Articles

“Struggle for Faith and Mosque” as Evidenced by Petitions and Complaints of the Tatar-Muslims from the Ulyanovsk Region during 1940–1980s

Vostok/Oriens '2014, №5

 
The article examines the complex of religious beliefs of the mosque and its role in the public life of the country and the religious community. It is reflected in the numerous petitions by Muslims of the Ulyanovsk region from the 1940–1980s. They asked local and central Soviet authorities for the opening new and returning old mosques. Set out in the statements of representation and arguments about the necessity of the normal functioning of the religious buildings were elements of the collective identity of Muslim Tatars, allowing to reveal the nature of their relationship with the state, their perception of the existing system, social position and the historical and legal culture. In conditions of forced atheism faithful Muslim Tatars had to find new arguments to defend their right to freedom of religion and religious organization of the parish. The total numbers of petitions to open mosques and the structure of the arguments themselves from the faithful have been associated with the position of Islam in the country, its internal evolution, with bows atheistic Soviet policy in the direction of easing or tightening mode of existence of religion in the country. Everything is laid out in written arguments are divided into several groups: 1) the legal, dating back to social justice and equality of ethnic groups and religions, 2) religious cult, 3) the state-oriented, 4) ethno-cultural, 5) patriotic, dating back to the ideas of duty and service to the Muslims for the benefit of the state and the homeland.

Keywords: Islam, Tatars, mosque, atheistic policy, believers, Ulyanovsk region, freedom of religion in the USSR

Pages: С. 79–86