News

20Mln Muslims in Russia and mass conversion of ethnic Russians are myths - expert

Moscow, April 10, Interfax - The often-claimed proportion of Russian citizens belonging to the Muslim faith is overestimated, the Russian islamologist Roman Silantyev thinks.

'The most widespread estimation of 20 million Muslims is unrealistic,' Silantyev said as he presented his new book on Russian Islam in Moscow.

The number of Russian Muslims is 'the most serious myth' about Islam in today's Russia, where no verifiable data has been available so far.

Silantyev said he met estimations between 5 and 50 million Muslims in Russia.

In the same time the number of ethnic Muslims in Russia is more or less known and estimated to be 14.5 million, Silantyev said. Yet surveys say that there are only 7 to 9 million people who adhere to the Islamic faith in Russia.

Another popular myth is a mass conversion of ethnic Russian to Islam, he added.

'Less than 3,000 ethnic Russian have converted to Islam for the last 15 years,' Silantyev said.

According to the researcher, for the same period almost 2 million ethic Muslims have become Orthodox Christians for the same period. Over 400 Russian Orthodox clergy belong to traditionally Muslim ethnic groups, 20 percent of Tatars are Christian, and 70 percent of interfaith marriages result in the Muslim spouse conversion to Christianity.

Print this page

Home

News

.	Customize latest news

• Russian Church concerned about possibility of illegal use of personal data 22 October 2020, 20:15
• Estonia to hold a referendum on marriage as a union of man and woman in spring 22 October 2020, 19:50
• Russian Archpriest Dimitry Smirnov dies 21 October 2020, 20:31
• Attackers of Hasid teens in Uman must be brought to account - Ukraine's foreign minister 20 October 2020, 10:43
• Archbishop Kondrusiewicz in Vatican, discusses his return to Belarus 20 October 2020, 10:41
• Catholics conveyed a church in the center of Spanish Granada to Moscow Patriarchate 15 October 2020, 18:29
• Head of Russian Catholics contracts coronavirus 15 October 2020, 15:18
• The first Russian doctoral thesis on Islamic theology earned 15 October 2020, 14:03
• FJCR considers Kiev's order to pray for pogrom-makers an insult of the Jewish people 15 October 2020, 13:42
• A source learned about the death of another child from a surrogate mother in St. Petersburg 15 October 2020, 12:35
• Church against exploiting Russian women as surrogate mothers by foreigners 13 October 2020, 20:01
• Patriarch Kirill calls for putting end to bloodshed in Nagorno-Karabakh 13 October 2020, 18:08
• Patriarch Kirill tests negative for coronavirus 12 October 2020, 10:14
• Baku dismisses accusations of shelling upon cathedral in Nagorno-Karabakh 09 October 2020, 18:12
• Ecological park inspired by a local bishop opened in Omsk 09 October 2020, 17:28
• Jews will celebrate the feast of Torah with restrictions due to coronavirus 09 October 2020, 17:08
• JW couple gets suspended sentences in Kostroma 09 October 2020, 17:00
• Patriarch Kirill calls pandemic the last call for humanity 09 October 2020, 16:39
• Head of Jewish organization of Nazi concentration camp and ghetto prisoners dies 09 October 2020, 10:04
• Azerbaijan renews attack on church in Shushi, Stepanakert claims 08 October 2020, 18:18
• Patriarch Kirill in quarantine after contact with coronavirus patient (updated) 08 October 2020, 18:15
• Unrecognized Karabakh head promises to rebuild cathedral destroyed in Azerbaijan's missile strike 08 October 2020, 17:35
• New Vatican ambassador to arrive in Belarus on Oct 11 08 October 2020, 17:21
• Organizer, 5 followers of Ulyanovsk Jehovah's Witnesses group get suspended prison terms 08 October 2020, 15:51
• Coronavirus restrictions re-introduced in Russian synagogues 08 October 2020, 14:42
• Islamist suspected of attempt to carry out terrorist attack in court, prosecutor's office detained in Stavropol 07 October 2020, 17:01
• Orthodox bishop of Kyrgyzstan urges citizens to pray for peace 06 October 2020, 15:40
• Many-storeyed business center in Kiev in honor of pride month will be illuminated with a rainbow flag 06 October 2020, 13:59
• Russian Orthodox Church offered to imprison rapists for life 05 October 2020, 14:05
• Russian Church suggests opening a museum dedicated to repressions in the mausoleum after Lenin's funeral 05 October 2020, 11:57

Other news