The diversity of Islam in Russia shimmers with a kaleidoscope of local features, forming an expressive palette stretching from Kaliningrad to Vladivostok. Religious originality in a certain area not only emphasizes the unique character of Muslim life, but also acts as a powerful counteraction to radical ideas, most often penetrating from outside. In many ways, this amazing ability was demonstrated by the Muslim peoples of Russia in the 1990s, when, along with the "wind of change", preachers of alien views swept into the post-Soviet space. The Muslims of Gornyi Altai - today's Altai Republic - were no exception, where Islam received historical development thanks to the preservation of native culture by the local population.
It is believed that with the fall of the Dzungar Khanate in the 18th century, the nomadic Turks of the Gornyi Altai became part of the Russian Empire, leaving Islam. But at that time, the left bank of the Chuya River attracted Muslim nomads who were suffering from the depletion of their former pastures. Thus, a group of carriers of Islam who preserved their folk customs was formed - the Kosh -Agach Kazakhs. The settlement of Altai by nomads from the clan of Abduldo Kaldekeuli Sarykaldykov had a different character. In the 1860s, when their native lands – the Chingistai tract – belonged to China, the nomads had to move south to Mongolia, but there was not enough space for them there either.
Returning back in 1880, the Sarykaldyks discovered that their ancestral lands now belonged to Russia and were occupied by other nomads and Russian settlers. Then the nomads filed a petition for Russian citizenship - they were given the lands of Kolguta and Ukok . The Sarykaldyks were in no hurry to implement state decisions, continuing to live in the Chuya steppe and controlling the areas adjacent to the trade route from Kosh-Agach to Kobdo . The number of Abduldo's subjects continued to grow, and the "zaisan" himself sought administrative arrangements for his fellow tribesmen with their allocation to an independent volost.
The leadership considered this initiative expedient, but did not want to recognize the power of Abduldo. Two Kazakh volosts were formed in 1913, but the traces of the "free zaisan" ended five years earlier, when a petition for Abduldo's imprisonment was sent to the chief of police of the district. Meanwhile, with the weakening of the influence of the Russian Orthodox Church in the early 20th century, many Turata (baptized) Kazakhs returned not only to their family names, but also to the religion of their ancestors. "Fugitives from Orthodoxy" founded the village of Turata, where they also built a mosque.
The Central Asian Uprising of 1916 also affected the Gornyi Altai. The radicals’ calls, including those supported by the activities of foreign agents, grew stronger against the backdrop of the authorities’ unreasonable policies and the elites’ abuses. The region was also affected by the Civil War: there was a wave of Kazakh emigration, caused by fear of legal, social and property oppression, and most importantly – the loss of ethnic and religious identity. The fears were not in vain, since due to their atheistic orientation, the Soviet authorities soon closed the only mosque in the region, the Turata mosque.
Despite the false accusations and prosecution of active believers of the Gornyi Altai by the Soviet authorities, their religious origins did not affect the patriotism of those who remained in the rear or the heroism of those who fought at the front during the Great Patriotic War. The Heroes of the Soviet Union became Kydran Tugambaev and Zhanbek Eleusov are natives of the village of Turata. In the post-war period, the number of Kazakhs gradually increased, but up until the 1980s, the life of believers was hidden, reflected only in everyday religiosity. However, respecting traditions, even communists were buried according to Islamic custom.
The participation of former Soviet figures and organizations in the life of the region's ummah is noteworthy . The reasons for this phenomenon, according to Tyumen State University professor Alexander Yarkov, whose work " Features of the Islamic Religion in the Territory of Gornyi Altai " formed the basis of this article, are beyond the usual explanations applicable in such situations. We dare to assume that in the context of the collapsed communist ideology, former Soviet citizens began to turn to their native culture in search of answers to existential questions.
Former Komsomol organizer Amangeldy Kobdabayev became the first imam in the Altai Republic, heading a community registered in 1993 in the village of Zhana-Aul. The construction of a new mosque with two minarets and a dome was carried out using funds from the Kalinin collective farm and donations from residents. In the second half of the 1990s, mosques were built in other settlements where Kazakhs lived compactly. Moreover, a madrasah was established at the mosque in the village of Kosh-Agach. In 2012, a mosque named after the heroes Tugambaev and Eleusov was opened in the village of Turata.
The latter fact is evidence that participation in the history of Russia has become an integral part of the cultural code of Muslims living in the Altai Republic, one of the most multinational regions of the country according to the census. More and more often on the streets of the republic's capital, Gorno-Altaysk, can be seen women dressed in hijabs and men in skullcaps - this has become an integral element of ethnic diversity. Today, among the republic's Muslims, the Kazakhs are in first place in terms of numbers. However, in recent years, the flow of representatives of Central Asian peoples has increased: Uzbeks, Tajiks, Azerbaijanis, Turkmens and Kyrgyz.
The Kyrgyz adapt most easily to areas predominantly inhabited by the Altai people. This is facilitated by the collective memory that their ancient homeland is the Altai Mountains. Visiting Uzbeks and Tajiks are united by the idea of themselves as "real" Muslims, which is not typical for them in their homeland. In turn, Kazakhs find norms of behavior in the everyday life of Uzbeks and Tajiks that contradict Islam, as evidenced by the results of the study "The Spread of Islam in Gorno-Altaysk on the Example of the Construction of the Askar Ziyanurov Mosque" by Lyudmila Ermasheva, a graduate student at Gorno- Altaysk State University.
However, the Altai Ummah is united by the sacred holidays of Eid al- Adha (Kurban Bayram) and Eid al- Fitr (Uraza Bayram), as well as events organized in the cathedral mosque named after Askar Ziyanurov in the capital Gorno- Altaysk. There, the population is introduced to Muslim spiritual traditions, young people are introduced to the origins of religious culture and moral values, which serves the cause of consolidation of Russian society.
GSV "Russia - Islamic World"
Photo: Alexander Leshchonok/Creative Commons 4.0