Migrants and conflicts within the local Ummah of the Perm Krai: A playing card or a social actor?

Abstract

This paper aims to demonstrate the role played by newly arriving Muslims in the life of the local Islamic community in the Perm Krai of Russia. This region is characterised by the following important features: the Perm Krai is a permanent Islamic community consisting of local ethnic groups, as well as an Islamic diaspora consisting of various newcomers. There are three kinds of migrants here: labour migrants, students, and those who intend to apply for citizenship. Permanent conflict takes place between the two Muslim communities that occupy this territory. In this case, migrants are accused of attempting to seize power within the local Islamic community. In this paper, the author intends to explore whether there are genuine causes and foundations for local religious conflicts, whether migrants could take over local Islamic communities, and whether they could change the religious habits of the locals and the status of the Islamic community in the region. The research is based on two series of semistructured interviews with Islamic leaders, observing participants during official events, and expert interviews. The author examines three indicators of the migrants’ growing influence. First, migrant believers prevail during religious services in all mosques within the Kama River region. The second indicator is participation in Islamic social events and projects. The third is the migrants’ attempts to establish a special organisation to communicate with the authorities. Today, the migrants play no critical role in the Perm Ummah.