ISLAM IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE REGIONAL POLITICAL DESIGN OF CONTEMPORARY TATARSTAN
For Russia, as a multicultural and multi-confessional state, ethnic and religious factors play an important role in state building and identity formation of its citizens. The post-Soviet history of the Russian Federation has demonstrated their importance in shaping the political identity of Russian regions, especially in the national republics. Thus, for many republics with Muslim population, Islam becomes one of the most important components of everyday life, while for the local elites it is an element of formation of the region's identity policy. The case study of the Republic of Tatarstan is intended to show the factors and incentives for the actualization of the religious factor in the life of the local community and in the political structure of the region. The research, conducted with the help of historical and sociological methods, traces the dynamics of the religious factor: a) at the level of mass consciousness of the Tatar Muslim community; b) at the ideological level. The latter includes the activities of the political and spiritual elites of the region, as well as external influences(Russian domestic and foreign policy, Islamic globalization) on the use and interpretation of the Islamic factor.