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Article: Mosque and state; Muslims in Russia.(For Prophet and Tsar: Islam and Empire in Russia and Central Asia)(Book review)
- Article from:
- The Economist (US)
- Article date:
- July 15, 2006
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2006 Economist Newspaper Ltd. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Tsarist Russia used Muslim notables to shore up the state. Despite the Chechen war, a similar entente is not inconceivable, even now
WHEN the ruler of a multinational empire bases his authority on one great religion, how many other religions can the empire--and indeed, the emperor--accommodate, and then turn into an instrument of power? The Ottoman sultans, when faced with this question, found a ready-made answer in Islamic theology. As "people of the book" with common roots in the holy texts of the Abrahamic tradition, Christians and Jews were to be treated with respect--though not on a par with followers of the predominant Muslim faith--so long as they remained ...