Paul
Goble
Staunton, April 17 – The governments
of the Russian Federation and other post-Soviet states have long been convinced
that Muslims who attend mosque openly are unlikely to become a problem but
those who don’t may be radicalized by those over whom the existing powers that
be have no control.
Thus, these regimes have generally
protected mosques and mullahs prepared to work with officially established
structures, viewing them as its allies in promoting “traditional Islam,” and
gone after Muslims of what used to be called “the non-mosque trend,” those who
follow itinerant imams or Internet messages and at the very least are more
difficult to control.
Now, to combat the coronavirus, the
post-Soviet states in most cases have banned regular services at mosques,
telling the faithful to perform their prayers at home. But there are some
experts who say that at least a few of those who can’t go to mosque will now
turn to the Internet and become radicalized.
Among those making that argument is
Ildar Safargaleyev, the head of the department for Islamic research at the
Moscow Institute of CIS Countries. He suggests that if the self-isolation policy
does not continue for very long, such behavior is unlikely, but that if Muslims
are kept from mosques longer, that could trigger radicalization (materik.ru/rubric/detail.php?ID=104496).
At the very least, he suggests, some
Muslims may get used to turning to radical sites on the Internet and continue
to be influenced by them even after they can return to going to mosques on a
regular basis. He says he draws that conclusion on the basis of research he has
just completed (materik.ru/rubric/detail.php?ID=103398).
If Safargaleyev is right, then the
most important consequence of the pandemic may not be on public health or the
economy but on the ideological convictions of those who are now getting
religious messages from new and potentially more radical sources.
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