New political and ideological tendencies in the Russian Muslim community have become a topic of discussion for Orientalists at the seminar "The Caucasus in the Past and the Present" in Moscow. The inability of the state to solve painful problems makes the Muslims of the North Caucasus, in particular Dagestan and Ingushetia, appeal to Sharia norms in resolving land and legal disputes, orientalist Akhmet Yarlykapov said in a report on Islam in modern Russia.

A new meeting of the scientific-practical seminar "Caucasus in the past and present (society and politics, economics and culture)" was held in the building of the Moscow University of International Relations on October 17. The event was organized by the Center for Problems of the Caucasus and Regional Security of MGIMO and the Center for the Study of Central Asia, the Caucasus and the Ural-Volga Region of the Institute of Oriental Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences, a correspondent of the "Caucasian Knot" who was present at the seminar reported.

Alexander Chechevishnikov, Deputy Director of the Institute for International Studies at MGIMO, presented to the meeting participants the recently published biobibliographic dictionary-reference book "Islam and Muslims of Post-Soviet Russia in the Works of Russian Researchers (1992-2017)". Along with Chechevishnikov, the compilers of the dictionary-reference book were Akhmet Yarlykapov, senior researcher at the Center for Caucasian Problems and Regional Security at MGIMO, and Marina Sapronova, professor at the Department of Oriental Studies at MGIMO.

According to Chechevishnikov, this publication was the first attempt by the MGIMO team of scientists to summarize information about Russian researchers dealing with the problems of modern Islam and the Muslim community, and their work. The correspondent counted 48 names of researchers in the list of the directory - among them are both well-known public scientists and relatively little-known representatives of regional scientific schools. Researchers come from both academic and religious backgrounds. The directory contains information about their education, academic degrees and titles, the main place of work and publications on Islamic topics. The purpose of compiling the collection is to improve the communication of Islamic scholars.

The directory contains only those researchers who agreed to the proposal to fill out a questionnaire and enter their names and data into the directory. "For example, our esteemed professor Vladimir Degoev refused to join the ranks of Islamic scholars. He said:" I know the history of the Muslim peoples of the Caucasus, but I can't call myself an Islamic scholar, they will laugh at it. "This is such a reflection," Chechevishnikov said.

Akhmet Yarlykapov spoke at the seminar with a report "Islam in modern Russia", based on his research of the Muslim communities of the North Caucasus, the Volga region, the Urals and Siberia. The scientist noted that he deliberately "sharpened some points in order to provoke a discussion and understand whether they correspond to reality or not."

In his report, Yarlykapov questioned the claim that there had been a revival of Islam in Russia since the late 1980s. The processes taking place then were mostly re-Islamization, the orientalist is sure.

"There was nothing to revive in a significant part of the country's territory. To revive, you need to have those traditions that are subject to restoration. In Russia, with the possible exception of certain regions, the former Islamic tradition, Sufi or some other, which was in the early twentieth century, In the 1980s and 1990s, people who identified themselves as Muslims belonged to “ethnic Muslims,” but did not even pray yet. But at a certain stage, some of them became active Muslims - they became anew, sometimes not relying on the old tradition," Yarlykapov explained.

Yarlykapov cited the northern regions of Dagestan and Kabardino-Balkaria as examples of re-Islamization.

"In the northern regions of Dagestan, in reality, there were perhaps one or two people who could read the Koran in Arabic and knew some rites of Islam. In Kabardino-Balkaria, the situation was such that those young Kabardians who began to observe the norms of Islam , were alienated by their own society, which ultimately led to the tragic events of October 13, 2005," Yarlykapov said.

On October 13, 2005, an attack was made on Nalchik. During the fighting, 35 security officials, 14 civilians and 92 people from among the attackers were killed. The case has been pending in the Supreme Court of Kabardino-Balkaria since 2008. On December 23, 2014, the court sentenced the five defendants to life imprisonment. Most of the convicts claim that they were involved in the events fraudulently. Reference material "Attack on Nalchik on October 13-14, 2005" has been published in the "Reference" section of the "Caucasian Knot".

North Caucasus in the struggle for leadership in the Russian Ummah

Speaking about modern trends, Akhmet Yarlykapov pointed to a gradual change in the traditional picture of the spread of the theological and legal interpretations of Islam due to the migration of people and ideas. He also noted that the Islamic community in Russia is becoming more and more mosaic due to the emergence of new religious groups, including within certain movements, in particular the Salafi. "This trend as a whole has never been united and was divided into many groups, including those opposing each other," he said.

