THE COUNCIL FOR RELIGIOUS CULTS AFFAIRS AND THE SPIRITUAL ADMINISTRATION OF MUSLIMS IN THE NORTH CAUCASUS: A STUDY OF INTERACTION

This study attempts to reconstruct the dynamics of interaction between Soviet authorities and the Spiritual Administration of Muslims of the North Caucasus (SAMNC). During the Great Patriotic War, the Soviet administration changed their religious policy. It was a tactical adjustment rather than a strategic overhaul. Soviet leaders did not acknowledge the pre-war rigidity and severity in state-confessional relations as erroneous or criminal. In 1943–1944, the USSR established three new Spiritual Administrations of Muslims, including the SAMNC in Dagestan. The SAMNC, supervised by the Council for Religious Cults Affairs (CRCA) under the Soviet government for 21 years, played a critical role in monitoring religious activities, documenting the religious climate for regional and national leadership, and gauging the sentiments of believers. The CRCA, through its representatives in Dagestan, facilitated congresses, plenary sessions, and leadership elections for the SAMNC, while also contributing to revisions of its charter. Drawing on previously unexamined archival documents, this article analyzes key aspects of these interactions, revealing the underlying nature of state-confessional relations shaped by Dagestani authorities, the CRCA, and Soviet leadership.