ABSTRACT
The secularization of society was a prerequisite for and basic postulate of ‘socialist construction’. The conflict between the two legacies in the realm of religion is extremely complex. Just as the political life of the new Muslim states and the Muslim areas of Russia is characterized by a conflict between the two legacies, so also is their cultural activity. Certainly, the colonial-type policy pursued by Moscow vis-a-vis the Muslim regions subordinated them to the industrialized European part of the country. The considerable Russian populations in the Muslim areas are yet a further constraint upon the realization of nationhood in the new independent nation states, a source of internal tension and even potential conflict, and a bone of contention between them and Russia. In conclusion, the tale of the conflict between the two legacies does not seem to have ended.
