The present article is devoted to the study of the proofs for the existence of God in the Mu‘tazilite, Ash‘arite and Maturidi schools of Kalam (Islamic rational/philosophical Theology). The arguments for God’s existence have been proposed by the doctors of Kalam are explicated in the context of their substantiation for the Quran’s assertion that God is First principle and the Ultimate cause of all creation. Of the many proofs for God’s existence — the cosmological, the teleological, and the ontological — only the cosmological type of argument was mostly pressed into service by Muslim theologians. The argument from design, though not overlooked completely, was not used as an independent proof for God’s existence. Some of the prominent As’arite thinkers, like al Ghazalī, combined kalam proofs with philosophical arguments for God’s existence have been utilized in the Islamic Peripatetic School. Special attention is given to the proofs for the existence of God proposed by Abu Mansur al-Maturidi (853–944), the founder and eponym of Maturidi Sunni Kalam school named after him. The analysis of his arguments is relevant due to the fact that Maturidi theological doctrine was the dominant source of theology, followed by most Sunni Hanafi Muslims in Central Asia, Kazakhstan, the Volga-Ural region, the European Part and Western Siberia of the former Russian Empire.

The article is dedicated to Islamic Neomodernism — contemporary direction in Islamic thought that unites elements of classical tradition, Modernism and achievements in Islamic Studies. In the beginning the author analyses the notion of renovation (tajdid) in Islam and the place of Neomodernism in this tradition. After that he advances original reconstruction of Neomodernist renewal program that includes ten points. The main conclusion of the article is that in the next decades the union of Neomodernism and contemporary Islamic Studies will determine intellectual agenda in Islam.

The article is dedicated to Nasr Hamid Abu Zayd (1943–2010) — an Egyptian thinker, one of the leading liberal theologians of Islam, professor at Cairo University. The work traces in detail the life and scientifi cpaths of Nasr Abu Zayd, including the process of the so-called “Abu Zayd case”, which had resonance not only in the Muslim, but also in the Western world, and caused the emigration of the thinker from his native country. The author also analyzes the main ideas of Abu Zayd, which resulted in criticism of adherents of traditional views and gave reason for accusing the thinker of apostasy.

The relationship of politics to religion is a characteristic feature of Islam. The rules of divine law have to be unswervingly respected in all matters related to social, economic and political problems, or at least should not contradict the essence of Islamic principles. But despite this, the political doctrine of Islam — the caliphate, being the main medieval Muslim political thought, still caused many controversies due to the lack of regulations on the nature of power in the Qur’an and Sunnah. Many scholars of the Islamic world, understanding the origins of the problem, tried in every way to write the concept of Islamic political science. Even the existence of political ideas related to the authority in Islam in such Muslim writings on the caliph could not reveal and provide the theory of government from a religious point of view. These works are mostly devoted to the art of power and refl ect the norms of behavior of the ruling authorities and other representatives of the state in order to solve the necessary tasks of national importance. The Islamic experience of the thinkers who wrote these works justifi es the existence of an Islamic element in them. The art of government has been revealed to them since the emergence of Islamic practice in their lives. But there were theories of Islamic political science based on the Koran and the Sunnah. Al-Mawardi is one of the authors of books on Islamic political science. His books became very important for subsequent Muslim thinkers, this importance lies in the fact that the very followers who wrote works on political theory accepted al-Mawardi as an authority on this issue and continue to accept not only for the theory of the caliphate/imamate, but also because of his works related to public law. It is important to note that the work of al-Mawardi is the fi rst work, which presents the theory of the imamate/caliphate, taking into account the political conditions that surrounded him. 

The article is devoted to the correlation between the norms of ‘adat and shari‘a in the Kumyk family life in the fi rst years of Soviet power. During this period, on the territory of the entire state, including Dagestan, Soviet legal doctrine was actively introduced with its own laws, principles and rules.
The new laws of the country of the Soviets sharply contradicted the traditional norms of the Kumyks. This contradiction has been expressed in many issues, including family and domestic. At fi rst, the Soviet leadership strongly supported the norms of ‘adat and shari‘a. This was refl ected in the invitation to the dualistic marriage-according to the Soviet and shari‘a laws. However, by the end of the 20s of the 20th century, an ideological campaign unfolded against the ‘adat and shari‘a norms.

