Great questions, right on target, Steve. So, will try to answer them briefly. (I'm under deadline right now.)
1) Your impression about Sufism in Chechnya and Dagestan is 100% correct.
First, I have the impression that Islam in Chechnya and Dagestan has traditionally been Sufi, with pre-Islamic beliefs filtering in to a strong degree...
Let me elaborate just a bit. There are two Sufi orders in the region -- Naqshbandi and Qaddyria. In turn, each is split (wrong word: better, diversified into) into a multitude of "vyrds," each owing special allegiance to a special sheikh. In my observation, vyrds are much more important in Chechen life than the much-talked about clans. And you can see why Wahhabism has had a political appeal to certain Chechen leaders: it decries "vyrdism" as heresy, unbelief; only Allah should be worshipped. Hence, it has great totalitarian potential.
Secondly, the "pre-Islamic beliefs" that are still strong are not so much religious beliefs, but customary law, adat. Chechens have never really been shariah fans; not even Shamil was able to force them to accept it.
For both these (and other) reasons, ordinary Chechens & naturally, most of the clergy (including the mufti), find all this imported pseudo-Wahhabism most distasteful. (Although you would never know that from reading the papers.)
Wahhabism, or any other kind of political Islam, has no roots in Chechnya whatsoever. It was pretty much imported during the war (for political, not religious reasons), and the very field commanders who have embraced it are the ones who have been engaging in kidnapping,dope dealing, etc. Considering that the overwhelming majority of the kidnappees (may I coin that word?) are themselves Chechens, this is one more thing making Wahhabism unpopular among everyone except unemployed young men, who comprise the bulk of the "converts" and of the guerrillas.
Dagestan is a different story, because it is a very different place. For one thing, Dagestanis were converted to Islam in the 7th century, under Arab occupation; Chechens were not converted until late in the 18th. For another, Dagestan is much more fragmented than monoethnic Chechnya: there are over 100 different ethnic groups, of which 14 are officially "recognized" (and thus get representation in govt. bodies, on the basis of an elaborate quota system). Finally, whereas the pseudo-Wahhabis in Chechnya are into criminal activities, in Dagestan it was the overwhelmingly corrupt & criminal nature of the republic authorities that led people to "pure" Islam (i.e., Wahhabism). In other words, it was a reaction against corruption. For these reason, in Dagestan, Wahhabism had the potential at least to become a unifying force, even though there is so much propaganda against it that most Dagestanis still profess to hate it.
What role are outside Muslim fundamentalists, particularly the Taleban, playing in the mix?
They are certainly playing a role, but it is hard to say just how much of one. The Russians know what button to push, to get the Americans to support them, though: and that is the Osama bin Laden button. As for Taleban, former Foreign Minister Movladi Udugov (a "political" Wahhabi) was trying to strengthen ties.
Do you see any viable middle ground between Russian domination and
fundamentalist Islamic domination?
Of course! First of all, the Russians do not "dominate" Dagestan: they subsidize it (the feds provide the Dagestanis with 85% of their budget), and don't get much of anything in return. Few Dagestanis have ever sought independence from Russia, because then every different ethnic group would want independence from Dagestan, and the whole place would completely fall apart. That is why Wahhabi-style (no divisive vyrds) Islam was perceived as the ONLY possible unifying ideology for the "liberation struggle." And even then, Dagestan was not to exist alone, but as part of a broader North Caucasian Islamic State.
As for Chechnya, your not-so-mythical average Chechen will have nothing to do with fundamentalist Islam. It has pretty much been forced on him at gun-point, and with the slightest encouragement, he will dump it all with great relief. Believe me.
The Russians will be a tougher nut to crack. On the one hand, they don't want to let go of Chechnya: on the other, they hate (well, many of them hate) the people who live there -- the Chechens. You can get a Chechnya without Chechens if you kill them all, or force them out.
So much for a short answer! Next time, one question at a time, please! >-)
Joan
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