Abstract

In the mid-19th to early 20th centuries, complex and heterogeneous Muslim communities emerged across the Qazaq steppe. The intensification of trade relations, the development of urban culture, population migration, and other factors led to the formation of ethnically mixed Muslim communities. Relations among Muslims (Qazaqs, Tatars, and Sarts) in these communities were not always peaceful. These communities were often shaken by conflicts that had a serious impact on the socioeconomic, social, and cultural life of Muslims.

I will examine three conflicts between Tatars and Qazaqs in regions such as Semipalatinsk and Omsk. The first occurred in the mid-19th century and was linked to an attempt by a group of Qazaqs from fifth Muslim community (mahalla) of Semipalatinsk to remove their Tatar imam from office. This conflict was not rooted in any fundamental contradictions between Tatars and Qazaqs. It was part of the various vicissitudes of everyday relations. For example, the Tatar imam’s periodic quarrels with local Qazaqs over the fact that the Qazaqs allegedly adhered to their “ancient customs” rather than Sharia (Muslim law).

The second conflict, which occurred in 1915 in the sixth Muslim community of Semipalatinsk, was more complex. After the Qazaqs were excluded from the jurisdiction of the Orenburg Muslim Spiritual Assembly in 1868, the Tatars attempted to assume a dominant position in some mixed Muslim communities. The Russian authorities did not know how to handle such situations. They often acted in a contradictory and inconsistent manner. Paradoxically, in the case of the sixth Muslim community, despite the existence of the 1868 law, imperial officials continued to turn to the Orenburg Muslim Spiritual Assembly for help as a mediator in resolving interethnic conflicts among Muslims.

The third conflict occurred in the city of Omsk in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. In other words, it lasted several decades. This conflict stemmed from the fact that the Qazaqs wanted to establish their own Muslim parish and separate from the Tatars. At the same time, the Qazaqs insisted on the need to choose their own imam. Although Omsk was located outside the Qazaq steppe, the imperial authorities refused to grant the Qazaqs their own parish, citing the 1868 law. Ultimately, the efforts of a single individual played a crucial role: the imam of Omsk, Niyaz-Muhammad Suleimanov.