Russian Muslims

Russian Muslims (Russian: русские мусульмане, Arabic: مسلمون روسيون‎‎) are an ethno-religious group of Russians and related ethnic groups, who had converted to Islam and were able to preserve their Russian identity.

Population

Former priest of Russian Orthodox Church, Russian Muslim Ali Vyacheslav Polosin, ideological inspirer of the Russian Muslims’ organization “Straight Path” (Russian: Прямой путь) declared the population of ethnic Russians who converted to Islam to be approximately 10,000.^[1]

Department for External Church Relations of the Russian Orthodox Church evaluated their total population as 250-300 and gave the following statistical data concerning their number in Regions:^[2] Republic of Karelia - 10, Samara Oblast - 9, Sakha Republic – 8, Saratov Oblast – 8, Ivanovo Oblast – 4, Vladimir Oblast – 1.

But this Department doesn’t clear how they counted the given numbers.^[3] Russian sociologist Islamic expert, vice-chairman of the Expert Council for State Theological Expertise at the Ministry of Justice of the Russian Federation, former executive secretary of the Interreligious Council of Russia (IIRC) Roman Silantyev in 2007 declared that the number of the Russians who converted to Islam in the last 15 years was not more than 3,000.^[4]

According to the Supreme Mufti of Kazakhstan, Absattar Derbisali in 2003 in Kazakhstan the number of Russian Muslims reached 50,000.^[5] According to the results of 2009 Kazakhstan census there are 54,227 Russians, who are Muslims by faith.^[6]

In January–June 2014 52 ethnic Russians in Turkey converted to Islam according to the Presidency of Religious Affairs.^[7]

Some Russian Muslims are adherents of radical Islamism and connected with Northern-Caucasian Islamic insurgency.

Notable Russian Muslims

• Abdul-Vahed Niyazov (born Vadim Medvedev) - Russian Muslim politician.
• Alexander Litvinenko, fugitive officer of the Russian FSB, converted prior to death
• Anton Krotov - traveler
• Edward Muravitsky - Belarusian MMA fighter
• Ilya Kormiltsev, Russian poet, converted prior to death
• Julia Volkova, former member of the Russian pop girl group t.A.T.u., converted in 2010
• Maria Alalykina - former member of the Russian pop girl group Fabrika
• Maxim Trefan - former member of the Russian rock-band Вежливый отказ
• Sergey Romanovich - 1992 born Russian actor, who starred in Chernobyl: Zone of Exclusion
• Vadim Sidorov - Russian journalist and politician, head of National Organization of Russian Muslims
• Valeria Porokhova - Russian writer
• Valeriy Korovin - Russian political scientist, journalist
• Vyacheslav Polosin - Professor, Doctor of Philosophy, former priest of Russian Orthodox Church

See also

• Slavic Muslims
• Islam in Russia
• National Organization of Russian Muslims

References

1. Тульский, Михаил. "Интервью: Главный редактор газеты "Все об Исламе" и портала "ИсламИнфо", советник Совета муфтиев России, бывший православный священник Али Вячеслав Полосин рассказывает "Порталу-Credo.Ru" о "русском исламе"". portal-credo.ru/ (in Russian). Портал-Credo.Ru. Archived from the original on 2005-10-29. Retrieved 13 February 2015.
2. "Are there many “Russian Muslims” in Russia?" (in Russian). Retrieved 2015-02-13.
3. "Are there many “Russian Muslims” in Russia?" (in Russian). Retrieved 2015-02-13.
4. "Myth about 20 million Muslims in Russia and Russians converting to Islam" (in Russian). Interfax. 9 April 2007. Retrieved 2013-12-03.
5. Количество русских мусульман в Казахстане достигло 50000 (in Russian). CentrAsia.ru. 1 May 2003. Retrieved 2013-12-03.
6. "2009 Census". The Agency of Statistics of the Republic of Kazakhstan.
7. "В Турции с начала 2014 г. 779 человек приняли ислам". http://www.sedmitza.ru (in Russian). 5 June 2014. Retrieved 17 December 2014. External link in |website= (help)