Religious studies and teaching religion to children in Tatarstan. The case of Islam

Abstract

This article deals with children's instruction on Islam in the Republic of Tatarstan. Research is based on fieldwork in seven rural districts and six cities carried out in June-July 2017, as well as on the analysis of teaching programmes, textbooks and mass media publications. The study shows that the main factor of a particular model of religious education in Tatarstan is its multi-ethnic and multi-religious composition. As a result, only two "modules" are being used in the public schools - World Religious Cultures and Secular Ethics, while the four other "modules" linked to particular religions remain outside the public schools. Islam is being taught in a great diversity of forms: Muslim kindergartens, special courses operating near mosques, summer camps, discussions and meetings with Imams and Islamic clergy at schools, regular courses in Islamic ethics, and the private school "Uthmaniya" (Kazan), established by the Tatarstan Muslim Religious Board. The case of Tatarstan is an interesting example of building state-religious relations in post-Soviet and post-secular societies.