Russia and the Islamic World

This article offers a historical retrospective of the interactions between Russia and the Islamic world in all their diversity, beginning from the first trade contacts of Medieval Rus with the Arabs and Persians of the Abbasid era, as well as with the Turkic-speaking residents of Volga Bulgaria. The author concludes that except for the initial sporadic period, the connections between Russian and Muslim worlds have been stable and close throughout all the following periods. Moreover, with time, these two civilizational communities turned into communicating vessels because of the growing number of Muslims within the Russian State and in Russian society. Special attention is paid to Russian-Turkish relations across several centuries. A complete comprehension of the relations between Russia and the Islamic world through an example of the historical retrospective of Russian interactions with the Ottoman Empire and the Republic of Turkey helps to provide a full appreciation of the importance of joint efforts to secure a bridge connecting East and West and the oriental civilizations with Russia.     

Two Surveys of Islamic Civilization

Book reviewed in this article: The Jihad in Classical and Modern Islam: Rudolph Peters The Last Great Muslim Empires: History of the Muslim World: Hans J. Kissling et al     

沙特王国君主制的伊斯兰特征

沙特阿拉伯王国诞生于伊斯兰教创始人穆罕默德的故乡、伊斯兰教的发祥地。沙特王国是全世界穆斯林的“精神祖国”,王国君主是“圣地的护主”,王国国旗上赫然写着：“万物非主,唯有真主。穆罕默德是真主的使。”因之,沙特王国君主制的伊斯兰特征似乎是显而易见的。然而,沙特王国君主制的伊斯兰特征并非主要体现在表面。那么,其实质主要体现在哪里呢?进而,沙特王国君主制是否可称为伊斯兰君主制呢?笔拜读过国内外学有关伊斯兰与沙特王国政治的一些论述,见有国内学认同沙特官方观点,称沙特王国君主制为伊斯兰君主制,窃以为似有不妥。笔认为,沙特王国君主制的伊斯兰特征主要体现在如下几个方面。