Islamic Revival in Georgian - Chechen Border Area

Abstract

Since the collapse of the Soviet Union all the former Soviet countries have been going through changes in social and religious life. Muslim states strongly tied their identities to Islam while countries with a majority of Christians started to tie their identities to the Christian religion. Georgia is a country with a majority of Christians and therefore a religious revival of the orthodox Christian religion has taken place. There are several groups of people though (Chechens (Kists), Azerbaijanis, Daghestanians) who represent Muslim minorities in the country. Focus of the thesis will be the processes of religious and social changes the Chechen Muslim minority community in Pankisi valley has undergone after dissolution of the Soviet Union and state building process in Georgia. More precisely, it will address what the religious situation is currently in an area of Georgia settled by Muslim Chechens and the connections and interactions they have with their neighboring ancestor Chechens in Russia. After the collapse of the Soviet Union processes of religious renewal in Chechnya had significant influence on the Kist community in Georgia.