“I Have the Courage to Say Loudly that … Only My Teaching Can Bring the World of Islam Closer to the Soviet Government” (Archival Investigation Case of Musa Bigiev, 1923—1924)
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 17820317 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Renat Bekkin (0000-0003-3919-1097, Institute for African Studies, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2022 |
| Volume | 13 |
| Issue | 6 (116) |
| Pages | 0-0 |
| Publication date | 2022-01-01 |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Istoriya (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 2079-8784 • E-ISSN: 2079-8784 |
| Publisher | Ltd Integration: Education and Science (PUBLISHER • RU) |
| DOI | 10.18254/s207987840021687-4 |
| OpenAlex | W4295847342 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 1 |
The article is based on the materials of the archival investigative case of the famous Muslim theologian Musa Jarullah Bigiev (1871—1949). The formal reason for Bigiev’s arrest in November 1923 was his intention to go to the World Muslim Congress in Calcutta without consent of the People’s Commissariat of Foreign Affairs and the State Political Directorate (GPU), as well as handing over of his works containing criticism of the Soviet government for publication abroad. However, it is not the congress or Bigiev’s publications that are within the focus of this article, but the behavioral strategies the scholar used during the investigation. Bigiev belonged to those Muslim religious figures who were described in the documents of the Eastern Department of the State Political Directorate as “progressives” (progressisty). Such ministers of religion were considered by the Bolsheviks as “fellow travelers” (poputchiki) and were meant to be used in order to create a split among the so-called “Muslim clergy”. Bigiev was well aware of this, and therefore, during the investigation, he tried to present himself as a natural ally of the Soviet government, despite his disagreement with certain postulates of Marxist theory and their application in practice by the Bolsheviks. In the archival investigative case, there are many well-known names, including figures of the pan-Islamic movement. Speaking about his friendly relations with some well-known representatives of the Muslim World in the USSR, Bigiev sought to demonstrate to the investigator his importance as a significant mediator between the Bolsheviks and Muslims
Courage · Criticism · Islam · Marxist philosophy · Media studies · Muslim world · Political science · Politics · Sociology · Theology · Islamic Studies and History · Law · Philosophy · Religious studies
| Citations per year | 1 |
|---|---|
| Citation span | 2025 - 2025 (1) |
| Highly cited | No |