The risks of politicization of Islamic identity in contemporary Russia (on materials of the North Caucasus)

The main topic of the article is the politicization of Islamic identity in post-Soviet Russia. The problem is in competitive and conflict type of interaction of religious identity with Russian civil, regional, ethnic, political identities. The purpose of the article is to identify the risks of politicization of Islamic identity in contemporary Russia (on materials of the North Caucasian republics). The article determines the causes of the politicization of Islamic identity, highlights the factors of territorial unevenness of the politicization of Islam in the North-East and North-West Caucasus. The novelty of the work is manifested in the systematization and comparative analysis of the results of opinion polls on the religiosity in all the republics of the North Caucasus. Based on the instrumentalist methodology, the article sets parameters of Islamic identity, which are subject to purposeful design by religious elites and associations. It is concluded that the leading causes for politicization of Islam in the macro-region are: delegitimation of the secular political order, the weakening of the state secular institutions and their regulatory functions, uncertainty of goal-setting development, lack of regulatory abilities of secular norms that entail archaization of the regional community, facilitate geopolitical pressure of foreign countries, international organizations and the spread of religious radicalism. The article notes the growing influence of Islamic identity, which becomes the basis of group solidarity and mobilization, political positioning. Instability creates grounds for extremist religious groups. The most tolerant interaction of religious and civic identities is noted in Stavropol region and the republics of the North-West Caucasus, and among the middle and older generations of respondents. More intolerant interaction of civil and religious identities is noted in the North-East Caucasus, as well as among young people. This can be explained by different degrees of strength of the traditions of Islam, by contrast ethnic and social structures of the communities and archaization manifested in the strengthening of clan-related institutions and practices of behavior, growth of interfaith distance.