"This book, based on extensive research in the field, analyses the political, social and cultural implications of the rise of Islam in post-Soviet Russia. Examining in particular the situation in Tatarstan and Dagestan, where there are large Muslim populations, the authors chart the long history of Muslim and orthodox Christian co-existence in Russia, discuss recent moves toward greater autonomy and the assertion of ethnic-religious identities which underlie such moves, and consider the practice of Islam at the local level. The differences between 'official' and 'unofficial' Islam are shown, with reference to how ceremonies and rituals are actually observed (or not), how Islam is transmitted from one generation to the next, the role of Islamic thought, including that of radical sects, and Islamic views of the different roles of men and women." "Overall, the book demonstrates how far Islam in Russia has been extensively influenced by the Soviet and Russian multiethnic context."--Jacket.