Dr. Diana Galeeva‏‏

&nbsp;Last Friday, in the middle of the holy month of Ramadan, Moscow’s Crocus City Hall was attacked by men in camouflage, who opened fire and reportedly threw explosive devices inside the concert venue. The attack, which killed 137 people and injured approximately 100 others, has been claimed by ISIL’s Afghan branch (the Islamic State in Khorasan Province, or ISKP/ISIS-K). Western media have largely gone along with this version of events and attributed the incident to Russian President Vladimir Putin’s "oppression of Muslims by Russia" in recent years, according to an article. The article quoted Michael Kugelman, director of the South Asia Institute at the Washington-based Wilson Center, as saying that "Russian foreign policy has been one big red flag for ISIS [ISIL]," particularly "the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, Russian actions in Chechnya, Moscow’s close relationship with the Syrian and Iranian governments, and especially the military campaigns that Russia has waged against ISIS fighters in Syria and—through Wagner Group mercenaries—in parts of Africa." To what extent do these actions relate to ISIL? Does this argument really reflect current realities, and most importantly, will this recent act of terror claimed by ISIL imperil Russian ties with the Muslim world, which have recently grown in various ways?In my forthcoming monograph <a href="https://www.routledge.com/Islam-in-Russia-Formations-of-Tolerance/Galeeva/p/book/9781032684123" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Islam in Russia: Formations of Tolerance</a> (September 2024), I argue that tolerance should be understood as coexistence in the context of Islam in Russia. The book examines the key historical milestones in and trajectory of Islam in Russia. My work draws upon Ravil Bukharaev’s book <a href="https://www.taylorfrancis.com/books/mono/10.4324/9781315027210/islam-russia-ravil-bukharaev" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">The Four Seasons</a>, which proposed a chronology from 922 to 1800 AD for Islam in Russia. Bukharaev’s book is conceptually divided into spring (685-1229), summer (1229-1400s), autumn (1400s-1583), and winter (1583-1917), to show how Islam vis-à-vis Orthodox Christianity shaped its own highly sophisticated and extremely resilient civilization.Unlike Bukharaev’s history, which ends in the 1800s, I argue that the "winter" of Islam can reasonably be extended to cover 1583-1917, when the Russian Empire was abolished, and the new Soviet leadership came to power, followed by a further "deep freeze" under Soviet rule (1917-1990). The "spring" of Islam returned after 1990, a period which has been characterized by increased freedom of thought, belief, and religion. The monograph suggests connections between the experience of different phases of Islam, and relations between the state and Muslim communities at these different stages. It argues that a tolerant form of Russian Islam emerged precisely because it went through all the seasons: spring, summer, autumn, winter, a "cold winter," and then a return again to spring. Understanding the modern importance of co-existence necessitates studying a history of emergence, flourishing, violence, suppression, and compromise. Examining the horrible terror attack in Moscow within the whole history of Islam in Russia shows that the Putin government’s policies towards Islam are in a "spring" phase. This is a time of flourishing for a tolerant modern Islam in Russia in comparison to the Soviet era.&nbsp;Russian society and its leaders did not link the attack to the presence of Muslims in Russia. Mufti Shaykh Ravil Gainutdin, the Chairman of the Religious Board of Muslims of the Russian Federation (DUMRF), was among the first Muslim community leaders to express his condolences for the numerous victims of the Crocus City Hall attacks. He called for prayers for the salvation of those who had been <a href="https://www.dumrf.ru/upravlenie/documents/23339" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">in the building</a>. Other Muslim leaders in Muslim-populated states across Russia were swift to echo and amplify his words. There were clearly people of different nationalities and backgrounds in the hall, including Muslims. One prominent figure at the concert was Aydar Raisovich Metshin, Deputy of the State Duma of the Russian Federation, who is a member of the Tatar Muslim community. Fortunately, Metshin was not hurt. In an interview for Izvestiya, he <a href="https://iz.ru/1670290/2024-03-23/deputat-gd-metshin-rasskazal-kak-vyzhil-vo-vremia-terakta-v-krokuse" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">said</a>: "At the moment the terrorist attack began, I was in . . . the second row, and this turned out to be decisive in that I and those who were nearby remained alive, since the epicenter of the attack was higher, in the lobby." The indiscriminate attack was swiftly condemned by Muslims in Russia. ISIL had clear reasons for such actions. Of the eleven people who have so far been detained, and the four criminals directly involved in the <a href="https://ria.ru/20240323/terakt-1935337891.html" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">attack</a>, there was no shared religious denomination. These individuals apparently confirmed that the main reason behind their actions was financial.Geopolitically, Russia declared its war against ISIL in <a href="https://book.ivran.ru/book?id=5075" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Syria</a> in 2015, which resulted in a strong Russian military presence in the region. Russia has justified its presence in Syria by saying that it is fighting against IS and other extremist groups. Syria is crucial to Russia’s return as a great power, at least with regard to expanding military influence. Since then, Russia has proven itself to be a reliable partner for the Bashar al-Assad government in Syria, in addition to developing strong ties with Iran, Egypt, Turkey, Libya, and the Gulf states. These relationships have boosted Russian influence in the Muslim world.More recently, Russia’s "Look East" policy has increasingly included Middle Eastern countries. For example, the GCC states have been of huge importance for the Russian Federation, since they have contributed to the latter’s ability to mitigate the effects of Western sanctions. (Sanctions were predicted to resulted in a 15 percent shrinkage of Russia’s GDP, but this seems to have been limited to only 7 percent as of 2022.) OPEC+ deals led by Russia, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE in October 2022, April 2023, and June 2023 have <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2023-08-31/russia-agreed-with-opec-on-further-oil-cuts-novak-says" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">helped</a> to boost energy revenues by 28 percent. These countries are also key partners for diversifying bilateral trade: <a href="https://www.middleeastbriefing.com/news/uae-russia-bilateral-trade-up-68-in-2022/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">In 2022</a>, bilateral trade between Russia and the UAE increased by 68 percent to $8.5 billion. Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Iran, Egypt, Argentina, and Ethiopia are all part of <a href="https://edition.cnn.com/2023/08/24/business/saudi-arabia-brics-invitation-intl/index.html" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">BRICS</a>, in which Russia plays a growing role. These countries strongly condemned the recent attack. Saudi King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman offered their condolences to Russian Present Vladimir Putin, who a week ago was re-elected as Russian leader with a record number of <a href="https://www.rt.com/russia/594390-putin-win-presidential-election/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">votes</a>. Saudi Arabia has also emphasized the importance of fighting all forms of extremism and <a href="https://www.arabnews.com/node/2481311/saudi-arabia" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">terrorism</a>. These factors suggest that Middle Eastern governments will remain crucial economic, diplomatic, political, and security actors.To sum up, although ISIL claimed responsibility for the Moscow attack via its Telegram channels and this narrative has largely been accepted by a Western audience, ISIL’s motives are at odds with the realities of Muslims within Russia and Russian relations with Muslim countries. Russian domestic and foreign policies towards Muslim communities and countries have worked toward coexistence and collaboration. Russia’s internal investigation of the attack should provide the final assessment on ISIL’s involvement. In the meantime, the Muslim world will remain central to Russia’s agenda.&nbsp;It is unlikely that any broader antagonism was the cause of the recent attack, nor is that likely to be the outcome of Russian security measures. In contrast with the picture often painted in Western media outlets, Russia’s ongoing counter-terrorism policies will only further boost flourishing relations with the Muslim world. &nbsp;

How Will Russia’s Relations with the Islamic World Evolve?