PUBLIC CONSCIOUSNESS OF MUSLIM CLERICS OF MENZELINSKY UYEZD OF UFA GOVERNORATE IN THE EARLY XX CENTURY (based on the materials of petitions dated 1905)
Authors: Zagidullin Ildus K. 
Published: November 2024

The relevance of studying public consciousness and social activity of the Tatar Muslim clerics in the early XX century is due to the growing interest in the problems of social ministration of the modern clergy generation as a special synthesis of social activity forms of religious institutions.

The purpose of the research is to study the public consciousness of the Tatar Muslim parish clergy of Menzelinsky uyezd of Ufa governorate based on the texts of petitions.

Materials and methods. The methodological basis for studying the subject is made by the principles of historicism and the method of source study synthesis. Based on the analysis of published and archival sources, as well as available literature on the stated topic, the article reflects the social behavior and collective opinion of the Tatar Muslim parish clergy about their own needs and topical local and social problems of the Muslims of the early XX century.

The source base of the research is published sources – legislative acts of the Russian state dated the end of 1904 – the first half of 1905 and archival sources – petitions of the Muslims of Menzelinsky uyezd of Ufa governorate. The scientific novelty of the research lies in the use of the texts of petitions emanating from rural societies and the Tatar Muslim clerics to characterize public consciousness of this corporate group of the Tatar population in the early XX century.

Research results. The article gives prominence to the legislative acts of the Russian state that influenced the public mood of the Tatar parish clergy, two stages in their social behavior are established: March – June 1905 – participation in the organization of submitting petitions according to an exemplary text (a brief description of various forms of social activity is given); the end of April and May 1905 – the period of compiling their own collective petitions by mullahs. The article examines two petitions of rural Muslim clerics of Menzelinsky uyezd of Ufa governorate, drawn up in May and June 1905. The composition and settlement of 81 participants of the clergy meeting are analyzed, as a result of which the second of these petitions was signed. According to the content and subject matter, the requests of the rural clergy are structured into three groups: corporate and estate interests, raising the status of religious and cultural autonomy institutions under the leadership of Orenburg Mohammedan Spiritual Assembly, and issues of civil equality. A characteristic feature of both petitions is presenting corporate interests as the “needs” of the entire Muslim community. The petitioners discussed raising their own legal status, considering the class privileges of the Orthodox clergy as a guideline.

Conclusions. The petitions of the mullahs of Menzelinsky uyezd of Ufa governorate were aimed at expanding the religious and cultural autonomy of the Muslim community of the Volga-Ural region and Western Siberia, and in this regard their requests echo the majority of petitions drawn up by co-religionists of other governorates and regions. The petitions confirm the dominance of unification factors over the factors of internal stratification of the traditionalist mullahs and the Dzhadidist mullahs. Such motivation for them was an urgent need to strengthen the religious and cultural autonomy of the Muslims and the opportunity to improve their own legal status. The next common point in the petitions should be called an “integrated approach” – perception of the parish clergy, Orenburg Mohammedan Spiritual Assembly and Orenburg Mufti as parts of a single organism, institution. The clergy saw themselves as an important link in the religious and administrative system headed by the Spiritual Assembly and insisted on concentrating all spiritual and religious issues, including maktabs and madrasahs, in its competence. Not limited to corporate interests, the mullahs also posed local and global problems to the government.