ABriefSummaryoftheStateofMuslimsIntheFormerU.S.S.R.

withafocusonthePanTuranismMovement
The Soviet Union of the Communists is dead. While several Soviet republics have proclaimed
independence, none of the predominantly Muslim republics are seeking freedom. The quest for freedom is
subdued because the Soviet central government is still keeping tight control on the Muslim states, and the
surrogate AMuslims@ Communist leaders are not ready for change.
The Muslims who today are so adamant to break away were in fact coaxed into the Communist camp
through covert operations. In practice, most Muslim Communist organizations were loaded with agents of
the central command and were organized only to keep the Muslim masses leaning toward nationalism.
A case in point is the "Ittihad o Taraqqi" ("Union and Progress") whose most prominent leader was
Mir Said Sultan Guliav. It was founded in Moscow in the late 1920s by some Muslim nationalist
Communists from various ethnic groups. Its aims were ostensibly to: 1) introduce Turkish nationalists into
the Communist Party; 2) obtain control of the educational system in Muslim areas; 3) establish contact with
Pan-Turkish and Pan-Islamic groups; and 4) set up a Pan-Turkic bourgeois state.
Guliav (1880-1939) was born in the village of Krymyskaly to a family of Tatar teachers. He studied at
the Russian-Tatar teachers' school in Kazan, and started his life as a journalist working for periodicals in
Kazan, St. Petersburg, Baku and Orenburg. He was a participant in the first All Muslim Congress of May
1917 in Kazan and in July 1917 rose through the ranks of the Muslim Socialist Committee of Kazan to
become one of its most influential members. In November 1917 he joined the Russian Communist Party,

later to become its highest ranking Muslim editor of the Zhizn National Nostei (the official organ for Tatar
Communists).
He was a sincere Marxist who knew that openly attacking Islam was self-defeating. He said: "One of
the practical problems we must face is the 'Eastern' question." This revolved around the issue of using a
different approach in spreading Communism in Muslim areas.
Guliav advised: "Naturally, for us Communists, there is no doubt as to the necessity of antireligious
propaganda, not only among Muslims of Russia, but beyond her borders. To us, all religions are the same."
He, however, conceded that openly opposing Islam would be difficult because, "...Islam occupies [a very
important place) in Muslim life and because of the general social and political situation of Muslim peoples."
He maintained that it was harder to spread Communism among the Muslim masses because of the
large number of Masjids and schools; the ghettoization and separation of Muslims made their social bonds
stronger and thus it was difficult for them to openly leave Islam; and their low level of education.
Guliav suggested that this could be overcome through antireligious propaganda, not just propaganda
specifically aimed against a particular religion. This should be reinforced through continual anti-religion
propaganda with converted Communists living among Muslims. He said that the Ulema should be coopted
in the leadership of the Communist Party, and Muslims should be placed at level with the other Russians.
While these programs not only opposed Islam, but forced the Communist ideology upon Muslims in a
covert manner.

He felt that the national languages and customs of the people needed to be preserved. He fought for his
language -Tatar - which he believed was needed as the language of all Muslim Turkic areas to be written in
Arabic script and taught outside Tatar areas. In order to pursue these goals, he made a deal with Stalin.
Stalin agreed that Kirghiz, Tatar and Uzbek would be the Muslim national languages only to renege later
when he expelled Sultan Guliav from the Communist Party.
Stalin wanted to create five separate southern Turkic states and a northern Turkic state called Turan.
Sultan Guliav opposed this, he wanted a united Turkish Communist state and had this proposal included in
his pact with the Communist boss. Instead Stalin divided the Muslims into over 30 different national, tribal,
linguistic, ethnic and regional divisions.
This happened in 1923 and the Muslims were never again able to organize toward a united Muslim
homeland in Russia. From 1923 to 1928, the Muslim National Communists fell into disfavor with Stalin and
were eventually liquidated. After this point the Muslims goals and objectives were carried out only on a
local level.
In May of 1923, Sultan Guliav was exiled from the Communist Party and continued to work for his
aims in Georgia and Moscow. In 1928 he was arrested and sentenced to hard labor in the Solovki prison
camp. He was never heard of again after 1939. After his downfall, Muslims who deviated from the Party line
were labeled ASultanguliavist@ and accused of ASultanguliavism@.