Revolution and Civil War through the Perceptions and Actions of Muslim Clergy in Dagestan, 1917-1921

Abstract

The article analyzes how the Revolution and the Civil War have been perceived by the Muslim clergy in Dagestan and how the clergy reacted. The author shows various forms of involvement of the clergy, their participation in power institutions, creation of coalitions and alliances, and their internal cleavages. The views and political agendas of the two leaders, Nazhmutdin Gotsinsky and Ali-Hajjah Akushinsky, are further presented as major examples.