national security functions. Much attention is paid to the activities of the religious police in Central Asia. According to the au-thor, their abolition in Russian Turkestan revealed many negative phenomena that had existed earli-er in the life of Muslim society in the pre-Russian period. The author concludes that in the states of the Muslim East as a whole the police played a historically positive role in the development of the region.

On Turkey's Policy to Solidify Its Presence in the Northern Territories of Syria

Turkey is one of the most active participants of the Syrian conflict that broke out in 2011. Among the priorities proclaimed by Ankara is the preservation of security and stability on the long Turkish-Syrian frontier that are under a long-term threat posed by the Syrian offshoots of the Kurdi-stan Workers' Party (PKK) recognized by Ankara as a terrorist organization. The article attempts to review and analyze the steps taken by Ankara to socially and economically restore the territories where the Turkish army, together with the armed Syrian opposition, held operations Euphrates Shield, Olive Branch, and Source of Peace (2016–2019) and which, in actual fact, remain occupied. The author concludes that in the context of the ongoing Syrian conflict and uncertainty around the political process to resolve the situation in the country, Turkey is carrying out systematic, compre-hensive work to expand its influence in the Northern Syrian territories which is not always approved by the local population. Close historical and geographical ties between the peoples of the two states, a unifying factor of Islamic faith and Muslim values have become one of the prerequisite for Anka-ra's “successful” policy in the north of Syria.

Religious Practices and the Mediatization of Islam in the Crimea Amidst the Pandemic

The article deals with the changes in the religious life of the Crimean Tatars during the COVID-19 pandemic. It examines such issues as Crimean Muslims’ perception of restrictions on mass religious events, transformation of Islamic rituals and practices, and the process of mediatiza-tion of Islam. The article is written on the basis of analysis of publications in social networks and websites of official Muslim organizations in the Crimea, interviews with religious leaders and partic-ipant observation. The author concludes that the Crimean Tatars’ adaptation to new conditions was generally conflict-free although some manifestations of “coronadissidence” took place. The pandem-ic stimulated the mediatization of Islam in the Crimea, which manifests in accelerated digitalization of Muslim practices and the transfer of Islamic knowledge to the online sphere. For Islamic institu-tions, practices and communications in the Crimea, the transforming consequences of mediatization of religion will become visible over time and will get in the focus of academic research.

Synthesis of Arab-Muslim Culture in Persia and Northern India: Historical Background

The article is devoted to the analysis of the process of the Persian language and culture de-velopment in the Middle Ages and the modern period, its continuity from the Sassanid era to the Samanid and Safavid eras and the synthesis of Arab-Muslim culture in Persia and India. The author turns to the origins of the New Persian language, examines the influence of Iranian culture on the cultural development of neighboring people and demonstrates that the Farsi language influenced the emergence in the Delhi Sultanate of a new Urdu language with a predominance of Persian-Arabic vocabulary. The synthesis of the Arab-Muslim culture of Iran, the mutual influence of the Arab-Islamic and local cultures, clearly manifested in the development of architecture, are considered. Chronologically, the article covers the period of the Middle Ages and the modern period. The re-search is based on the methodological principles of historicism and objectivity, as well as on the his-torical-comparative, historical-genetic, historical-typological methods and civilizational approach. The author concludes that the Iranian cultural influence in the Middle Ages and in the modern peri-od extended to all the eastern lands of Islam – from the Seljuk state to India. The Muslim society was multifaceted, yet subject to the strict rules of Islam. Classical Muslim thought and culture were characterized by a high adaptive capacity. At the end of the twentieth century, the Iranians declared the Persian language an important factor of cultural integration and the foundation of the national mentality. The Farsi language was proclaimed “the second language of Islam”, and the knowledge and study of classical poetry and philosophy of Sufism was recognized as an important means of consolidating the Muslims of the region. This cultural policy contributed to overcoming the interna-tional isolation of the Islamic Republic of Iran and expanding the scope of regional cooperation.

From the Spiritual Culture of the Tsahur: Syncretism of Traditional Beliefs and Islam

The article examines a complex of syncretic beliefs of one of the peoples of Dagestan – the Tsakhur. The beliefs include surviving relics of traditional myths, holidays, rituals and customs, as well as the cult of Muslim saints. Despite the fact that the Tsakhur are among the first peoples of Dagestan who adopted Islam, their traditional spiritual culture (zoolatry, hunting myths, orolatria, agrarian holidays and ceremonies, fancy ritual bread, calendar and maternity rituals, healing magic, demonological representations) preserved in pagan mythological characters of the former pagan pan-theon and pandemonium. Rudiments of pre-monotheistic beliefs are hunting myths, in which the patronage of wild animals and the hunt appears. Over time, this deity evolves into a Muslim saint, patronizing the revered wild animal of the Tsakhur – the white urus. The veneration of Muslim saints among the Tsakhur was expressed in the construction of ziyarats on their graves, with their attributes used in the rituals of healing magic for diseases of livestock. This same veneration was also associated with another ancient belief of the Tsakhur – orolatria. In the calendar ritual of the Tsakhur, the most popular holiday was the festival of spring and the beginning of Navruz, a new agricultural year, when special ritual fancy bread was baked. Their meteorological magic has pre-served a unique winter rite of the gode, when boys dressed in women's clothes walked with a song and carried a doll. The ritual was performed during heavy snowfall to stop it. According to the au-thor, these circumstances indicate the syncretic nature of the traditional beliefs of the Tsakhur, re-vealing a mixture of early forms of religion and Muslim ideology and culture. This syncretism of Tsakhur beliefs makes it possible to refer them to the so-called “popular” or “everyday Islam” wide-spread in Dagestan, which can serve as one of the arguments in the struggle against religious ex-tremism.