The geo-political factors shaping Russian Muslim identity include the Chechen wars of the 1990s, Russia’s alliance with Syria and Iran, Central Asian migration and the ‘new cold war’ with the West. Focusing on these global mega-trends, some analysts classify Muslim identity as caught between the poles of extremism (support for ISIS) and assertive pro-Kremlin loyalty (exemplified by Chechen president, Ramzan Kadyrov). However, the situation on the ground is more complex.

In this talk, Dominic Rubin, author of Russia’s Muslim Heartland: Islam in the Putin era (Hurst 2018), will explore the deeper nuances of Islam in the modern Russian context, showing how a religion whose presence in the region predates Orthodox Christianity is still adapting energetically and originally in ways that defy easy generalizations, and producing new cultural forms that combine elements of the Muslim, Soviet, Russian and Turkic past, while at the same time trying to map these forms onto evolving Russian ‘ideologies’.

Dr Dominic Rubin studied at Oxford and SOAS Universities and is currently Professor of Religion and Philosophy at The Higher School of Economics, Moscow.

Venue: Cambridge Muslim College, 14 St. Paul’s Road, Cambridge, CB1 2EZ

Date: Wednesday, 6 March, 6PM

This is a free event and no registration is required. The book can be purchased here.
*The lecture will be recorded,