ABSTRACT
In the focus group discussions of 16–18-year-olds from the region, students named the factors they considered the most important influences on their upbringing. Local traditions and the family were both much emphasized (and will be discussed in the following chapters), but pride of place went to religion, which was almost unanimously cited as the single most important factor. In a region where — especially since the fall of the Soviet Union -religion has quickly become an important part of all aspects of life, it is crucial to understand in detail how children growing up in the North Caucasus receive their religious education, what kind of education, from whom, and what religion means to them as a part of their upbringing. All these aspects will be explored in this chapter, as well as the possible links between religious education and religious-political extremism.
