Scientific Collection «InterConf», (39): with the Proceedings of the 8th International Scientific and Practical Conference «Science and Practice: Implementation to Modern Society» (December 26-28, 2020) at Manchester, Great Britain

Historiography of the problem 
For many decades in the historiography of Kazakhstan, the study of the spread of 
Islam and religious issues in General (Sufism, religious personalities, mosques, etc.) 
has been extremely difficult due to the so-called anti-Islamic syndrome. Ideological 
work on the separation of the Kazakhs from Islam and genuine ethnic memory was 
started by Russia. It is enough to mention the name of the “great russifier” (a person 
who pursued an annoying policy; crack) - the missionary – educator N. Ilminsky. But 
it was during the Soviet period that the falsification of history reached its apogee. In 
connection with the above, it becomes clear why the degree of study of the topic of 
Islamization and the Muslim factor in Kazakhstan is not enough. Both in concrete 
historical and theoretical aspects, the problem of Islamization as an integral historical 
process was not specially posed. 
If to trace the process of accumulation of knowledge and the evolution of 

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scientific ideas according to the problem-chronological principle, then the initial stage 
should be the period XVIII - early. XX centuries. The study of Kazakhstan was carried 
out mainly within the framework of the Russian scientific tradition. Particularly, the 
problems of the culture of the Turks were reflected in the studies of Western European 
authors. 
The classical works of the Orientalists I. Kravchovsky, V. Barthold, A. Metz, I. 
Goldzier are of enduring importance. In the studies of N. Veselovsky, V. Zhukovsky, 
V. Velyaminov-Zernov, A. Vamberi, Ch. Valikhanov, A. Geyer, I. Castagnier, V. 
Gordlevsky, N. Lykoshin, A. Gaines, N. Grodekov, P. Pozdnev and etc. to one degree 
or another reflected the issues of the Muslim factor in the history of Central Asia. 
Actually, in some books of Russian-European scholars (orientalists and 
ethnographers) there was a growing interest in the study of the role of Islam in the 
history and cultural heritage of Turkestan. Thus, an impetus was given to relevant 
academic and amateur research, which interested researchers mainly in such aspects of 
local Islam as the activities of the Muslim clergy, the institutions of Sophism, mosques 
and local saints, the problem of the coexistence of Islam with the remnants of pagan 
beliefs and customs. Translations and commentaries on samples of religious folklore 
were published, the first conclusions and generalizations were made, future tasks of 
local history and ethnography were formulated. 
By the end of the Middle Ages and the beginning of modern times, due to the 
growing global crisis of Islam and the traditional nomadic civilization of Eurasia, the 
fading of the Great Silk Road, the peripheralization of Central Asia, there was a loss of 
many positive achievements of the previous stages in terms of religious identity and 
culture. Early Kazakh educators and foreign researchers-orientalists of the XIX century 
witnessed this situation: Ch. Valikhanov, S. Babadjanov, A. Levshin, A. Kunanbaev 
and Sh. Kudaiberdiev, intellectuals of the national liberation movement “Alash”. In 
their works, there was a lot of criticism of the ignorant clergy, they noted the facts of 
the decline of madrasah and education in the Steppe. 
To tell the truth, it should be said that not all Russian authors agreed with the 

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opinion about "superficial" Islam in the steppe. In historiography before the Soviet era, 
there was a judgment in favor of the sufficient Islamization of the traditional Kazakh 
nomadic society, which took into account the tendency of the activation of religion in 
the XIX century. Sometimes the positions of Islam were interpreted as the result of 
spiritual processes of earlier eras. V. Radlov, G. Potanin, N. Lykoshin and a number of 
other authors wrote about the significant role of Islam among the Kazakhs. 
In general, in the Russian and Western European science of the XIX - early XX 
centuries, despite the tendency of Eurocentrism and Islamaphobia, there have always 
been scientists who strived for objectivity in the study of Islam and the spiritual history 
of Central Asia. This concerns representatives of the academic administration of 
Russian oriental studies, the main of whom was Academician Vasily Bartold, who laid 
the foundation for the scientific study of Central Asia. 
The radical breaking of academic approaches and scientific concepts regarding 
Islam and the history of the Turkic-Muslim peoples was carried out by the Communist 
ideology established in the USSR. The period from the late 20s – early 90s of the XX 
century can be called "Soviet". 
Following modern scientific standards, a new generation of Kazakh scientists seek 
to overcome the ideologized and mythologized concepts of the past. Various aspects 
of the fundamental problem of "Islam and the Kazakhs" are raised and studied in the 
works of Ashirbek Muminov, Alma Sultangalieva, Raushan Mustafina, Agila 
Nurgalieva, Aslan Zhaksylykov, Dosai Kenzhetai, Nazira Nurtazina and other 
scientists – Orientalists, historians, philosophers, ethnologists, literary critics. They 
reflect a departure from previous class positions, atheistic ideology, and the habit of 
belittling Islam in the history and culture of the people (Nurtazina, 2016). 
The book of the Supreme mufti consists of three chapters. The first section of the 
publication is devoted to the arrival of Islamic culture on the Kazakh land and the 
formation of the first spiritual centers in Otrar, Turkestan, Zhend, Taraz and Balasagun. 
Absattar kazhy tells about the outstanding thinkers of those times, about their 
invaluable contribution to science, philosophy and literature. The author, while 

