Presented at VII International Conference on Peace and Conflict Resolution, Faculty of World Studies, University of Tehran, Iran

Abstract

This report addresses a significant gap in the literature on religious peacebuilding: although Muslim and Christian clergy in Russia have long participated in managing interethnic and interreligious tensions, their preventive functions remain insufficiently systematized, especially regarding transferable lessons for contemporary societies.
The purpose of this study is to identify and compare historical and modern mechanisms by which Muslim and Christian religious leaders and clergy have contributed to conflict prevention, de-escalation, and reconciliation in Russia, and to derive strategic policy recommendations applicable to other multi-religious contexts.
The scope of the study is threefold. Thematically, it examines preventive religious diplomacy, mediation, public statements, interfaith councils, and educational initiatives aimed at reducing intercommunal violence. Temporally, it covers the late imperial period of Russian history, the Soviet era, and the post-Soviet period from 1991 to present, with particular emphasis on the 1990s–2020s. Spatially, the research focuses on the Volga-Ural region, the North Caucasus, and major urban centers such as Moscow and Kazan, where Muslim-Christian interaction is most institutionally developed.
The research method combines qualitative historical analysis with comparative case studies. Sources include archival documents, official declarations of Russian Muslim Muftiates and Orthodox Dioceses, sermons, public speeches by muftis, imams, bishops, and priests, as well as reports from interreligious councils and conflict-monitoring organizations. Three illustrative cases are examined: the cooperative activities of the Orenburg Muftiate and Orthodox bishops in late imperial borderlands; the Interreligious Council of Russia and regional interfaith councils in the post-Soviet period; and clergy-led mediation initiatives in North Caucasus, including Chechnya and Dagestan.
The findings show that Muslim and Christian leaders have repeatedly acted as early warning actors, mediators, and moral authorities capable of calming intercommunal tensions. Their preventive influence is strongest when they cooperate through stable interreligious platforms, maintain credibility both within their communities and with state authorities, and articulate peacebuilding in theological and civic language.
The results suggest several strategic policies that have so far crystallized in Russia: institutionalizing regular interfaith dialogue at federal and municipal levels; training clergy in conflict analysis, mediation, and trauma-informed communication; legally protecting religious peacebuilding initiatives; including religious leaders in early warning and crisis response systems; and promoting joint Muslim-Christian educational and youth programs.
Keywords: Religious Peacebuilding, Interfaith Dialogue, Muslim-Christian Relations, Clergy Mediation, Conflict Prevention.