Yarlykapov also pointed to the growing role of Islam in the legal, economic, educational and other spheres of life in the Northeast Caucasus. Muslims in the region often turn to Islamic law because of the inability of the state to solve certain painful problems, he stated.

"The unresolved nature of some old problems sometimes pushes Muslims to use Sharia. In Dagestan, they are increasingly turning to Sharia concepts. For example, residents of the plains of Dagestan say that according to Sharia, the lands on the plain belong to them, and the highlanders who settled there need to negotiate with them. Before "100 thousand people live on the plain in settlements that are registered nowhere, they do not exist on the map. Although the land is formally the property of the state, it does not decide the issue of their status. Cases have been recorded when land conflicts between the communities of local residents and migrants were resolved in a mosque, according to Sharia, within the framework of the knowledge that spiritual leaders have, fixing the decision in Arabic. Although there are still very few real experts on Sharia," the scientist said.

Another important modern trend, the orientalist called the competition that has arisen between the official spiritual administrations of Muslims and informal Islamic centers. "We have in mind the rivalry between muftiats, but their organizational contradictions are far from the reality in which believers live in communities and mosques," Yarlykapov said.

He called the Spiritual Administration of Muslims of Dagestan and the head of Chechnya, Ramzan Kadyrov, the biggest players in the struggle for leadership in the Russian Muslim community. In this sense, the North Caucasus seeks to occupy leadership positions in the Muslim community at the all-Russian level, which until now have been occupied by Tatar religious figures, Yarlykapov concluded.

"The DUM of Dagestan is now actively involved in the struggle for leadership in the Russian Ummah, its newspaper As-Salam is currently being distributed throughout Russia. In all regions, the Dagestan muftiate holds some kind of event. Active cooperation with the DUM of Dagestan is going on in Tatarstan. Thus, they have a real and effective work, "the scientist explained.

Akhmet Yarlykapov calls Ramzan Kadyrov the second force in the struggle for leadership among Russian Muslims, noting that the head of Chechnya does not publicly declare such ambitions.

"But the reality is that he is participating in this struggle. He and his supporters are actively using network technologies, establishing contacts with local Muslim leaders throughout the country, providing targeted assistance to local Muslim communities. By certain actions and statements, they earn the sympathy of all Muslims in Russia as well. , and abroad," Yarlykapov said.

The scientist noted that Kadyrov's actions arouse sympathy even among some of the Salafists who are in confrontation with the DAM of Dagestan.

"The DUM of Dagestan is limited by the fact that its imams are mostly Sufis, which causes confrontation with the Salafis. Kadyrov, on the other hand, maintains wide contacts, not limited to Sufis and official muftis. Now, among some groups of Salafists, it is widely believed that what he does is useful for ummah and worthy of support," the orientalist noted.

The Russian authorities do not have an Islamic political program

Yarlykapov's report on the struggle for leadership in the Russian ummah interested the seminar participants, who asked the scientist their questions. Nikolai Silaev, a senior researcher at the Center for Caucasian Problems and Regional Security at MGIMO, asked if the activity of the Dagestan muftiate and Kadyrov was connected with the evolution of the views of the Russian authorities and their attitude towards Islam.

"Six or seven years ago, foreign Muslim scholars came to Russia, now their visits have stopped. Maybe the authorities have relied on the activity of the Dagestani DUM and the Chechens, because they are well known, and their activities [are under the control of the authorities]?" Silaev asked . Yarlykapov, answering a question, noted the inconsistency of the political leadership of Russia in relation to Islam and Muslims.

"There was a very vague stake on traditional Islam, although it was not even clear what it was? In Dagestan it is Sufism, and in Kabardino-Balkaria - what is it? Now [there is] a stake on their own Islamic education, it is important who controls it. what is offered may not always be attractive, for example, the Bulgarian Islamic Academy in Tatarstan - who will go from Moscow, St. Petersburg or the Caucasus to study in a village far from cities? There is a feeling that the Russian authorities lack a strategic vision," he said.

Akhmet Yarlykapov suggested that the "Dagestan project" could well be initiated from Moscow, but Ramzan Kadyrov is acting informally. His informal actions create competition for the DUM of Dagestan and "spur" them to a more active expansion of their own influence. "After all, someone must speak on behalf of all Muslims in Russia," Yarlykapov concluded.

