Perestroika, followed by independence, offered Central Asian republics of the Soviet Union religious freedom. Several Christian—especially Protestant—organizations developed missionary projects and... Show morePerestroika, followed by independence, offered Central Asian republics of the Soviet Union religious freedom. Several Christian—especially Protestant—organizations developed missionary projects and established new churches. Representatives of “local” religions, Islam as well as, Russian Orthodoxy, have allied to put pressure on governments in order to curb proselytizing and restrict religious conversion. While it is difficult to ignore the claims put forward by the main religious communities, most governments tolerate the growth of religious diversity, albeit at varying degrees. Show less
The vision of Islam as it is practised in the post-socialist context is very confused at the moment. It is associated either with 'the revival of local pre-modern traditions' and thus with the... Show moreThe vision of Islam as it is practised in the post-socialist context is very confused at the moment. It is associated either with 'the revival of local pre-modern traditions' and thus with the localization of postsocialist Muslim space, or with 'the spread of Islamism absolutely alien to local Muslim traditions', introduced to countries of the former socialist bloc from abroad and fraught with their Islamist globalization. Post-socialist forms of Islam are often thought of as an 'Islamic threat' opposing all non-Muslim cultures. Show less
Muslim modernism in Central Asia at the turn of the twentieth century remains virtually unknown to scholars of Muslim cultural history. What little we know comes through a thick prism of... Show moreMuslim modernism in Central Asia at the turn of the twentieth century remains virtually unknown to scholars of Muslim cultural history. What little we know comes through a thick prism of nationalist or Soviet historiography that loses the Islamic dimension of the movement. Yet, approaching Jadidism, as this movement is usually called, as a Muslim movement allows us to broaden our understanding of the Muslim world’s encounter with modernity, and to reconsider many of the categories we habitually invoke in studying the Muslim world. Show less
