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Article #32: Russia and Islam

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The Protohistory (Ninth to Twelfth meteor over the dark horizon of Europe.
Centuries): - In the tenth century, when Russians were
Russia's position on the eastern flank of still mostly pagans, Islam had already
Europe has often been compared to that of penetrated Eastern Transcaucasia and
Spain on the western side. Both are seen Daghestan. It had conquered the whole of
as bulwarks of Christendom facing the Turkestan south of Syr Darya and the King
hostile world of Islam, of civilization of Bulghar in the far north had adopted
facing 'barbary'. Russia exhausted the religion of the Prophet, Except for
herself in a heroic struggle of several the Bulghar Kingdom, all these
centuries, but this sacrifice was not to territories had long been settled with
be in vain, for Europe was saved and highly developed urban societies going
could go on to develop its brilliant back to the second millennium BC. Even
civilization well protected by the the nomadic Turks of the Caspian steppes
Russians. The price of this voluntary - the Khazars - whose feudal nobility had
sacrifice was heavy, since in order to adopted Judaism as their official
survive and finally to overcome the 'Asia religion, had attained a higher level of
barbarians', Muscovy was obliged to adopt political and cultural development than
their ways, such as tyranny, despotism, the ancestors of the Russians, their
serfdom and lack of liberty. Such is the vassals in the eighth and early ninth
picture that is painted in nearly all centuries.
Russian and Soviet historical works. During the eleventh and twelfth centuries
Far-fetched as it is, there are deep political and cultural equilibrium was
reasons for defending this absurd established between the sedentary Kievian
concept. According to the Russians, 'they Rus, Christianized and civilized by
have suffered more than any other people' Byzantium and the nomadic Qypchaqs
and have 'played the role of protectors (Polovtsy) - heirs to the Khazars who
and saviours', a kind of St George ruled over the Steppe territories between
killing the Asiatic dragon and rescuing the Dniepr and the Aral Sea.
the European princess. This exclusive Contrary to the commonly accepted but
position 'gives the Russians certain totally misleading version put forward by
messianic rights', in particular the Russian historians, relations between
right to assume the leadership over their sedentary Russians and nomadic Turks were
lesser European brothers and to not limited only to plundering
'civilize' the world Asiatics. expeditions and punitive
The reality is of course far from this counter-expeditions, but included wide
Manichaean approach to history. When the cultural and diplomatic exchanges between
ancestors of the Russians first came into partners who treated each other as
contact with Asia in the ninth century equals. Moreover, during this period
they were the 'Barbarians', not the Turkic princesses often married Kievian
highly civilized Muslims. princes. (It is a well known historical
In the early tenth century, the fact that the vassal seeks the hand of
borderline between 'Civilization' and his suzerain's daughter.) This happy
'Barbary' followed more or less exactly period ended with the Mongol invasion,
the frontier which today separates the but not before a considerable number of
Slavic 'European' people of the USSR from Turkic, Iranian and even Arabic words
the area populated largely by Muslims: synonymous with advanced societies were
Middle and Lower Volga, North Caucasian borrowed and have become so thoroughly
mountains, Derbent, Syr Daria. However, Russified as to make it nearly impossible
'Barbary' at this time was represented by to recognize their Asiatic origins:
the 'Europeans', ancestors of the chugun, bulat, topor, sablia, saray,
Russians. (There are those who believe bumaga, khram, terem, yazyk, ochag,
that the position has altered little over cherdak, loshad', chemodan, bogatyr,
time.) magazin, karandash, karaul, etc. In
For the Muslims, the 'Rus' were wild and contrast, Slavic vocabulary made no
primitive natives, purveyors of rare impression on Turkic languages - at least
blond slaves and such precious raw until the nineteenth century.
materials as fur and ivory. But they were In the eleventh and twelfth centuries,
dangerous neighbors and their plundering the equilibrium which existed between the
expeditions (912 and 941-4 raids in the sedentary Kievian civilization and the
Caspian Sea, the destruction of the steppe nomads in the Black Sea-Caspian
Khazar Empire in 945 and 985 expedition Sea area could be likened to an outwardly
against Bulghar) were described in similar situation between the sedentary
gruesome detail by early Muslim Irano-Turkic and nomadic Turko-Mongol
chroniclers. worlds along the line of Syr Daria. To
During 942-4 the 'Rus' devastated all draw any sort of parallel would, however,
Muslim Transcaucasia. Berdea, the most be wrong. In Central Asia, Bukhara of the
prosperous city of Azerbaijan, was Samanids and Empire of the Seljuqs were
completely destroyed and its inhabitants the great centers of world culture at
slaughtered. According to Ibn Hawkal, that time and the defense line on Syr
from the 1,200 5 remained. In 1850, a Daria marked the border between
Russian historian, Grigor'ev, wrote" civilization and Barbary. There could be
When anarchy, fanaticism and barbarity no borrowing of Mongol-Turkic or Manchu
were disputing the domination of Europe, words from the Qara Khitay by the
the Khazar Empire was a center of law, Persians or the Seljuqs and a Samanid
order and religious tolerance, a refuge king or a Khwarezm shah would never dream
for all those who were persecuted for of marrying the daughter of a nomad
their belief. It was like a brilliant chieftain roaming the Mongolian outback.






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