An Introduction to the Causes of Extremism among Russian Muslims

A careful study of Muslims' lives in Russia following the collapse of the former Soviet Union, especially after 2000, shows an increase in extremism among Muslims of this country, and the extensive presence of Russian Jihad fighters in various parts of the Islamic world including Iraq and Syria bears witness to this fact. The overwheliming presence of Russians among Takfiri fighters, given their enormous ability in fighting, signifies the importance of studying the causes of this phenomenon. In addtion, the danger of extremism likely spreading among Russian Muslims is specially important for us as a neighbor and ally of the Russian government in combating regional terrorism. The present article is a descriptive-analytical research that studies the causes and factors responsible for an increase in extremism among Russian Muslims after the collapse of the Soviet Union using works authored mostly in English by experts in the affairs of Russian Muslims. "The media," "the weakness of religious and scientific institutions," "the influence of foreigners," "wrong policies of the state and the authorities," and "development of the Islamic world after 2010" are among the main reasons that are reviewed as the five effective factors in this regard.