Islamic revival among the tatars of Ulyanovsk region: the rise of religiousness and intrareligious problems

Abstract

The specificity of the Islamic revival among Tatars and the main Islamic trends inUlyanovskregion are described in the paper. Ten interviews and two questionnaires organized from 2008 to 2014 have provided materials describing the religiousness of the Tatars. The author identifies common trends in religious life of theUlyanovskregion and analyses the interaction of traditional Muslims and the new Muslim movement. The Islamic revival is manifested in an increase of the number of Muslim parishes and in the growing number of believers, mostly young. The Islamic revival among Tatars does not lead automatically to negative consequences, but some unstable formations such as national political parties can exist within it. The study shows some tensions because of the inclusion of a “new Islam” into the Tatar traditional religious culture. The search for a new religious identity in the conditions of confrontation between tradition and innovation is not an easy process. However, the author notes that moderate clergy and believing intellectuals attempt to rethink Islam in a broader, socio-cultural, context, which may lead to a balanced position on the role of religion in society in general and in the life of the Tatar people in particular.