Muslims of the European part of the former USSR

Abstract

Though the USSR in the popular mind is spoken of as having been an atheist state, generally, its stance toward religion was more of a laicist. In its governance of religion, the USSR sought, through the state-recognized (and practically directly controlled) institutions, to control religious life of its citizens, including its sizeable Muslim population. After the initial anti-religious Bolshevik frenzy, which led to closure of thousands of mosques and religious institutions (among them, educational and publishing), and dismissal and even incarceration and execution of tens of thousands of imams and other religious figures, the ruling Communists’ religion policy gradually softened and they not only allowed Islam to continue being practiced but also established Islamic administrations to supervise religious practices of the Soviet Muslims.