Soviet Perception of Militant Islam

Abstract

According to the last all-Union census of 1979, the Muslims of the USSR numbered 45 million, nearly one-fifth of the total Soviet population. The next census due in 1989 will probably reveal that the Muslims number some 60 million, and that their proportionate share of the country’s population has substantially increased. Demographic dynamics will ensure that this trend will continue well into the next century. It is therefore important to have a clear idea of how the Soviet authorities view the role of Islam inside the USSR, as this influences not only their internal policy in the republics of Central Asia and the Caucasus but also affects their relationship with neighbouring Muslim countries.