Islam in post-communist Eastern Europe : between churchification and securitization

Abstract

While initiating a book project on muftiates in the European lands of the former empires (Račius and Zhelyazkova, 2017), it did not cross my mind to think of the institution of the muftiate (or however it is referred to in local settings) as an ecclesiastical structure. Though I accepted the muftiate’s administrative function, I thought of it mainly as a power base for the Muslim community, comprising both spiritual and administrative capacities. However, with time, and particularly during the research for my book on Muslims in Eastern Europe (Račius, 2018a), it increasingly dawned on me that the institutionalization (as a continuous process rather than a one-time legislative act) of Islam in some post-communist countries of the region embraces features akin to nothing less than its churchification. I shared my impressions and an emerging wish to explore this in more detail with colleagues in the region. Most of them found it worth an effort and encouraged me to embark upon the task. This book is the result and product of the efforts of several years devoted to answering the question of whether the governance of Islam in post-communist Eastern Europe is infused with the intent of the institutional (if only, functional) churchification of Muslim religious collectivities in the region.