One faith, but not one vision

摘要

Condemning the attacks of September 11th was the easy bit for Russia's Muslim leaders. They have found it harder to strike a balance between endorsing the Kremlin's support for the American bombing of Afghanistan and soothing their own flocks' anxieties. Russia's two grandest muftis were silent at first, then condemned the bombing. The political leaders of Tatar-Stan and Bashkortostan, the autonomous republics with the biggest Muslim populations, remained in embarrassed silence.