At Least Since 14th Century, Moscow has Been ‘Most Muslim Major City in Europe’

Paul Goble

            Staunton, Oct. 20 – There is no question that the number of Muslims in Moscow has grown dramatically since the end of Soviet times, but at least since the 14^th century, the Zen.Yandex page on nationalities says, Moscow has had more Muslims among its residents than any other European city.

            (Istanbul is not an exception because most of its population is in Asia rather than Europe, the Russian portal says (zen.yandex.ru/media/centralasia/my-budem-molitsia-zdes-moskva--lider-evropy-po-kolichestvu-musulman-kak-tak-vyshlo-i-chto-s-etim-delat-616ecf58595d595b055e6611).)

            As the principality “most friendly” to the Golden Horde, Muscovy attracted numerous Muslims who formed first streets and then whole districts in its capital. The names of many streets and districts that reflect that fact remain to this day. More Muslims arrived in the 16^th and 17^th centuries when Tatars formed as much as a quarter of the Russian military.

            In Soviet times, Moscow grew by almost a million residents every decade, the portal continues, and among those who came were many workers from Muslim areas. After 1991, this influx expanded and there are now “about two million Muslims” in the Russian capital, many of whom plan to remain there forever.

            The Russian capital has only four mosques, the result of official policies designed to “limit the religiosity” of those arrivals. But it has not had that effect. Instead, it has led Muslims to form their own prayer rooms. These aren’t radicalizing the Muslims, the Russian portal says, although suspicions about that possibility are widespread.