ABSTRACT
This chapter reviews a confrontation between Islam and Communism which took place within the ranks of the party back in the initial days of the Soviet regime, an incident that helped to set the stage for an ongoing struggle. Russian economic and technological innovation opened the area to social changes which combined to fragment the Islamic community. These developments also opened the region to new influences from outside: one of these was the tide of reform sweeping other Muslim peoples of the Russian Empire and Muslim societies abroad, notably Turkey and Iran. The Mufti himself appeared to be more concerned about other outside forces, including the Islamic Revolution in Iran, as "exercising influence on Soviet Muslims". The Mufti's reference to religious differences between younger and older Muslims later received some confirmation from reports of generational violence between believers in Tajikistan, in which "Wahhabism" was apparently an issue.
