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E. Burla,
publicist
THE RELIGIOUS SITUATION IN CONTEMPORARY ADYGEYA
If one considers the North Caucasus as a specific boundary between Europe and Asia, between the Christian and the Islamic civilization, the Republic of Adygeya becomes a kind of outpost in this boundary. At the same time, the complexity of religious situation in Adygeya is correlated with the relatively quiet political situation. Although the specifics of the contemporary religious life in this republic may not be regarded as characteristic for all republics in the North Caucasus and all the more for other regions of the Russian Federation, the study of these specific features is important in principle in the search for the factors related to strengthening unity of Russia, to sizing up a probable ethnic, religious and other aspects of consolidation of a similar poly-ethnic community.
The aims of the present study are as follows: to see the common and specific trends in religious life of Adygeya, to find out the sources of the religious process specifics, to consider the problem of inter-confessional relations, to appraise the level of tolerance in society. The author used original field materials, collected in the course of ethnic-geographic expedition to Adygeya in October 2009. The materials of the State Archive of the Russian Federation were of great help.
Discussing the peculiarities of the religious life in Adygeya as a republic in the North Caucasus, one can not help paying attention to its geographic situation, exactly its borders. Complete integration of Adygeya in Krasnodarski krai, the lack of borders with any other republic of the North Caucasus jointly with its particularly specific borders cut by the Soviet scissors, guided by specific perceptions of in the process of unification of peoples, for the whole period of existence
of this subject could not help having impact on the national and religious situation in the republic.
The national situation in the republic was as follows in 2008: Russians - 275.2 thousand people, Adygs - 114.2 thousand people, Armenians - 15 thousand people, Ukrainians - 8.9 thousand people, Kurds - 4 thousand people, Tatars - 3.6 thousand people, Turks -3.6 thousand people, Gipsy - 2 thousand people.
In addition, the people of other nationality in number from 1000 to 200 live in Adygeya: Byelorussians, Greeks, Azerbaijanis, Germans, Chechens. Of special significance is existence of the groups of new migrants: the Chechens re-settled in 1999 to Adygeya, mainly in Maikop, the capital of the republic, in number of 4000-5000 people, and Adygs, coming from Kosovo (200 people), who were proposed to settle in new aul Mafehable, which was built specially for them and still is not accommodated by all of them.
The religious life in Adygeya is marked by its complexity. The general level of religiousness of the population in the North Caucasus is higher as a whole than in other Russian regions, which is connected with predominance of the rural population with bigger religious traditions comparing with the city population. By 31 December 2008, there were registered 89 religious organizations, including 28 organizations located on the territory of Maikop.
The Orthodoxy claims for a non-formal status of "principal" confession and plays a dominant role in Adygeya. The North Caucasian eparchies of the Russian Orthodox Church (ROC), including Maikop and Adugeya eparchies created in 1994, are two of the biggest eparchies of the ROC. At present, 51 parishes are registered in Maikop and Adygeya eparchies, while only 10-20 parishes are registered in Siberian and Far Eastern eparchies. Regretfully, both the orthodox believers and the Muslims recognize the principle - "the people have
one faith", and therefore "the historically Orthodox" or "historically Muslim" part of the population automatically is fixed to the Eparchies or Spiritual Departments, correspondingly.
Although, according to appraisals of the eparchy, about 70% of the Russian speaking population consider themselves as orthodox believers, including only 10-12% of those, who are aware of Orthodox dogmas, the local authorities consider Islam as a main religion of the republic. In this respect, one should pay attention to the cadre policy in Adygeya: about 70% of the principal official posts are occupied by the representatives of the indigenous nationality. The first mosque in the republic was built in aul Tahtamukai only in 1994, while 38 other mosques were built later for the period of 15 years. The total population of Adygeya makes 440 thousands, and the number of Muslims accounts for 150 thousand people, which represents the rise by one hundred times comparing with 1994. About 600-800 Muslims live in Maikop, according to Nurbia Emizh, mufti of the Spiritual Department of Muslims of the Republic of Adygeya and Krasnodarski krai; the mosque for extreme unction was opened in Maikop only in 2005. Although the Muslim communities in auls are not numerous (2040 people), these estimations make appraise the contemporary situation of Islam, which is characterized by its "second revival", as a just born religion.
