The politics of religion: State policy towards muslims in Post-Soviet Russia

Abstract

This thesis analyzes the state’s Muslim policy in post-Soviet Russia with a focus on Putin period. The thesis aims to make a modest contribution to the analyses of the complicated relations between state and religion in post-Soviet Russia. Being the largest minority in the country with a vast number (approximately 20 million), Russia’s Muslim politics is critical in capturing the complicated state-religion relations of the country. The indigeneity of the Russian Muslims as opposed to migrant minority Muslims of the Europe is another distinct pattern that makes important to understand Russian case and that will open the ground for interesting comparisons. The literature on managing religion as a governance strategy of authoritarian regimes constitute the theoretical backbone of the thesis. The data for the study is collected from secondary sources, press material, legal material and statements of political/religious actors. Though the focus is given to Putin period, the thesis covers the discussions of state’s Muslim politics and religion-state relations from Imperial to Putin decade to present the continuities and conjunctures in the state’s politics of religion. Being considered among the tools for “governance” of the Muslim dominated regions of the country, the state’s Muslim politics discussed in relation to broader political dynamics such as regime change, authoritarianism, securitization and nationality politics. In this way, the thesis aims to present major patterns of state-religion relations in post-Soviet era specific to the Russian Muslim community and try to locate it within the broader political dynamics shaping Putin era politics. iv