If we talk about Moscow, then a person of eastern nationality can be found at almost every step, and the average Russian immediately reckons him among Muslims. In most cases, this is the case. But what do the numbers say? How many Muslims are there in Russia?
History of islam
A new religion arose in a difficult period in the history of the Middle East. The struggle for power, idolatry, and immoral customs were widespread everywhere. Around 610 CE, according to legend, the forty-year-old Muhammad (Muhammad) received a revelation from the angel Jibril near Mecca. This was the beginning of a whole series of messages from above, which were transmitted to the newly appointed prophet for 22 years until his death in 632. First, they were stored verbally, then the followers of Muhammad collected all his statements in a single book, which is widely known as the Qur'an.
Monotheism became one of the main tenets of the new religion as opposed to the polytheism of that time. Muhammad cleansed the Kaaba - the main sanctuary of the Arabs near Mecca - from pagan idols, and turned it into the temple of Allah. Although such religious reforms did not pass without resistance, soon a new doctrine gained many followers.
Main teachings
The basic doctrine of Islam - strict monotheism - is briefly expressed in shahada, or the symbol of faith, which every Muslim knows by heart: "There is no deity except Allah, and Muhammad is the messenger of Allah." The four other pillars of Islam are prayers five times a day (prayer), obligatory material donations for the poor (zakat), fasting during the holy month of Ramadan (saum), and pilgrimage to Mecca (hajj).
How many Muslims in the world
Due to military, political, and economic reasons, Islam has now become a world religion. Believers themselves consider this God's guidance and proof that their religion is true. Islam brings to the masses not only new rituals and traditions, but, first of all, a radically new way of thinking.
How many Muslims in the world? This question is simple, but the answer is ambiguous. Figures are approximate: from 1.3 to 1.8 billion people. If the world population almost reached 8 billion by 2015, then adherents of the religion of Muhammad make up from 16 to 22%. And this is a fairly large number. Although all over the world, the followers of Islam are scattered unevenly. There are countries that are really almost completely Muslim, while others have only small communities.
According to some reports, Muslims live in more than 197 countries around the globe. In 39 of them, they even constitute the overwhelming majority of the entire population (more than 80%). And in the other 28 states, Islam is the second or third religion in number. In 13 countries, the concentration of Muslims ranges from 50% to 79%, and in 15 other countries, from 20% to 49%. According to statistics, in the remaining 33 countries, there are from 5% to 19% of the adherents of Islam. A small amount (from 1% to 4%) lives in another 40 countries, and very little - less than 1% - in 57 countries. Moreover, in 28 countries, Islam has been given the status of state religion. If such figures are reliable, then this religion takes the second place in the world regarding the number of people who consider themselves to be its adherents.
The leader in the number of Muslim residents is Indonesia. Then, in descending order are India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nigeria, Egypt, Iran, Ethiopia, Turkey, Algeria. In these countries live from 222 to 36 million "true believers." Where is the RF located on this list?
How many Muslims in Russia
The Russian Federation ranks 21st on this list. The 2010 census showed that the number of Muslims in Russia is 15 million. A few years later, as of 2013, their number increased, and ranged from 18 to 21 million. Although back in the 2000s, from the lips of Russian officials one could often hear the phrase: "Twenty million Muslims live in our country." Why is there such a difference in numbers? How many Muslims actually live in Russia?
A large number of “faithful” do not have registration in the Russian Federation, as they are immigrants and are not registered anywhere, although they actually live in the country. Some reports also include such residents. In any case, most of them are seasonal workers who have come for a month or two, and even if they have temporary registration, is it worth considering them to be Russian Muslims, a moot point.
If we proceed from the figures of 21 million (the approximate number of adherents of Islam in 2013) and 146 million (the population of the Russian Federation as of January 1, 2015), then we can calculate how many percent of Muslims are in Russia. It turns out 14%. It turns out that the Russian ummah is an influential minority in the state.
If the data are reliable, then for three years (2010-2013), the Muslim population of Russia increased by 3-6 million. This rapid growth is due to several reasons. Firstly, the same migration. In addition to seasonal workers, many people moved to permanent residence from Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan. Secondly, the birth rate in Muslim families is traditionally higher than in Russian. Thirdly, many people in Russia accept Islam. Apparently, such dynamics will continue to be observed in the future, and the number of Muslims in Russia will increase.
Muslim peoples of Russia
If you do not take into account the diaspora of Azerbaijanis, Kazakhs, Abkhazians, Tajiks, Turkmens, Kyrgyz, Uzbeks who have their own statehood, and talk only about those nationalities that live in the Russian Federation as part of national republics, then we can distinguish about 20 peoples. If you list them, it is the Tatars, Bashkirs, Chechens, Ingush, Karachais, Balkars, Avars, Dargins, Kumyks, Lezgins, Laks, Tabasarans, Nogais, Kabardins and others. There are 7 million Tatars, Bashkirs - 1.7 million, Chechens - 1.4 million. Almost all of the above peoples are 100% Muslim. For example, among Tatars, 98% profess the religion of Muhammad. Therefore, sometimes the number of Muslims in Russia is determined by the addition of the population of all such Muslim peoples. Of course, such a calculation can give overestimated figures, because among those born under the sign of the crescent, there are later converted to Christianity. Although, in fairness, it should be noted that the percentage of those is quite small.
The trends of Islam in Russia
Islam has two main directions: Sunnis (which are the majority both in the whole world, and in Russia in particular) and Shiites. Mostly Shiites consider themselves Muslims in the south of Dagestan and Azerbaijanis living in Russia.
