Interest in learning about Islam growing among Russia’s Bashkirs

SAMARA, Russia (MNTV) — The Bashkirs, one of the indigenous peoples of Russia’s Samara region, are working to preserve their language, traditions and cultural identity, and showing growing interest in Islam amid growing use of Russian in urban areas, according to Argumenty i Fakty, cited by IslamNews.

About 5,000 Bashkirs live in the Samara region, with most concentrated in the Bolsheglushitsky and Bolshechernigovsky districts, said Gulsina Akirova, chair of the public organization Kurultai of the Bashkirs of the Samara Region.

Akirova said Bashkirs living in villages generally continue to speak their native language and maintain traditional ways of life, while those in cities tend to use Russian because of regular interaction with people from other ethnic backgrounds.

“In areas of compact settlement, the national villages are purely Bashkir, with only a small admixture of other nationalities,” Akirova said. 

She added that the Bashkir language and traditions remain largely intact in such communities, although language skills are gradually declining.

At the same time, she said there is growing interest among young people in reviving Bashkir language and culture.

Bashkir language study groups are being established in Samara and other cities, while an interactive smart speaker has been developed to help people learn the language.

“One of the language preservation projects is the creation of an interactive speaker that understands and teaches Bashkir. It’s called ‘Khomai,'” Akirova said.

She added that children’s Bashkir-language study groups are also being organized in Samara and surrounding areas, with parents increasingly expressing interest in learning the language themselves.

Akirova also pointed to a revival of religious interest among Bashkirs, particularly growing interest in Islam and observance of its practices.

“Every Bashkir village now has a small mosque or prayer house,” she said, adding that these facilities serve not only as places of worship but also as social and cultural centers for local communities, similar to the role once played by traditional community centers.