For Putin and for Sharia : Dagestani Muslims and the Islamic State

**__For Putin and for Sharia__** **examines what it means to support sharia in twenty-first century Dagestan, where calls for an Islamic state coexist with nostalgia for the days of Stalin's rule and Mecca calendars hang alongside portraits of Putin**. Confronting existing narratives about sharia, terrorism, and anti-terrorism through ethnographic fieldwork, Iwona Kaliszewska looks at the beliefs and practices of Dagestani Muslims, revealing that, contrary to simplistic explanations, the pursuit of sharia can assume a range of forms: from sweeping visions of an Islamic state imposed through violence, to minor acts of everyday resistance against injustice, to attempts to restore security and stability once afforded by the Soviet state. Painting a complex portrait, __For Putin and for Sharia__ challenges the official dichotomy of Muslims as supporting either the political underground or state authorities. Kaliszewska deconstructs the Salafi/Sufi division between the so-called reformists and traditional Islam that has perpetuated in writing about the post-Soviet space. Included is the self-reflection of a researcher in a conflict zone, how the experience can shift understanding of the ways people think and live.

For Putin and for Shariaexamines what it means to support sharia intwenty-first-century Dagestan, where calls for an Islamic statecoexist with nostalgia for the days of Stalin's rule and Meccacalendars hang alongside portraits of Putin. Confrontingexisting narratives about sharia, terrorism, and anti-terrorismthrough ethnographic fieldwork, Iwona Kaliszewska looks at thebeliefs and practices of Dagestani Muslims, revealing that thepursuit of sharia can assume a range of forms from sweeping visionsof an Islamic state imposed through violence, to minor acts ofeveryday resistance against injustice, to attempts to restore thesecurity and stability once afforded by the Soviet state. InFor Putin and for Sharia, Kaliszewska challenges theofficial dichotomy of Muslims as supporting either the politicalunderground or state authorities and deconstructs the Salafi/Sufidivision between the so-called reformists and traditionalIslam.

For Putin and for Sharia examines what it means to support sharia in twenty-first-century Dagestan, where calls for an Islamic state coexist with nostalgia for the days of Stalin's rule and Mecca calendars hang alongside portraits of Putin. Confronting existing narratives about sharia, terrorism, and anti-terrorism through ethnographic fieldwork, Iwona Kaliszewska looks at the beliefs and practices of Dagestani Muslims, revealing that the pursuit of sharia can assume a range of forms from sweeping visions of an Islamic state imposed through violence, to minor acts of everyday resistance against injustice, to attempts to restore the security and stability once afforded by the Soviet state. In For Putin and for Sharia , Kaliszewska challenges the official dichotomy of Muslims as supporting either the political underground or state authorities and deconstructs the Salafi/Sufi division between the so-called reformists and traditional Islam. Contents Prologue: Pizza with Shakhidkas Introduction 1 Political and Social Instability in Dagestan 2 Torture, Exorcisms, and Checkpoints Experiencing the “Fight against Terrorism” 3 The Resurgent Importance of Islam in the Everyday Lives of Dagestanis 4 Wahhabis, Tariqatists, and “New Muslims” 5. Sharia: Thinking beyond the (Secular) State? Conclusion Epilogue Acknowledgments Notes References Index "This book explores what it means to support Sharia in twenty-first-century North Caucasus. Who are 'the terrorists' in Dagestan and how do they cope with the fight against terrorism?"-- Provided by publisher