In the modern world Islamophobia is one of the most dangerous types of negative stereotypes that give rise to prejudices, discrimination and even aggression. Laypeople and politicians, scholars and theologians bear responsibility for multiplication and distribution of stereotyping in media. The journalists too often are not capable to distinguish religion from its believers. Islam and Muslims are not synonyms: in fact, we are talking about behavioral paradigms of the believers, not about their sacred teaching. Evaluation of Islam as radical, fanatic, intolerant, terrorist, etc., is unjustifi ed and inconsistent. The article argues inadmissibility of using the most common polar adjectives like “radical” and “traditional” for defi ning Islam. It is proposed to carry out the fundamental distinction between the actors at the political front and the participants of ideological and theological polemics. In the fi rst case, it would be appropriate to name «the radicals» as the militant fanatics, while «the traditionalists» as the tolerant Muslims. In the second case, it might be more precise to name one side as the Muslim orthodoxy, while the opposite side — renewal movement or religious reconstruction. The need to free debates involving both the reputable theologians and the ordinary Muslims is urgent. This kind of discussion might help both scholars and media representatives to free themselves from stereotypes that instigate Islamophobia. 

The article is devoted to the analysis of the features of a rather specifi c project of Islamism promoted by the Islamic Republic of Iran. Iranian Islamism is based on the ideas of Ayatollah Khomeini about the ideal “Islamic state”, in which Islam has close contact with politics, with the government of the country. However, after the death of Ayatollah Khomeini, the country’s new elite became more pragmatic about the mission of spreading the Shi‘ite version of Islam. In particular, emphasis was placed on rapprochement with those countries and groups that showed friendly feelings to Tehran. In many respects this concerned the countries of the Arab region in which the Shi‘a community was present or prevailed. One of these states is Yemen. In particular, Iran’s participation in the Yemeni crisis, in which Tehran is trying to strengthen its own positions and prevent the strengthening of Saudi positions in Yemen by means of the Zaydi group of the Houthi, is being considered.

The article is devoted to such an important phenomenon in modern political science as the ethno-political process, as well as theoretical and methodological grounds for the study of the Crimean Tatar ethnopolitical process, which is one of the most ambiguous and controversial cases not only in modern Russia, but also in the world. The contradictory nature of the Crimean Tatar ethnopolitical process is determined by the controversy from the point of view of international law of the territory of Crimea — the main area of the process. Particular attention is paid to the theoretical and methodological features of the study of the ethnopolitical process as a category of political science. The essence and content of such a phenomenon as ethnopolitical mobilization and the possibility of using theoretical developments in this fi eld to study the Crimean Tatar ethnopolitical process are revealed.

The paper deals with the religious situation in Kyrgyzstan in general as well as with issues that in certain conditions might serve as factors for development of a religious radicalization in Kyrgyzstan. The author describes certain measures taken by the Kyrgyz Government to bring into order activities of religious organizations and movements. The aim is to protect a secular model of the state development and freedom of religion in the country. Also, it analyzes ideological reasons that motivate people to participate in the Syrian confl ict as well as the entire picture of the number of followers of extremist and terrorist organizations, especially women. The conclusion contains some recommendations on decreasing the level of radicalization. These recommendations may be adapted through a clear and detailed optimization of the state policy in the sphere of religion. 

This research paper investigates issue of infl uence clan relationships for piracy development on the Horn of Africa. Author contemplates that presence of stable internal links in Somali impedes possible external solution of the piracy problem. Therefore, the identifi cation structural interrelationships within the Somali society could be important both for understanding of the political and socio-economic situation in the region and also it will promote full understanding of internal reasons of piracy problem on the Horn of Africa.