Islam in the Soviet Union: Lenin's Promise and Stalin's Repression
When the Bolsheviks took power in 1917, Lenin's government promised the Muslims of the former Russian Empire freedom of religion and respect for their customs. Within a decade the Soviet state turned on them: mosques and madrasas were closed, Islamic courts and the Arabic script were abolished, campaigns such as the hujum pushed women to give up the veil, and religious leaders were arrested or executed, especially under Stalin.
This documentary traces Islam in Russia from the Tsarist empire, through the First World War and the Civil War, Lenin's promises and Stalin's repression, to the continued control of religion after Stalin's death.
Chapters
00:00 Intro: Islam in the Soviet Union
00:52 Muslims in the Russian Empire
01:27 World War I and the Russian Civil War
01:51 Lenin's promise of religious freedom
02:38 The communist betrayal
04:15 World War II
05:03 Stalin's death and continued suppression
05:37 The post-Stalin era
