The Funeral Ceremony of Colonel Ravil Syrtlanov as an Example of the Construction of the Image of a Muslim Hero (Based on Tatar Periodical Press Materials from 1916)
https://doi.org/10.22311/2074-1529-2026-22-1-191-208
Abstract
The arrangements of the Russian Army Colonel Ravil Syrtlanov (1877–1916), who heroically died in June 1916 during the First World War (1914–1918), and the coverage of this event in the Tatar periodicals represent an atypical but illustrative example of effective state- Islamic interaction in shaping public opinion among Muslims in the Russian Empire and in promoting state propaganda within their community. The article, based on the analysis of materials from the Moscow newspaper Suz, the Kazan newspaper Koyash, the Orenburg newspaper Vakyt, and the Ufa newspaper Tormysh for the period of June–August 1916, reconstructs the chronology of the funeral ceremony, and examines the symbolic interaction between the military department and the Muslim community. The author concludes that this case stands in stark contrast to the mutual distrust between the imperial authorities and the Muslim community, which is characteristic of the period under review, and refers to the model of dialogue between the government and Muslims, dating back to the ideas of the founder of Jadidism, Ismail Gasprinsky (1851–1914). In conclusion, it is noted that the case in question remains relevant for modern state- Islamic interaction, particularly in the context of forming a Russian civic identity and working with public opinion.
Keywords
Russian Empire,
First World War,
Muslim question,
state propaganda,
Tatar periodical press,
Ravil Syrtlanov
УДК: 94(470)’’1914/1918
About the Author
D. F. Akhmetova
Kazan (Volga Region) Federal University
Russian Federation
Russian Federation
Diliara F. AKHMETOVA, Postgraduate student, Institute of International Relations, History and Oriental Studies
18 Kremlyovskaya St., Kazan, Republic of Tatarstan, 420008
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Review
For citations:
Akhmetova D.F. The Funeral Ceremony of Colonel Ravil Syrtlanov as an Example of the Construction of the Image of a Muslim Hero (Based on Tatar Periodical Press Materials from 1916). Islam in the modern world. 2026;22(1):191-208. (In Russ.) https://doi.org/10.22311/2074-1529-2026-22-1-191-208
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