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working on the book, proved to be a real researcher and managed to recreate the stories 
of the glorious sons of the Kazakh people. Absattar kazhi Derbisali reveals new pages 
from the life of the scientist, poet and statesman Mirza Muhammad Haidar Dulati, 
introduces the General public to the activities of Qawam ad-adinal-Itkani al-Farabi at-
Turkistani, who headed the Cairo madrasah. The author pays special attention to the 
written heritage of nomads. In the second Chapter of the book, the Supreme mufti turns 
to the role of Islamic ethics in the system of spiritual and moral education of 
independent Kazakhstan. The author not only emphasizes the importance of educating 
young people in accordance with the basic tenets of Islam, but also advocates the 
development of inter-religious dialogue, which is the basis for strengthening 
international security. Absattar kazhy Derbisali calls for respect for representatives of 
other religions, emphasizing that for many years Kazakhstanis, regardless of their 
faiths, live in peace and harmony. The Supreme mufti believes that sincere faith in the 
Almighty does not contradict human reason at all, and the Quranic signs are perfectly 
combined with new knowledge and stimulate technological progress. To prove this, 
the author cites aitys, where embryology, space, clouds, oceans, the Solar system and 
the Moon are considered. He claims that the scientific potential of the Qur'an far 
exceeded the level of knowledge that people had before the Holy book was revealed to 
them. Absattar kazhi Derbisali rightly notes that for many centuries Muslims have been 
recognized leaders in the field of science and culture. 
The Supreme mufti pays great attention to the construction of mosques and 
madrassas in Kazakhstan - the center of goodness, morality and mercy. Being a kind 
of educational centers, mosques gradually turned into centers of spiritual 
transformation of the nation. It is very important for young people to preserve the 
traditions and faith of their ancestors. The author of the book suggests combining the 
efforts of state, socio-cultural and religious organizations to develop the concept of 
revival and development of the culture of the people of Kazakhstan. From the point of 
view of Absattar Kazha Derbisali, the national education system should contribute to 
the formation of a full-fledged person who is ready to devote himself to the prosperity 

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of our common homeland. 
The theme for the third Chapter of the book was the basics of the peacemaking 
mission of Islam. The Supreme mufti is categorically against mixing the concepts of 
"Islam" and"terrorism". He calls Islam one of the most peaceful religions and urges 
young people in no case to succumb to the provocations of unscrupulous people trying 
to earn money and cheap popularity on blood. Terrorism has nothing to do with Islam 
and is alien to all who believe in God with all their heart. 
“These evil and selfish enemies are trying to give our religion a negative meaning 
and discredit it,” says Absattar kazhy Derbisali. - Translated from the Arabic language, 
"Islam" means "peace, obedience", and "jihad" is "the struggle of a person with his 
base passions." The myth of the aggressive nature of Islam is easily debunked by the 
fundamental moral standards that all Muslims must adhere to. For those who still 
continue to doubt the correctness of my words, I advise you to read my book "Islam - 
the religion of peace and creation." Here you will find answers to all your questions 
and understand how important it is for all Kazakhstanis to live in harmony (Derbesali, 
2011). 
The problems of Islamic fundamentalism are studied by theologians, 
philosophers, political scientists, historians, specialists in international relations, 
sociologists, lawyers, psychologists, and so on. The works used in the study can be 
divided into several groups. The first group consists of works that consider the 
historical aspect of Islamic fundamentalism, theoretical approaches to its study, as well 
as the essence and features. One of the most valuable works on Islamic fundamentalism 
can be called the work of I.Dobaev. In his monograph, he tries to carry out an attempt 
to comprehensively understand Islamic fundamentalism as a socio-philosophical 
phenomenon that has deep historical, philosophical, cultural and religious-dogmatic 
roots. Dobaev uses numerous studies of Russian and foreign authors, reveals the 
Genesis and current state of Islamic fundamentalism in the main regions of the Islamic 
world, as well as its role in regional and global geopolitics ( Dobaev, 2003). 
In foreign historiography, we consider it important to mention the book of the 

