 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
ISLAM IN THE STAVROPOL TERRITORY
Pavel KRAYNIUCHENKO
Pavel Krayniuchenko, Ph.D. (Hist.), associate professor at the Northern Caucasus Civil Service Academy Piatigorsk affiliate (Piatigorsk, Russian Federation)
The Stavropol Territory, with an area of 66,200 square kilometers, comprises 26 administrative districts, two cities under territorial jurisdiction, and 267 rural councils. The uniqueness of its geographic position consists in that, located in the central part of the Northern Caucasus, it borders eight RF components, including Daghestan, Chechnia, North Ossetia-Alania, Kabardino-Balkaria, and Karachaevo-Cherkessia, which are part of the Caucasian “Muslim belt.” Hence the political importance of the Stavropol Territory as a kind of Russia’s shield against the penetration of Islamic extremism, as will be shown below.
As of 1 January, 2002, the territory had a population of 2,654,200, including 83 percent of ethnic Russians and 4 percent of other ethnic Slavs; in all, there are more than 100 ethnic groups living here, which makes Stavropol a politically and ethnically diverse territory. It is also a multi-faith territory. The majority of its ethnic Russian and other Slavic population is nominally Russian Orthodox Christians, but there are also Old Believers, Protestants, Baptists, Seventh-day Adventists, Jehovah’s Witnesses, and others. Ethnic Armenians in the Stavropol Territory are members of the Armenian Apostolic Church. A number of ethnic groups traditionally practice Islam (approximately 6 percent of the population), the second most important religion in the territory. The largest ethnic groups practicing Islam are Darghins, Nogais, Chechens, Karachays, Turkmen, and Tatars (see Table). The majority of Muslims living in the Stavropol Territory speak Turkic languages: Azeris, Balkars, Karachays, Kumyks, Nogais, Tatars, Turkmen, and Meskhetian Turks. As of now, there are 16 registered Islamic (Hanafi Madhab Sunni) communities, under the jurisdiction of the Spiritual Administration of Muslims of Karachaevo-Cherkessia and the Stavropol Territory (SAMKCS), based in Cherkessk (the Republic of Karachaevo-Cherkessia), and 24 religious………………….
Please fill subscription form to obtain full text of this jounal
 |