On the night of September 9, the Black Star label canceled the concerts of Yegor Creed and rapper Doni in Dagestan, after Creed received a large number of comments on Instagram with threats and recommendations not to come to Makhachkala. Dagestani fighter Khabib Nurmagomedov called the cancellation of the concert "a small loss." Performer and producer Timati urged him to be tolerant, to which the athlete reacted with another sharp post on Instagram. The head of Chechnya called on the participants in the conflict "not to engage in nonsense." At the same time, he leveled the terrorists with the "guest performers", saying that the Caucasus does not need them either. On October 12, Kadyrov reported on the reconciliation of Timati and Nurmagomedov. However, the conflict itself has sparked controversy about radicalism in Dagestan. Clerical sentiments are capturing an increasing part of the population both in the republic and in the North Caucasus as a whole, Akhmet Yarlykapov pointed out. "A secular state should not allow such excesses. This is evidence that the authorities cannot ensure secularism in the regions. Going to concerts is the right of a citizen, and when it is limited, including from a religious point of view, a reaction should follow, but it does not" , - he said.

The protests of the religious part of the population against certain cultural phenomena in the republics of the North Caucasus, like the recent scandal around the Yegor Creed concert in Dagestan, are due to the insufficient maturity of both the Muslim and secular communities of the republic, the orientalist believes.

“This is a matter of maturity for both secular forces and Muslims. If Muslims understood that Creed was not a problem and vice versa, his free speech could be an argument that Muslims should be more tolerant,” Yarlykapov believes.

A historian from Dagestan, Sergei Manyshev, who was present at the seminar, argued with the opinion about the narrowing of secular space in Dagestan. The situation around Creed's concert, in his opinion, is rather an exception to the general rules - according to Manyshev, the clash of secular and religious views in Dagestan is relatively rare.

"In Dagestan, some performers were not very fond of before, for example, there were protests against the arrival of Boris Moiseev. In the past five years, this has not happened, there is no narrowing of the secular space in Dagestan. It simply separated from the space of religious people," Manyshev said.

Answering a question about the protests in Ingushetia, Yarlykapov noted the predominantly political nature of the actions. The participation of religious figures in protests and mass prayers do not indicate a significant influence of the Islamic factor on what is happening, he believes. "It's just that all the participants in the actions are Muslims, and therefore, when the time comes, they all pray together," the scientist said.

Since October 4, a mass protest action against the change of the border with Chechnya has been held around the clock in the capital of Ingushetia, the participants of which demanded a referendum on the issue of the border and the resignation of the head of the republic. On October 12, in the center of Magas, where the rally was held, residents of Ingushetia held a Friday prayer. On October 16, the authorities refused to extend permission for the rally after October 17, but agreed to hold it from October 31 to November 2. The organizing committee of the rally decided to interrupt the action for the preparation of the World Congress of the Ingush people on October 30th."The Mufti of Ingushetia Khamkhoev is not present at the actions, his guys come and speak. But the Mufti of Ingushetia himself distanced himself, he observes complete neutrality," the professor emphasized.

Religious beliefs are an important part of the spiritual life of any society. Most of the people on planet Earth profess one religion or another. Islam and Christianity are the largest religions at the moment. In the article we will answer the question - who is more: Christians or Muslims in the world.

World Christianity

Christianity is an ancient religious direction that has its own traditions and rules. At the moment, there are Christian churches in almost all countries. Everywhere people profess this Abrahamic religion. Parishes and churches are being created, large financial resources are donated to the creation of churches. But who is more - Christians or Muslims? Christianity is currently the most widespread religion in the world.

The pace of development of the confession

Christianity and Islam have almost the same spread rates. In 2016, the number of adherents of Islam in the world reached about 1.8 billion people. And every year this number of followers of this religion increased. Among experts, there is an opinion that Islam in the future may take a dominant position in terms of numbers. Already at the moment, the popularity of this denomination is increasing. So who is more: Muslims or Christians? At the moment, there are more adherents of Christianity. But long-term forecasts of scientific centers say that Islam is the fastest growing religion in terms of the number of followers.

The birth rate in believing families also matters. Catholics and Orthodox Christians have an average of 2.3 children for every woman, while adherents of Islam have 3.2. American researchers say that the number of non-believers, as well as people who have not decided on religious views, is rapidly decreasing in the world. Scientists predict that in 2045 the number of Christians and Muslims on our planet will be equal. These world religious trends have much more adherents than all other religious movements.

Choice of religion

It is almost impossible to predict which denomination this or that person will choose. There are many people on the planet who were born in one religion, and then changed it to a completely different one of their own free will. The most popular reason for changing confessions is marriage to a person of a different religion. This is followed by a change of religion in adulthood, as well as a change in confession due to a change in place of residence. Many members of the clergy believe that changing religion is a sin.

