By some estimates, 15–20 million people in Russia practice Islam. Outside Tatarstan, Bashkortostan and the North Caucasus republics, believers often face not only prejudice but also everyday obstacles to religious practice. Novaya Gazeta Europe collected accounts from Muslims living outside traditionally Muslim regions; the names of the interviewees were changed.
One interviewee, who moved from Krasnodar to St. Petersburg, says there are no mosques in his home city, while in St. Petersburg, where only two officially operate, he still often has to pray wherever the time for namaz finds him. He also recalls xenophobia: an elderly man on a bus used a slur against him, and a shop assistant told him he had “come down from the mountains.” After he filed a complaint, he says, the employee was dismissed.
A woman from Moscow says halal products and venues in the capital have become much more common, including in large retail chains. But for a practicing Muslim woman, the city still is not suited to prayer: namaz requires a mat, a clean place and the ability to perform ablution, which is often unavailable. At work, she prays in her own office and tries not to take biased remarks personally.
A resident of Astrakhan says the situation there is far easier: there are halal establishments, prayer rooms and ablution facilities, and even the clinic where she works has a place set aside for prayer. In Krasnodar, where she studies, the situation is different: there is not a single mosque in the entire Kuban region, and the nearest one is in Adygea. Men who observe Friday congregational prayer have to travel to another region.
Another interviewee, who moved to Moscow from Makhachkala for medical residency, says Muslim students knew secluded places to pray and tried to ask permission in advance so as not to disturb anyone. He says halal food is now easier to find in Moscow, and that prayer is sometimes possible in halal venues or even in shopping mall fitting rooms. Even so, he believes the city lacks mosques and other infrastructure, which is why people sometimes end up praying in the street.
A former medical student in St. Petersburg recalls that she and other Muslims searched university buildings for quiet spots for namaz or returned to the dormitory to pray. She says St. Petersburg also needs more mosques and dedicated prayer spaces. The interviewees reach a similar conclusion: attitudes toward Muslims and access to halal food in Russia’s major cities are gradually changing, but infrastructure for daily religious practice remains insufficient.