Russia's Discourses on Islam: the Securitization of Muslims through the Concept of Traditional Islam

This research aims to capture the dynamics of methodological securitization, through which several religious movements were framed as existential threats to Russia. After outlining various historical discussions on Islam throughout Soviet and contemporary Russian history, I analyze the process of methodologic securitization using insights from the Copenhagen securitization theory. This study specifically explores the framework and strategies of securitizing Muslim populations in Russia through the concept of ‘traditional Islam.’ Previous literature has explored the development of national and local framing of Islam by debating on ‘traditional versus nontraditional Islam’ within the framework of religious, secular, and official state institutions. However, there is a considerable gap in the literature on the usage of ‘traditional’ as a tool by state representatives, media outlets, and regional Muftiates of Russia to securitize the Muslims. This thesis, therefore, aims to enrich the body of knowledge regarding the complexity of Russia’s official discourse on Islam and identifies several areas where Muslims are viewed and presented as a security issue.