Christianization of Muslims of Tobolsk Province at the beginning of the 20th century

The aim of the research is to study the activities of the Russian Orthodox Church on the conversion of Muslims of Tobolsk Province to Orthodoxy at the beginning of the 20th century. The work has been compiled from the original sources: reports of the Tobolsk Diocesan Committee of the Orthodox Missionary Society, diaries of missionaries of the Tobolsk Central (anti-Muslim) Mission published in Tobol 'skie eparkhial 'nye vedomosti. The Russian Orthodox Church created an anti-Muslim mission for the missionary work among the Muslims of the region. The main activities of the mission were: 1) conversion of Muslims to Christianity; 2) prevention of the converts' return to Islam; 3) educational work. About seventy thousand Muslims lived in the mission area, they were mostly Tatars. Ye-frem Yeliseyev, a graduate of the missionary courses of Kazan Ecclesiastic Academy headed the anti-Muslim mission. Most missionaries were christened Tatars, natives of the Volga-Kama region. Knowledge of the Tatar language helped the missionaries to build relationships with the Tatar population. Members of the mission were permanent employees in various parishes of the Tobolsk Diocese. The anti-Muslim mission was renamed into the Tobolsk Central Mission in 1906. It was due to the publication of the Decree on the Freedom of Religion in 1905. The promulgation of the Decree complicated the work of the mission. Muslims began to show resistance to Orthodox missionaries. Keeping the christened in Orthodoxy became the main task of the mission. Missionaries tried to interact with the christened Tatars, corresponded and met with them. The number of Muslims converted to Orthodoxy was small. This figure fluctuated from four people (1915) up to twenty-six (1908). During the existence of the Central (anti-Muslim) Mission the total number of the christened did not exceed 150 people. In the opinion of the missionaries, the main reason of such low results of the mission was the fanaticism of the Muslims. In the author's opinion, the reasons consisted in the fact that the Tatars did not want to lose their social and legal status and the traditional way of life. Most often the conversion of Muslims to Orthodoxy was connected with the circumstances of life. The Chris-tianization of the Muslims was generally nonviolent. The mission prepared and published religious and educational literature in different years. Thus, the policy of the Russian Orthodox Church on the Christianization of Muslims of Tobolsk Province at the beginning of the 20th century was not very successful. In many respects it was affected by the socio-political changes that occurred in the Russian Empire in the early twentieth century and the way of life of Muslims of Tobolsk Province. In the end, the Tatar population of Tobolsk Province continued to practice Islam and retained their traditional culture.

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