Islam in the Soviet Union

This text provides a detailed historical study of Islam under post-war Soviet Communism. Yaacov Ro'i describes and analyzes all aspects of Islam which relate to the Soviet domestic scene, with the purpose of demonstrating how and why it survived in the face of Soviet repression and secularization.The first part of the book deals with establishment Islam - the four spiritual directorates, the registered prayer houses and religious personnel. The second focuses on unofficial Islam: those groups and personnel which operated without any official registration. The third section surveys the Islamic practice and observation of fasts, festivals and rites of passage. The final part of the volume is devoted to the political - regime policy, its implementation in different regions, and the implications of Islam's survival for the national consciousness of Muslim ethnicities.

Part 1 The setting: Soviet religious policy and legislation; the dimensions of Islam. Part 2 The Establishment of Islam: the spiritual directorates; the registered mosques and clergy. Part 3 Unofficial 'Parallel' Islam: the unregistered groups and clergy; the sects and brotherhoods. Part 4 The social aspect - the practise of Islam: the Muslim religious movement; rites and rituals - the collective dimension; rites and rituals - the family and individual. Part 5 Islam and the regime: official policy; the local organs of government; Islam and nationalism.