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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 |
| Kabardino-Balkaria | 6877 |
| Stavropol Krai | 1146 |
| Syria | 700 |
| Languages | |
| Ossetian | |
| Religion | |
 Islam(SunniHanafi) | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| Ossetians | |
Ossetian Muslims (Ossetian:Ирон Пысылмӕттӕ,romanized: Iron Pysylmættæ) are ethnic Ossetians 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, and westernPrigorodny Districts, 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.
Source:[1]
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 annexation of the Digoria region into Russia in 1771, 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.
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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. Tagauri settlers also participated in the founding of the village ofElkhotovo,Zilgi,Skut-Kokh, etc. In 1840, according to Kaloev, there were 3 mosques in mountainous Tagauria: one in Sanib, one in Chmi and one more either in Koban or in Kani.
In the 2000s a group calling itselfKataib al-Khoul was established by Ossetian Muslims as part of the North Caucasus insurgency and its goal was to expel the Russian presence in North Ossetia and establish an Islamic Emirate called Iriston. This unit was led by prominent Jihadi fighterAlan Digorsky, and gained publicity in 2005-2008 when it attacked casinos and gambling houses in Vladikavkaz, and engaged in a series of assassinations of high-ranking military and state officials in North Ossetia, this combined with that on May 26, the beheaded body ofShamil Jikayev, a venerated Ossetian poet was found near Vladikavkaz and the fact that his killer,David Murashev, himself an Ossetian, is said by authorities to have converted to Islam, stirred up talks about the increasingly uncomfortable coexistence of Christian and Muslim communities within North Ossetia, renewing fears of the “jihadization” of North Ossetian Muslims.[2]
