Challenges to the national identity: the Muslim response in the Russian case

This article analyzes the socio-political discourse of the religious actors as subjects of the process of the Russian nation building. On the base of the empirical materials of the X International Muslim forum the author analyzes the variety of the communicative roles of the leaders of the Russian Muftiat in the modern period. The article is concluded by the idea, that the identity referents produced the Russian Muftiat are important for Russian Muslims and relevant to the strategic approaches of the ruling elite of Russia.