Before the Russian encroachment, the religious landscape of the North Caucasus was a mix of:
- Sufiism
- Adat (Customary Law): This was the real “law of the land.” Adat governed blood feuds, marriage, and property. Many of these customs actually contradicted Sharia (Islamic law).
- Paganism: In the high mountains of Chechnya and Ingushetia, ancient animist shrines were still being used alongside mosques well into the 1700s.
As the Russian Empire pushed southward under Peter the Great and Catherine the Great, the fractured tribes of the Caucasus realized they could not resist a modern army as independent clans. They needed a trans-tribal identity.
Islam provided that “glue.”
BUMP
While looking at other interesting topics, I encountered the 26+ minute video linked below. It starts by looking at this area from the perspective of people who do not necessarily agree with Putin’s goals, including those in Ukraine.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dMHxXIgSPws [Chechnya and Armenia]
These two countries/nationalities are looked at from the perspective of peoples who are making Putin uncomfortable. While Putin has used Chechen troops during his East Ukraine conquest efforts, Kadyrov (Chechnya leader) appears to be in unchanging bad health, as his son is looked at as the possible future. Armenia has also disappointed Putin by NOT voting for Putin’s favored candidate in recent elections.
As Putin faces ever more serious conditions within Russia, and growing urging by wealthy insiders to pack up the war and come home, the future of Russia itself is more in question. Thus there will be more likelihood of independent actions and future aspirations by the small countries and ethnicities bordering Russia. This video may continue useful information regarding that future, from what I saw in the first 5 minutes.