The Berlin Graduate School Muslim Cultures and Societies, in cooperation with Zentrum Moderner Orient (ZMO), invites you to the lecture by Dr Oleg Yarosh entitled "Islam and Muslims in Crimea: current challenges and perspectives". It will take place on Tuesday, 25. November 2014 at 6pm.

Venue:

Berlin Graduate School Muslim Cultures and Societies,

Altensteinstr. 48

14195 Berlin

‘Crimean Umma’ on the turning point: some future scenarios for the local Islamic communities

Since the early 90^th of the last century Islamic revival in the Crimean Peninsula goes hand to hand with the nation-building processes. Crimean Tatars are constantly trying to reinvent themselves as a nation deeply rooted in the local Islamic traditions. We can’t refer to the notion of ‘Islam’ as the only explanatory paradigm for ethno-cultural and socio-political processes in the Crimean Peninsula. Nevertheless Islam constitutes an important ‘identity marker’ for Crimean Tatars and nowadays has a strong presence in their collective identity manifestations and politics.

In the minority situation, the cultural and religious revival of the Crimean Tatars has been constantly challenged by the Russian/Slavic ethnic majority. Due to these, the mainstream Islamic institution in Crimea, namely the Crimean Muftiyat promotes the ‘national Islam’ relating itself to the Islamic traditions of the past and shaping current cultural and ethnic boundaries. This vision of Islam is currently confronted by the transnational Islamic organizations active at the Crimean Peninsula, first of all Jam’iyyat al-Mashari al-Khayriyya al-Islamiyya.

Ukrainian legislation toward religions was quite liberal and the state has not been involved in the religious processes in Crimea. After the Russian Federation extended its authority over the Crimea, the state control over the local Islamic institutions dramatically increased meanwhile the religious opposition to the Crimean Muftiyat also gained a momentum with the support of the new Crimean administration who seeks weakening the Crimean Tatar national movement. On the other side, some Russian Islamic institutions became actively involved into the religious processes in Crimea. Therefore, we will explore the new challenges and opportunities for the local Islamic communities emerging from this situation.