CONTEMPORARY EURASIA VOLUME VII (1, 2) Contemporary-Eurasia-3new | Page 69

LIANA HAYRAPETYAN
to power, Tatars started to depart from the model of secular nationalism.
That became evident when the new president of Tatarstan Rustam Min-
nikhanov began to pray in mosques. 31 Since then the position of the fun-
damentalists started to increase, and some nationalists started to proclaim
Independent Tatarstan as an Islamic State.
One of the oldest nationalist movements in Tatarstan is Tatar Public
Center (TPC), which was formed in 1988. The organization was quite ac-
tive during the 1990s. They were supporting the leadership of Tatarstan
to gain independence. TPC clearly expressed its position towards Islam.
They view Islam as a critical element for spiritual revival. 32 The fi rst
Chechen came to support the radical developments of TPC. The head of
TPC Rafi s Kashapov was so inspired by Chechen fi ghter that he himself
went to Chechnya and met Basaev.
The TPC still exists, but now it does not have that massive support
which it enjoyed at the time of the collapse of the USSR. In 2015 Raf-
is Kashapov was sentenced to three years in prison. According to the in-
vestigation, Kashapov posted materials on the internet which violated the
territorial integrity, the constitutional order of the country, incited ethnic
hatred. At that time his followers amounted 20.000. 33
Another popular separatist movement is the Tatar youth union “Azat-
lyk.” The organization was established in 1990. In 1995, the leaders of
the organization declared “If we Tatars had the Chechen mountains and
spirit, we too would give Russia a trouncing.” 34 Their main activity is or-
ganizing rallies, pickets, and processions. In 2017, honoring the 25 th an-
niversary of Tatar constitution, the members of organization distributed
fl ags of Tatarstan in diff erent cities of the republic. They mostly organize
rallies in support of Tatar language and provide online Tatar language
courses.
Among the national movements of Tatarstan “Ittifak” diff ers with its
strongly emphasized radical tendencies. It has a relatively small number
of followers, but a charismatic leader, the 67-year-old Tatar writer Fauz-
iya Bayamova. She is also known as “the godmother of Tatar national-
ism.” She was the member of the TPC, but in 1990 because of her radical
views she withdrew and created “Ittifak.” If “Azatlyk” support the cre-
31
32
33
34
“V Tatarstane est’ storonniki IGIL,” (in Russian), [“There are supporters of ISIS in Ta-
tarstan.”], Rabkor. October 21, 2015, http://rabkor.ru/columns/interview/2015/10/21/isis-in-
tatarstan/ (accessed April 15, 2018).
Khurmatullin, “Islam and Political Evaluations in Tatarstan.”
“Tatarskij aktivist Rafi s Kashapov prigovoren k 3 godam kolonii,” (in Russian), [“Tatar ac-
tivist Rafi s Kashapov sentenced to 3 years in prison.”], Radio Svoboda. September 15, 2015,
https://www.svoboda.org/a/27249237.html.(accessed April 15, 2018).
Trenin and Malashenko, “Time of South: Russia in Chechnya.”
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