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ABSTRACT
The mass influx of people from the former republics of the Soviet Union has resulted in ‘migration’ and ‘integration’ being one of the central foci of debate in contemporary Russia. This article examines the Ismaili Muslim migrants from Tajikistan in Moscow. It pays particular attention to the ways in which the community impacts migrants’ integration into a host society. Using a case study approach, the article presents the diversity in terms of viewpoints and approaches to socio-cultural integration. The data were gathered thorough participant observations and semi-structured interviews. The findings suggest that strong religious identity and the community closure based on religious affiliation can hinder the Ismaili migrants’ integration. The case studies show that an intention to settle permanently in Russia is one of the key factors determining migrants’ attitudes towards integration.
Disclosure statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.
Notes
1 These are unofficial data obtained from the employee of the Nur Organization. The official statistics do not consider that the regional breakdown and migrants from the Tajik Badakhshan are part of the total number of migrants from Tajikistan. According to the same source, the total number of migrants from the Tajik Badakhshan to the Russian Federation is estimated at around 40,000, which represents about 17% of the Badakhshan’s population (Cieślewska and Błajet 2020).
2 Tajikistan is the only country that has a relevant dual citizenship treaty with Russia, and the number of Tajik migrants with dual citizenship is increasing each year (Gaysina and Karaev Citation2019).
3 For a general overview of the activity of the Nur Organization, see Kalandarov (Citation2018a).
4 For more details on the Russian federal law restricting the activities of religious organizations, see “Federal’nyj zakon O vnesenii izmenenij v Federal’nyj zakon ‘O protivodejstvii terrorizmu’ i otdel’nye zakonodatel’nye akty Rossijskoj Federacii v chasti ustanovlenija dopolnitel’nyh mer protivodejstvija terrorizmu i obespechenija obshhestvennoj bezopasnosti ot 06.07.2016 N 374-FZ.” Accessed June 3, 2021; http://www.consultant.ru/document/cons_doc_LAW_201078/.
5 ‘Modern Ismailis’ is my working term used to refer to Ismailism constantly updated and reformed by the Imam through the farmans and Ismaili constitutions.
6 Interviews, male, Moscow, October 2017.
7 The AKF is one of the agencies of Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN), which is the network of development agencies founded in 1967 by Aga Khan IV. The AKDN focuses on health, education, agriculture, culture and civil society development. Currently, it has branches in 18 countries, mainly in Central Asia, the Middle East, East and West regions of Africa, as well as in Southeast Asia. The annual budget of the AKDN is about US$1000 million; https://www.akdn.org/. The Nur Organization is the only partner and recipient of financial assistance of the Moscow branch of AKF.
8 Interviews, male, Moscow, June 2019.
9 Interviews, male, Moscow, August 2017.
10 Interviews, female, Moscow, June 2018.
11 For more on the Aga Khan’s discourse on pluralism and integration, see Andani (Citation2019).
12 Interviews, male, Moscow, October 2017.
13 Interviews, male, Moscow, August 2018.
14 Sayyid (Arabic, ‘master’, ‘lord’) is an honorific title referring to people who are accepted to be the descendants of the Prophet Muhammad through his cousin and son-in-law, Ali ibn Abi Talib, and grandsons, Hasan ibn Ali and Husayn ibn Ali, the sons of Ali and Fatimah, Muhammad’s daughter (Britannica Citation2014).
15 Although this traditional practice is currently being criticized by khalifas associated with the Nur Organization as being incompatible with modern knowledge, talismans and teshtobs are still used by migrants. Hence, in Moscow they are usually prepared by khalifas not associated with the organization (Cieślewska and Błajet 2020).
16 Wakhan is the valley located in the extreme east of Tajikistan.