Muslim-State Relations in Russia
Journal: Palgrave Macmillan US eBooks
Year: 2016

The relationship between Muslims and the Russian/Soviet state differs significantly from that in both the Middle East and Western Europe. These differences result from the lengthy historical presence of Islam in Eurasia and its over two centuries long state management first by the Russian Orthodox empire, and then by the Soviet atheist state. Islam made its inroads into what later became known as Russia in the seventh century AD during the period when most proto-Russians<sup>1</sup> were still p