Islam in central Asia and the Caucasus since the fall of the Soviet Union

Includes bibliographical references (pages 219-237) and index.

Introduction: The end of the USSR and a new perception of religion -- Inherited Islam: an Islam marked by Russian and Soviet domination -- Turkey as an Islamic actor in Central Asia and the Caucasus -- Iran: a minor religious actor in Central Asia and the Caucasus -- Influences from the Arabian Peninsula on the revival of Islam in Central Asia and the Caucasus -- South Asia's influence on the revival of Islam in Central Asia -- The administration of religion in the newly independent republics -- Conclusion: the end of Islam in the singular.

With the end of the Soviet Union in 1991, a major turning point in all former Soviet republics, Central Asian and Caucasian countries began to reflect on their history and identities. As a consequence of their opening up to the global exchange of ideas, various strains of Islam and trends in Islamic thought have nourished the Islamic revival that had already started in the context of glasnost and perestroika--from Turkey, Iran, the Arabian Peninsula, and from the Indian subcontinent; the four regions with strong ties to Central Asian and Caucasian Islam in the years before Soviet occupation. Bayram Balci seeks to analyse how these new Islamic influences have reached local societies and how they have interacted with pre-existing religious belief and practice. Combining exceptional erudition with rare first-hand research, Balci's book provides a sophisticated account of both the internal dynamics and external influences in the evolution of Islam in the region.