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famous Islamic scholar Marshall Hodgson. This is a unique and comprehensive study 
that remains, since its debut publication in 1975, the most ambitious study of the entire 
Islamic civilization, covering events from the birth of the Islamic religion to the second 
half of the twentieth century. (Hodgson, 2013) 
The history of the development of Islamic fundamentalism, in the General context 
of the study of Islamic religion, is considered in detail by K.P.Matveev. He focuses on 
the detrimental impact of modernization and globalization on Islam, which gave rise 
to Islamic fundamentalism. The question of Islamic Revival is also important for our 
research (Matveev K. P., 2005). A modern view of the theoretical side of Islamic 
fundamentalism is given By V.V.Naumkin. In his research, he tries to solve the 
following question: why there are so many problems and difficulties associated with 
an adequate response to the" Islamic " challenge. The author notes that the study of 
Islamic radicalism at the present stage is characterized by excessive politicization, 
which prevents both foreign and Russian specialists from understanding the essence of 
this phenomenon. He considers conceptual issues that are related to the study of the 
phenomenon of Islamic radicalism in general and in Central Asia (Naumkin, 2009) 
One of the most famous modern Islamic scholars, D. A. Nechitailo, made an 
invaluable contribution to the study of this field. In his writings, he considers a very 
wide range of problems. One of the Central points of his research is the way of 
conducting propaganda and wars in the XXI century, which is proposed by Islamic 
fundamentalists - the so-called media Jihad. He reveals the reasons why terrorists make 
the main bet on the Internet in psychological wars for influence on public 
consciousness. An attempt is made to trace the main ways and means by which media 
Jihad is successful. At the end of the work, he comes to the conclusion that in modern 
conditions, extremists, especially their leaders, are very interested in information 
support for sabotage (Nechitailo, 2013). 
Non-Russian people, who made up more than half of the population of the Russian 
Empire, lived mainly on the periphery of the state (Finland, the Baltic States, Poland, 
Belarus, Ukraine, Bessarabia, Crimea, the Caucasus, Central Asia, Kazakhstan). 

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According to the census of 1897, the Russian population of the Empire was more than 
55.6 million. Ukrainians-22.3 million, poles-about 8 million, Belarusians-about 5.9 
million, followed by Jews (5 million), Kazakhs (4.3 million), Finns (2.6 million), 
Tatars (2.2 million), Germans (1.8 million), Uzbeks (1.7 million), Lithuanians (1.7 
million), Azerbaijanis (1.5 million) , over a million people numbered Georgians, 
Bashkirs, Latvians, Armenians, Moldovans, Mordvins, Estonians (Peoples of Russia. 
Encyclopedia, 1994). 
Russian ideology sought to unite the great Russians, Belarusians and Ukrainians 
("little Russians"), thus bringing the total number of Russians to 83.8 million people, 
i.e. to 65.5% of the population of the Russian Empire. In the Russian Empire, 
confessional affiliation was recognized as more important than national community. 
The dominant religion, which enjoyed state patronage, was Orthodoxy, to which 69.4% 
of the population of the Empire belonged. The religious dimension among the non-
Russian peoples was a Muslim (more than 11% of the population), Catholics (9%), 
Jews (over 4%), Lutherans (about 3%), and Armenian-Gregorian, Buddhist, and others, 
totaling nearly 30% of the population (excluding Finland, Bukhara and Khiva). Many 
non-Russian people were legally restricted in their national development. By the end 
of XIX – beginning of XX century under the influence of demographic and socio-
economic processes have gradually changed the ethnic picture significantly growing 
economic, cultural and political activity of many people. In political life, the "foreign 
question" occupied an important place, both at the level of the entire society and its 
national arrangement, and in a diversified form: here it "broke up" into Polish, Ostsee, 
Jewish, Finnish, Ukrainian, Muslim and a number of other similar issues, which gave 
"special urgency to the problems of maintaining the integrity of the Empire" 
(Campbell, 2001).