ABSTRACT
The discussion about the integration of migrants in Russia began relatively late, and it was only a few years ago that the first steps in creating concrete policies were implemented. In public discussions, as well as in policy documents, the emphasis is usually on the cultural integration of migrants, while their economic, social and political engagement is omitted. In conclusion, social problems, including the fact that many migrants are compelled to function in the domain of the shadow economy, are explained in terms of their cultural illiteracy rather than structural reasons (Shnirel’man 2008). The construction of cultural otherness is more often made in the framework of religiosity, Islam in particular. This tendency is not unique to Russia; a similar religionisation of migrants and the migration issue had already taken place earlier in western Europe. This chapter analyses Russian debates on the role of religion in the inte-
gration of Muslim migrants in Russia within the political elite, the media and Muslim organisations. In addition to cultural discourse, another feature of the presentations of Islamic identity of migrants as a potential social problem is linked to the securitisation of the migration issue. The threat of radical Islam, spreading among the migrants and spread by them, is exaggerated in the media. Because of this fear, the promotion of ‘traditional Islam’ by official Islamic organisations is preferred over informal networks of Muslims. However, due to the scarcity of resources, as well as occasional inadequate abilities, the official Islamic organisations are not always able to meet these demands. Suspicions concerning grass-roots, unofficial networks of Muslims correspond to the common tendency in the discussions on integration to see migrants as objects, not as active agents.
