The Role of Identity and Ethnicity in Interaction between the Islamic Republic of Iran and the Shiites Community of Russia

Document Type : Original Article

Author

Payam Noor University

Abstract

The number of Shiites in Russia is estimated from 3% percent (six hundred thousand people) of the country's Muslim population to about three million people (15%). So far, no comprehensive study has been done on the details of Shiites life and the quality of the Russian Shiites society. This paper's questions are: how do Shiites live in Russia, their central communities and organizations and what kind of relationship they have with the I.R. Iran. In this article, I deal with the quantity and the number of Shiites populations in Russia. I also mention how they enter the areas where they live. Then I will talk about the quality of life of Shiites in Moscow, especially their jobs and living conditions and their organizational groups. In the end, the type of relationship between Shiites and Russians and non-Shiites society and the policies of the Islamic Republic of Iran towards them are discussed.

Keywords