Tag: Islam in Russia

The Problem Isn’t That Russians Are Converting to Islam; the Problem is Some Are Becoming Radicals

June 11, 2015

Staunton, June 11 – The attempt by Varvara Karaulova, a Russian who became a Muslim and sought to join ISIS, has sparked a new wave of hysteria about Islam in the Russian media, with speculations about the number of ethnic Russian Muslims, the prospects for a Muslim majority in the Russian population, and the possibility […]

Russia Update: Ukrainian Security Chief Accuses ‘Grey Cardinal’ of Directing Snipers on Maidan

February 20, 2015

Welcome to our column, Russia Update, where we will be closely following day-to-day developments in Russia, including the Russian government’s foreign and domestic policies. The previous issue is here, and see also our Russia This Week stories Ultranationalists Angry over ‘Capitulation’ of Minsk Agreement, ‘Anti-Maidan’ Launched by Nationalists, Cossacks, Veterans, Bikers, The Guild War – […]

Kadyrov’s Ambition To Be Political Leader Of Russia’s Muslims Threatens Country’s Unity

January 19, 2015

Staunton, January 19 — Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov’s aspirations to be the leader of Russia’s Muslims threatens the stability and unity of the Russian Federation by exacerbating conflicts between Moscow and the predominantly Muslim non-Russian republics and by intensifying concerns among Russians about what Kadyrov’s efforts mean for Russia. That conclusion is suggested but not […]

Moscow Is the Largest Muslim City In Europe, Russian Parliamentarian Says

December 17, 2014

Staunton, December 14 – Vyacheslav Nikonov, chairman of the Russian Duma education committee and head of the Russian World Foundation, told a Muslim forum in the Russian capital that “Moscow is not only the largest Islamic city in Russia but also the city with the largest Muslim population in Europe.” Speaking to the 10th International […]

Beneath Anger at West, Russia’s Orthodox Christians and Muslims Remain Deeply Divided

December 16, 2014

Staunton, December 15 – Many have seen the statements of the leaders of the Russian Orthodox Church and the official hierarchies of that country’s Muslim community as an indication that they are moving toward greater mutual understanding and cooperation, according to Nezavisimaya Gazeta. But that is to misread the situation, the paper suggests in a […]

Beneath Anger At West, Russia’s Orthodox Christians and Muslims Remain Deeply Divided

Staunton, December 15 – Many have seen the statements of the leaders of the Russian Orthodox Church and the official hierarchies of that country’s Muslim community as an indication that they are moving toward greater mutual understanding and cooperation, according to Nezavisimaya Gazeta. But is a misreading of the situation, the paper suggests in a […]

Russian Penal System Unwittingly Helping to Spread Radical Islam, Experts Say

November 16, 2014

Staunton, November 16 – Prisons in many countries have often become seedbeds for radicalism, but rarely have those in charge done more to make that so that the Russian Federal Penal Service, which is now putting materials on jihad in prison libraries in the mistaken hope that learning more about radical Islam will dissuade prisoners […]

Moscow’s Mistreatment of Muslims Seen Triggering Violence Across Russia

October 9, 2014

Staunton, October 6 – The editors of Moscow’s Nezavisimaya Gazeta warn in a lead article October 6 that “injustice toward [Muslim] believers could lead to violence” in Moscow and other Russian cities as well, a conclusion that new research on the state of inter-ethnic relations in Russia’s regions confirms. “Almost two million” people have viewed […]

New Film Documents 10 Percent of Russian Troops in World War I Were Tatars

August 26, 2014

Staunton, August 26 – A new documentary film, “Unnoticed Heroes of a Not Well-Known War,” released in Moscow as part of Days of Culture of the Republic of Tatarstan, calls attention to one aspect of that conflict few know about: ten percent of the Russian subjects mobilized to fight in World War I, some 1.5 […]