Between December 19 and 24, an AFPC delegation visited the Russian regions of Tatarstan and Bashkortostan to conduct field research on Russia’s Muslim minority, confessional relations in the Russian heartland, and the rising threat of Islamic radicalism within the Russian Federation. The delegation – led by AFPC President Herman Pirchner and AFPC Vice President Ilan Berman – traveled to Kazan, the capital of Tatarstan, and subsequently to Ufa, the capital of Bashkortostan and the spiritual seat of Russia’s Muslim community.
In both places, the delegtion met with experts on a range of subjects, Muslim clergy and state officials. Delegation members learned that the threat of “Wahhabism” (i.e., radical, foreign-influenced political Islam) poses a growing threat to political stability and security in the Volga Region.
Tatarstan, in particular, has begun to experience violent clashes between Islamic radicals and law enforcement authorities. These incidents, although infrequent, highlight the local growth of an absolutist, extreme variant of Islam of the type practiced in Saudi Arabia and Pakistan – one that contrasts the region’s indigenous, peaceful Hanafi tradition. Tatarstan’s Muslim community, meanwhile, appears by and large disorganized and unsure of how best to respond to this challenge.
In neighboring Bashkortostan, delegation members learned that, while the threat of Islamic radicalism is somewhat more muted, an additional ideological and security challenge exists. The region is home to a strong and growing ethno-nationalism movement, which has expressed itself in violent separatist activity on occasion, eliciting both concern and attention in Moscow because of its potent nature.
At least for the moment, the Russian government’s response to these related challenges appears largely notional. Although both regions exhibit a strong security and intelligence presence, there is little indication that the Kremlin or relevant regional governments have made serious investments in social, cultural or educational institutions that promote the moderate version of Islam over its more virulent, imported Wahhabi counterpart to local Muslims. We will watch their progress with great interest.