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Ossetian:Ирон пысылмӕттӕ | |
|---|---|
| Total population | |
| 200,000 | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
| Turkey | 20,000–50,000 |
| Russia | 55,026 |
| North Ossetia–Alania | 43,000[citation needed] |
| Kabardino-Balkaria | 6877[citation needed] |
| Stavropol Krai | 1146[citation needed] |
| Syria | 700 |
| Languages | |
| Ossetian | |
| Religion | |
 Islam(SunniHanafi) | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| Ossetians | |
Ossetian Muslims (Ossetian:Ирон пысылмӕттӕ,romanized: Iron pysylmættæ) are ethnicOssetians who practiceIslam and are native to the region ofOssetia in theNorth Caucasus.
The majority of Ossetian Muslims today reside in Turkey, as well as the Western areas of North Ossetia, such as theIrafsky,Kirovsky, andPravoberezhny Districts and in Vladikavkaz, with minorities in theAlagirsky,Ardonsky,Mozdoksky, as well as in Syria, Kabardino-Balkaria, and Stavropol Krai. The Ossetian Muslim community is made up of people from both theDigor, andIron subgroups of Ossetians.
Islam was first introduced amongst Ossetians in the 17th century when the localDigor Ossetians converted to Islam under the influence of the neighbouring Kabardin people who professed Islam. Prior to the accession of Digoria to the Russian Empire in 1827,[1] the vast majority of Digorians professed Islam. Previously in 1750. representatives of the Digor families of the Abisalovs, Bituevs and Mistulovs adopted Christianity following the example of the Kabardian princes who professed Christianity. However, by the 1830-40s most of the Digorians had re-accepted Islam. Numerous Muslim communities appeared in the settlements ofMakhchesk,Stur-Digora,Aksau,Fasnal.
It is estimated that up to 50,000 Ossetians left the Caucasus in the early 1860s as part of a larger migration of Muslims from the region to theOttoman Empire.[2]
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Back in the 16th century, Islam penetrated the Tagaurian society. In the 17th century, all eleven Tagaur feudal surnames converted to Islam. Soon, ordinary people began to accept Islam. In 1785, Akhmed Dudarov, the Tagaurian Uazdan-Aldar, the owner of the village of Chmi, contributed to the adoption of Islam by the Chmins, and actively spread Islam throughout the territory, building a stone mosque in the village of Saniba .
In 1825–30, the rebel movement in Tagauria and Kurtatia was led by Beslan Shanaev, Khazbi Tulatov, Dzanhot Mamsurov, Kurgok Karsanov and others. units of the tsarist general Abkhazov burned with. Chmi, Kani, Lamardon and other villages. Settlers from Chmi founded the village of Kardzhin, settlers from Kani founded Brut. Tagaurian settlers also participated in the founding of the village ofElxot,Zilgæ,Skhwyd Khox, etc. In 1840, according to Kaloev, there were 3 mosques in mountainous Tagauria: one inSaniba, one inCymi and one more either in Koban or inKani.
Anti-Muslim sentiment among non-Muslim Ossetians have grown due to incidents of regional Islamic extremism, negative perceptions of theIngush who are increasingly equated with Ossetian Muslims, and the belief that Ossetian society is Christian and "civilized". This has led to local authorities surveilling local mosques and religious Muslims under the pretext of rooting outJihadism. Negative perception of Islam in Ossetia has also led to several Muslim Ossetians converting to Christianity or downplaying their religious identity.[3]
A short-lived militant Jihadist organization connected to theNorth Caucasus insurgency calledKataib al-Khoul (2006-2009) was formed in North Ossetia and gained infamy attacking casinos inVladikavkaz, orchestrating assassinations of high-ranking state and military officials and other prominent targets, including the Ossetian Muslim poet Shamil Jikayev.[3] According to political scientistEmil Aslan, these incidents of Islamic extremism were rare, engaged in by a relative few people and had no popular support which indicated that the region was otherwise devoid of local Islamic extremism. But these incidents provoked backlash and discrimination from local authorities and negative attitudes towards Muslims in general.[3]
