ISLAM - AS AN OBSTACLE ON THE WAY ORTHODOX PREACHING

Abstract

The spiritual revival of the Kazakh people is possible with the knowledge of its history, traditions, customs, and religion. In the current conditions, the appeal to the past should create a clear idea among young people about the situation in which the Kazakh people managed

to preserve spiritual values. The constant oppression of Islam during the tsarist period and the godless policy of the communists drove Muslims into a rigid framework, under which it was difficult to stand. Islam was an obstacle to the Orthodox missionaries who carried out active work among the Kazakh population in the XIX-early XX centuries. At the beginning of the activity of Orthodox missionaries, it was claimed that the Kazakhs were indifferent to religious issues. Moreover, some considered them pagans, others considered them ready to accept Orthodoxy, as they allegedly sought spiritual food and with them, it would be easy to achieve their goals. The difficulty of the survival of Islam was that the ministers of the church and the preachers of Orthodoxy were created favorable conditions by the tsarist officials on the ground. Based on various documentary materials identified in the archives and rare collections of libraries, the report shows the confrontation between Orthodoxy and Islam. At the same time,  the facts of  "musulmanization" by Russian immigrants were a surprise for the missionaries. They accepted Islam voluntarily, without the influence of Muslim spiritual ministers, without any remuneration, because of their own beliefs, they became neophytes.