Islam and other religions

Most followers of Islam live in Iran, Pakistan, the Republic of Bangladesh and Indonesia. About twenty million Muslims live in the Russian Federation. Approximately one billion people on Earth profess Hinduism, fifty million people adhere to Buddhism. Adherents of Islam profess various directions of this religion, for example, Shiism and Sunnism. The average age of parishioners is 22 years. For Christians, the average age of the flock was 30 years, and for the followers of Hinduism - 25 years. Atheists have a median age limit of 33. When calculating the average age of parishioners, only adults who were determined in their religious views were taken into account.

It is difficult to give an exact answer to the question of who is more - Christians or Muslims on Earth. This number is constantly changing from year to year. The number of followers of other faiths is also steadily increasing. In reality, the important point is not the number, but their real faith. Many of those who got into the statistics profess religion rather superficially, not observing the laws and canons of their confession. The priority is the true attitude to faith, which does not depend on its laws.

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10 countries with the largest number of Muslims

In 622, the first revelation was sent down to the prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him!) The Messenger of Allah began his journey with the aim of spreading Islam. According to current statistics, the number of Muslims in the world has already exceeded 1.7 billion people. This means that every fourth inhabitant of our planet professes Islam. Here are the top 10 Muslim countries with links to data.

1. Indonesia

The largest number of Muslims live in the island nation of Southeast Asia - 221 million! Islam spread here mainly in the XIII-XVI centuries. Its adherents today make up approximately 88 percent of the total population of the state.

2. India

Religions such as Hinduism, Buddhism, Sikhism and Jainism originated in India. In the first millennium of our era, Christianity and Islam also came to the Indian subcontinent, which had a significant impact on the development of the diverse culture of the region. Today, more than 177 million followers of the Prophet Muhammad live in the country of Bollywood, which is more than 14% of the total population of the country. Moreover, in 2010, India ranked third in the world in terms of the number of Muslims, but by 2013 it was ahead of Pakistan.

3. Pakistan

At first, 11% of the world's Muslims lived in Pakistan. But their number is growing every year and exceeded 97% of the total population of the country.

4. Bangladesh

The vast majority of Bangladeshis are Muslims. 89.5% of the country's population are Muslims. In numerical terms, this is more than 144 million people. The remaining 10.5% are religious minorities of Hindus, Christians, Buddhists and others.

5. Nigeria

More than 88 million Muslims live in this West African country. In 12 states of Nigeria, Sharia law is in force: in 9 - completely, in 3 more - in places of compact residence of Muslims.

6. Egypt

The country of two continents, located in southwest Asia and northeast Africa, is home to about five percent of the world's Muslims. Approximately 95% of the Muslim population represent the absolute majority in the state.

7. Iran

Most Iranians are Muslims. That's 77 million people. 89% of the population are Shia Muslims (state religion). Along with Iraq, Azerbaijan and Bahrain, Iran is one of the states where Shiites make up more than half of the population.

8. Turkey

More than 74 million Muslims live in the country beloved by Russian tourists, which is more than 98% of the country's population. Most of them profess the Hanafi madhhab and maturidism.

9. Ethiopia

The only traditionally Christian African country, however, has over 46 million Muslims, placing it at number 9 on the list. Moreover, compared to 2010, Ethiopia overtook Algeria and Morocco in terms of the number of Muslims, entering the top ten countries with the largest Muslim population.

10. Algiers

Peace to you, Victor!

Currently, the number of Muslims, according to various sources, ranges from 1.3 to 1.8 billion people.

There are about 2.1 billion Christians. Of them:
- Catholics about 1 billion;
- Protestants (*) and Anglicans about 470 million;
- about 250 million Orthodox

(*) Protestants - Protestantism arose as a trend in opposition to the Catholic Church during the Reformation, the ideal of which was a return to apostolic Christianity, since, according to its supporters, Catholicism departed from the original Christian principles as a result of numerous layers of medieval scholastic theology and rituals.
The original forms of Protestantism were Lutheranism, Zwinglianism, Calvinism, Anabaptism, Mennonism, and Anglicanism. In the future, a number of other movements arise - Evangelical Christians, Baptists, Adventists, Methodists, Quakers, Pentecostals, the Salvation Army and a number of others. The formation of most of these movements took place under the sign of "religious revival", a return to the ideals of early Christianity and the Reformation. They all differ from the old or liturgical Protestantism in their preference for free preaching and active evangelistic missionary activity.

Sincerely,
Alexander

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