The repatriates from the Near East countries, mainly from Syria and Turkey, play a significant role in Islamic renaissance. As a rule, they keep strong ethnic traditions correlated with a rather high level of religious self-consciousness. Unlike Adygs of the Near East, the local Adygs themselves do not recognize the dominant position of religion. At present, the indigenous population shares the view that the traditional values (adygage) play the leading role in their life, while the
complex of traditions, rites and faiths (adyge habze) is supposed to be older than the religious elements absorbed by them.
The residents of the republic hold the following position: there exist in the region two main confessions - Orthodoxy and Islam, as well as several traditional religions, including Armenian apostolic church and Judaism, registered in Maikop by one organization, accordingly. All other religious organizations are considered to be "the sects", for instance, all Protestant churches in Adygeya and new religious beliefs (Jenovah's Witnesses) and old-believers.
The North Caucasus, like the territories of Ukraine and the Baltic states, at present represent one of traditional centers of dissemination of Protestantism in the Russian Empire and the USSR. The church of Evangelic Christian Baptists in Maikop is proud of its over hundred year history. At the
Same time, Orthodoxy was disseminated on the territory of Adygeya for the IV-V centuries, but due to historic reasons it consolidated its position only for the second half of the XIX century, while Islam was a dominant confession for the period of XV-XIX centuries and goes on through the period of its renaissance now. With due account of a great number of Protestants in Adygeya and of the long history of this religion, it is necessary to consider as a positive factor the lack of any significant conflict between Muslims and Protestants.
The authorities display the policy of indifference towards Orthodoxy (the construction of the Orthodox Church cathedral in Maikop was started ten years ago and still rests unfinished) but limit the activities of non-traditional confessions. For instance, clergymen of Baptist church regularly have to visit the law enforcement bodies' offices and to pay visits to representatives of the security forces. The authorities of Adygeya made the proposal to put into point 1 of
article 17 of the federal law on freedom of conscience and religious associations the new provision, which should prohibit propaganda and dissemination of religious literature in the kindergartens and schools as well as by private visits at home.
The special relations of the Orthodox Church with the authorities seem to be based on the common struggle against "sectarians". And good and warm relations between the Muslim and the Orthodox leaders in Adygeya are consolidated on the same basis. Up to the present time, their friendship is built in the face of common threat. It is evident that the ROC lacks material and intellectual resources to oppose the consolidation of other confessions.
Summing up, it is possible to note a relative stability of religious life in Adygeya. Apart from the republican capital, there are several settlements, where simultaneously are registered two-three different religious communities. As examples, one may cite the city of Adygeisk, stanitsa Giagiskaya, settlement Krasnogvardeiskoe, auls Tahtamukai, Koshehabl, Ponezukai, Hakurinihabl.
In conclusion, it is possible to make some general prognoses about development of the religious situation in Adygeya.
Probably, the ROC capacity in the region has been already realized, and one should not expect to see a radical rise of the number of parishes and Sunday schools. The Church will try to consolidate its position mainly by cooperation with the authorities.
The reserves of the Islamic infrastructure have not been exhausted. The communities will be enlarged mainly by representatives of the youth.
At the same time, the relations between the ROC leadership and Muslim communities will be friendly up to the time, when they are united confronting a common threat in terms of acceleration of
activities of other confessions, and as long as there will not prevail the point of view of the clergy, which has a more radical conceptions.
"Etnicheskie traditsii pered vyzovzmi globalizatsii v usloviyh krizisa", M., 2010, p. 71-76.
Aleksandra Takova,
candidate of historic sciences (Kabardino-Balkaria) THE ETHNIC-POLITICAL PROCESSES IN KARACHAEVO-CHERKESSIA IN 2005-2010
For the whole post-Soviet period the Karachaevo-Cherkessian Republic was the zone of permanent ethnic-political tension. In the end of the 1980s - the beginning of the 1990s, the KCR was marked by the unprecedented mobilization of ethnicity. For the further period its capacity did not shrivel up and had a constant impact on the political situation in the republic. The often splashes of ethnic tension in the KCR (1991, 1994-1995, 1999, 2004, 2005-2006) coincided with the most significant political events, primarily with elections of the president and of the deputies of the People's Assembly, with adoption of important legislative acts. The high activity of public and public-political movements, established according to the ethnic principle, demonstrates constant potential of the ethnic-political tension in the KCR.
The questionable successes of the period of consolidation of the power vertical, the unpopularity of the presidents' political activities, the lack of positive economic dynamics and other general reasons created the sources for existence of constant latent public dissatisfaction, which periodically acquired open forms and were accompanied by splashes of activities by ethnic movements.
In this connection, a considerable test for firmness of the whole North Caucasian region and particularly of Karachaevo-Cherkessia
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