Soviet ideology in the madrasa: political contexts and educational practice

Abstract

In 1946, under the Spiritual Board of the Muslims of Central Asia and Kazakhstan, the Miri Arab (Bukhara) and later Barakhan Madrasas (1956-1961, Tashkent) were opened. In 1971, the Higher Institute / Oliy Ma'had was opened at SADUM. Both madrasas became the most popular Muslim educational institutions, in which many eminent theologians of the former USSR were trained. However, like any institution created by decree and under the control of the authorities, madrasas were not free from the direct and indirect influence of political, ideological, general educational and other institutions of Soviet power, which sometimes gave rise to unusual eclecticism in the language, thinking or norms of behavior of students of these educational institutions, especially generations of the 1970s - 1980s. In this article, on the basis of archival materials, we research the forms of control over the activities of madrassas, changes in training programs, motivation of initiators of changes in curricula, the extent to which state control agencies invade this process, consider attempts to form a special type of loyal "Soviet Imam" with a new way of thinking, a new dress code, in which the tie was supposed to symbolize the compromise with secular authorities, a complete retirement from the "old world", and therefore, the old ways of teaching.