{"id":223,"date":"2007-01-16T09:56:09","date_gmt":"2007-01-15T22:56:09","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.khanfactor.com\/blog\/?p=223"},"modified":"2007-01-16T09:59:29","modified_gmt":"2007-01-15T22:59:29","slug":"russia-sees-muslim-population-boom-al-jazeera","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.khanfactor.com\/blog\/?p=223","title":{"rendered":"Russia sees Muslim population boom – Al Jazeera"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Jonah Hull<\/font><\/p>\n

The Muslim population could outnumber ethnic Russians within 30 years.<\/font> <\/font>Low domestic birth rates and rising immigration from the former Soviet republics have produced an explosive growth in Russia’s Muslim community.<\/p>\n

At the same time Russia’s overall population is in crisis. Short life spans and low birth rates among ethnic Russians mean the population is declining by 700,000 people a year.<\/p>\n

The return of long-denied religious freedoms in Russia has seen Islam flourish. As a result, many ethnic Russians fear their country is losing its national identity.<\/p>\n

There are around 25 million Muslims in Russia today, a rise of 40 per cent since 1989.<\/p>\n

By 2020, with the continued growth rate, Muslims will account for one-fifth of the entire population.<\/p>\n

Immigration<\/strong><\/p>\n

Their numbers continue to grow, fed by immigration from largely Muslim, former Soviet republics in the North Caucasus and Central Asia.<\/p>\n

Islamic leaders have said that Russia is a haven for Muslim immigrants, keen to work and build on their growing community, and they discount the rise of hostile nationalist sentiment.<\/p>\n

Damir Gizatullin, from the Council of Muftis, said: “Some irresponsible politicians want to achieve electoral success by creating nationalist waves.\u00a0<\/p>\n

“When they say Russia is for Russians, it’s a mistaken path that could lead to the break-up of the Russian Federation.”<\/p>\n

Many ethnic Russians are terrified at the prospect of becoming a minority in their own country.<\/p>\n

Alexander Belov, from the Movement Against Illegal Immigration, said: “History is a fight between races and religions.<\/p>\n

“It’s the law of nature … people are used to being with people like themselves, speaking the language their mothers taught them.”<\/p>\n

The Orthodox Church, restored since the Soviet collapse, remains dominant in Russia.<\/p>\n

But with the rise of Islam, coupled with the negative growth in Russia’s ethnic Slav population, dramatic change is under way.<\/p>\n

If the trend continues, the Muslim population could outnumber ethnic Russians within 30 years.<\/p>\n

Source: Al Jazeera.<\/a><\/p>\n

<\/font><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

“When they say Russia is for Russians, it\u2019s a mistaken path that could lead to the break-up of the Russian Federation”<\/p>\n

“The Muslim population could outnumber ethnic Russians within 30 years” Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_s2mail":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"footnotes":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false}}},"categories":[8,4],"tags":[],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t