WAHHABISM AND JADIDISM IN ISLAMIC CONSCIOUSNESS IN DAGHESTAN: PARALLELS AND CONTRADICTIONS

Zaid ABDULAGATOV

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Zaid Abdulagatov, Ph.D. (Philos.), Head of the Sociology Department of the Institute of History, Archeology and Ethnography, Daghestanian Scientific Center of RAS (Makhachkala, Russia)

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Effective opposition of religious extremism requires mastering the entire range of conceptual systems appropriate for the situation at hand. And not many of those who write about Islam and its problems miss the opportunity to mention fundamentalism, Salafism, Wahhabism, Jadidism, and other similar concepts. On the one hand, this attention to academics should be hailed since, otherwise, it would be difficult to conceptualize our knowledge; while on the other, the multitude of different approaches breeds a multitude of different ideas, whereas science should strive for the opposite. A lack of harmony when it comes to concepts and terms undermines our concerted efforts aimed at fighting and defeating religious extremism. There is no agreement—in the academic and religious communities alike—on the interpretations of Jadidism and Wahhabism. This fully applies to the Republic of Daghestan.

1. Wahhabism and Jadidism: Common Features

There is the opinion that the concept of “fundamentalism” cannot be applied to Wahhabism and its description, Daghestan being no exception in this case. Both in Russia and the West the term “fundamentalism” is obviously abused. This is very true: the term fails to describe the very essence of……………….

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