Lebanese Immigrants in Moscow: Development of Religious Identity

The present master thesis investigates religious identity of Lebanese Muslims in Moscow. An attempt is made to answer the following questions: How do Lebanese migrants or members of the Lebanese community in Russia live and understand their religion? How do they view their religious practice and beliefs in relation to the two places of Lebanon and Russia? What is their perception of religion and how is it influenced or not by their migration experience? In order to answer these questions, eight in-depth interviews with Lebanese community representatives were collected. Inductive approach to the analysis has revealed that according to the informants, religion in Lebanon is lived collectively, publically and visibly, while religious views are not expressed openly. Religion in Russia is lived individually, privately, invisibly, but it is an open space for opinion expression. Visible religion here is understood as excessive. There is a gendered difference in both practice and perception of Islam in Russia. For example, women are more sensitive to the shift from collective religion to individual one. Religious identity construction for the Lebanese immigrants in the host environment is based on diversity, personal choice, and is often influenced by a Communist ideology and political developments, characteristic to the home environment of the pre-migration period. Russia is seen as a setting for career and secular life among male immigrants, while women appear to be their partners’ followers. Migration does not seem to have a significant influence on the religious identity development, it is rather perceived as a logical continuation of the previously constructed worldview. Unlike it was shown in previous literature, religion does not become a uniting factor among Muslims and does not strengthen upon migration. In this sense, this study offers new findings that could be further developed. This is also a first research on Lebanese community in Moscow.