INVESTIGATION OF THE PROBLEM OF ARAB-MUSLIM CULTURE BY RUSSIAN INSTITUTES OF ISLAMIC STUDIES AND ISLAMIC SCHOLARS FROM THE END OF THE 19TH TO THE MIDDLE OF THE 20TH CENTURY

Abstract

Islamic studies in Russia from the end of the 19th to the middle of the 20th century went through several stages of development. At the beginning of the century, before the 1917 revolution, Islam was the second largest religion in the Russian Empire. The authorities supported Muslim culture, including book publishing, printing, the Hajj and the education system1. However, there were also conflicts, especially based on land relations between Muslims and Christians, as well as ideological disagreements. After the October Revolution and the establishment of Soviet power, the position of Islam and Islamic studies in Russia changed dramatically. Religious institutions were subject to repression; many mosques were closed or repurposed. At the same time, during the period of Soviet power, new approaches to the study of Islam were formed, including through the prism of Marxist-Leninist ideology. Since the end of the 20th century, especially after the collapse of the Soviet Union, Islamic studies in Russia received a new impetus for development. Interest in the study of Islam as a religion and sociocultural phenomenon has increased, the number of publications and studies related to Islam and the Arab-Muslim world has increased, which makes this article relevant in addressing the issue of Russian source studies of this period.