Islamophobia in Russia:Sociolgical Explanation of Roots and Challenges

The main objective of the present paper is to study the trend of emergence and influence of Islamophobia in todaysRussia. The effective factor that distinguishesRussiafrom other Western countries in encountering the Muslims are distinct historical features and extreme nationalism (chauvinism. The chauvinism are concerned about the growth of Muslim population inRussia. Although this factor exists more or less in other Western countries, it is more extensive inRussiaand evidently on the side of other factors, phobia of Islam and Muslims is more serious in viewpoint of the Slavs. Also according to some studies, the projection of Islam as religion of violence and terror by Western media has added to the pessimism of Russian people about Muslims. A review of recent developments inRussiaindicates that on the basis of its historical experience, Russian government tries to improve its relations with this great religious minority. At the same time the suicide and terrorist attacks by extremist Muslims inRussiaplays an important role in the development of Islamophobia among non-Muslims inRussia. Attempts have been made in the present paper to study condition of Muslims inRussia. This study is a descriptive-analytical research to analyze the roots and different aspects of Islamophobia inRussia.