An important analysis of the interaction between Russia and Islam, which is much different than the US and European interaction with Islam. Ironically, Russia only sees one form of Islam as “the enemy”; Saudi Wahabism, which is the US’s only real ally within Islam. From The Saker, writing for the Unz Review:
This week, Vladimir Putin and a large number of national and foreign dignitaries and guests have inaugurated the biggest mosque in Europe: the new Moscow Cathedral Mosque. This was a big event, much awaited by the many tens of thousands of Russian Muslims who live in the Russian capital and who, in the past, have had to pray in the streets due to the lack of a mosque big enough to accommodate them all. This event, however, has a significance which much exceeds just the local lack of space. The truth is that most Muslims who prayed in the Moscow city center wanted more than just a bigger building – they wanted an official acknowledgement of their existence and of their importance for Russia. Now this much awaited acknowledgement has finally happened and the famous Moscow city center will feature 240 foot tall golden minarets which will elegantly complement the traditional Orthodox cupolas. But I would argue that this event is even bigger than just a recognition of the role Islam plays in modern Russia – I believe it to be the expression of a profound civilizational choice.
We have heard a lot about “civilizational choices” in the context of the Ukrainian civil war. The Western propaganda machine turned what was a struggle between various Ukrainian oligarchs into a “civilizational choice”, hence the slogan “Україна це Європа” (the Ukraine is Europe). What is implied here is that the Ukraine is part of the civilized “West” while Russia is some kind of “Asiatic” realm, populated by people who neither understand nor like the so-called “European values” and against whom the “civilized” Ukrainians need to stand in defense of Europe. This is just a rehashing of the old russophobic notion of the Marquis de Custine who famously said “Grattez le Russe, et vous verrez un Tartare” (scratch the Russian and you will find the Tatar). Hitler also warned about the “Asiatic” nature of the “Russian subhumans”. Paradoxically, while these Russia-haters never understood Russia, they still were unto something very real: the fact that while even though in the recent past (roughly between the 18th and 21st centuries ), Russia was ruled by pro-Western elites, most of the Russian people never surrendered to the acculturation process imposed by their rulers and while they externally complied, internally, on the level of their ethos, they kept their ancient roots.
Historically, Russia has been the product of three main factors: Russians take most of their ethnic stock from the ancient Slavic people who lived in what is today called the Ukraine, their religion and worldview from the Orthodox Christianity inherited from the Eastern Roman Empire (mistakenly called “Byzantium” in the West), and their statehood from the Tatar occupation which unified various small principalities into one unified state. True, since Peter I Russian elites (Monarchists or Communists) tried hard to “westernize” the Russian people, but since the coming to power of Putin this tendency has finally been reversed. This is why Putin enjoys a 80%+ support in poll after poll while the Russian elites hate him. The events in the Ukraine further accelerated this process: the Ukrainian pseudo “civilizational choice” did result in a real Russian civilizational choice which has too many implications for full discussion here, but one of these is the embrace of Islam as an integral part of Russia.
In itself, this acceptance of Islam as part of Russia is nothing new. Czar Nicholas II, who was an extremely pious Orthodox Christian and who has been glorified as a saint by the Russian Orthodox Church, personally chose the central location of what was then the biggest mosque in Europe – right in the middle of the then capital of Russia, Saint Petersburg. So what Putin is doing now is just in the direct continuation of what was done before him.
Still, less than 20 years after two wars in the Balkans (Bosnia, Kosovo) and two wars inside Russia (both in Chechnia) very few had predicted that Muslim Chechens would fight in defense of Orthodox Christians in the Donbass, while Putin would inaugurate the biggest mosque in Europe just a mile away from the Kremlin. The reality, of course, is that these wars did not pitch Russia against Islam, but Russia against a very specific form of Saudi-backed Wahabi Islam which, itself, was organized and controlled by the AngloZionist Empire.
To continue reading: Russia’s “Civilizational Choice”
