The Muslim landscape of the urban district of Tyumen: places, size and socio-demographic composition of prayer meetings

Bobrov I.V. (Independent researcher), Cherepanov M.S. (Tyumen, Russian Federation)

              page 193–203

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The studies of Muslim landscape in Russia demonstrate a severe deficiency in works dedicated to the analysis of how the Muslims are included into religious practices. This issue is especially relevant for regions where Islam is a minority religion. This article introduces the results of an empirical study of socio-demographic composition and dynamics of the number of participants of Friday and feast collective prayers in the Urban District of Tyumen in 2009–2016. Non-participant structured observation was used as the main research method. In addition, expert interviews with religious specialists and analysis of Muslim media were applied to collect and to verify the data. As a result, we have observed a positive dynamics of the number of participants in dogmatically obligatory prayer meetings and documented their socio-demographic composition. The number of Muslims at Friday afternoon prayers has almost doubled. Their number at festive worships has grown more than twice. Men significantly predominate at all prayer meetings. On average, they account for 90 % of all participants at collective prayers in the urban district. Middle-aged and young people represent the largest age groups of believers at Jumu'ah prayers. According to the experts, most of the men attending mosque meetings come from different regions of Central Asia, the Southern and Northern Caucasus. Tatars represent from 5 % to 10 % of all the parishioners at prayer meetings in the urban district.

Key words: Muslim landscape of Russia, Muslims, Tyumen region, religious practices, structured observation.

DOI: 10.20874/2071-0437-2018-43-4-193-203

20.12.2018

I.V. Bobrov,

Independent researcher

E-mail: bobrov-tyumen@yandex.ru

M.S. Cherepanov

Tyumen Scientific Centre of Siberian Branch RAS, Malygina st., 86, Tyumen, 625026, Russian Federation

E-mail: maximcherepanov@yandex.ru