ABSTRACT

Over the last twenty years the Russian book market has been flooded with publications on Islam that were produced by authors who are not Islamic studies professionals. Mostly financed by various Muslim organizations, these publications do not reflect the research results of specialists from Russia or the West; rather, they often have an apologetic and sometimes even confrontational character. To be sure, in Soviet times, the Russian reader was hardly spoiled for choice in terms of writing on Islam. Now, though, he finds it hard to navigate through this ocean of books, brochures, journals and newspaper articles. Students of the Muslim Orient face the same problem.