Islamically informed Soviet patriotism in postwar Kyrgyzstan
Journal: Cahiers du monde russe
Year: 2011

AbstractFew analyses of the broader impact of World War II upon Soviet society have turned to Islam or Central Asia. Yet the conflict marked a critical turning point in the encounter between the region’s Muslims and the Soviet state. This paper examines attempts by Central Asian Muslims to position Islam at the center of their identification with the Soviet Union. It argues that the war created a new field of possibilities for the region’s population to place religion squarely within the broader