Wäisi movement

The Wäisi movement was a religious, social and political movement in

class struggle and nationalism. The primary founder of the movement was Bahawetdin Wäisev. It was related to other movements among Muslims in the Russian Empire and the Soviet Union, such as the Jadid movements

.

This movement enjoyed widespread popularity and united Tatar farmers, craftsmen and

guberniyas, in Central Asia

.

The main doctrines of Wäisi were disobedience to civil laws and administration, adherence to the

Qur'an rather than government regulations, evasion of service in the "kafir

" army and of paying imposition, and refusal to obtain the Russian passport featuring a double-headed eagle. After the arrest of Bahawetdin Wäisev and some other leaders, the remaining membership switched to underground work. In 1897, 100 followers of Wäisi were arrested and exiled after they encouraged people not to participate in the population census. Bahawetdin Wäisev died in 1893 during his incarceration. At the beginning of the 20th century his son Gainan assumed the leadership of the movement.

After the First Russian revolution in 1905-1907 the Wäisi movement increased in size and was renovated and reconstituted as

Islamic Socialism. After the October Revolution of 1917, Waisi followers supported the Soviet government. Mirsaid Sultan-Galiev and Mullanur Waxitov were among its most influential followers, organising the Muslim Socialist Committee of Kazan. During the Civil War in Russia, Wäisi followers organized a regiment in the Red Army. On February 28th, 1918, Ğaynan Wäisev was assassinated by unknown assailants. In the 1920s, Wäisi movement followers founded the Yaña Bolğar (New Bolghar) commune in Chistopol canton in order to foster the growth of an autonomous Wäisi community. But in the 1930s during the Great Purge

, the Wäisis were repressed and the movement faded away.

References

Sources

"Вәисиләр хәрәкәте". Republic of Tatarstan
Academy of Sciences. Institution of the Tatar Encyclopaedia. 2002.

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