Kamil G. Akhsanov, Dilara Sh. Muftakhutdinova Tarrakion Islamiy(y)a Society truth or fiction?

Abstract

The relevance of this study stems from interest in modernization processes in the Tatar Muslim community at the beginning of the 20th century, which stirred the Tatar intellectual elite. Tatar intellectuals actively studied both international experience and the experience of countries undergoing catch-up modernization. Particular attention was paid to the Ottoman Empire, which, in their view, blindly copied European models, and Japan, which managed to preserve its distinctiveness while actively modernizing technologically. The intellectual discourse of Tatar modernists was reflected in the liberal newspaper “Vakyt”, closely studied by officials of the Gendarme Directorate. Their ideas developed concepts of “pan-Islamism”, “pan-Turkism”, and agents recruiting members of Tatar charitable and educational societies to branches of the Turkish organization “Tarrakion Islamiy(y)a” (Progress of Islam).
The purpose of this article is to determine, based on materials from Tatar journalists working in Istanbul in 1912–1913, whether gendarmerie officials’ claims about the existence of an extensive network centered in Istanbul — the “Tarrakion Islamiy(y)a” organization — were based on factual evidence, and whether the individuals mentioned in the gendarmerie department’s memo were connected to this organization.
The study revealed that gendarmerie department officials closely monitored the activities of liberal Young Turk organizations. Sometimes, in an attempt to curry favor, informants exaggerated the threat of Tatar intellectuals’ connections to the Young Turks. Seeking to demonstrate active efforts to “expose” them, they imagined networks and agents, passing these constructs off as actual intelligence activities. This led to increased surveillance of “unreliable” Tatar intellectuals in areas with dense Muslim populations throughout Russia.

Keywords:

Tarrakion Islamiy(y)a (Progress of Islam); Möselman Tärkiyüpärvärlege (Muslim Progress); Türk Uchagy (Turkic Hearth); Ottomanism; Turkism

For сitation:

Kamil G. Akhsanov, Dilara Sh. Muftakhutdinova. Tarrakion Islamiy(y)a Society: truth or fiction? // The Historical Reporter. 2026. Vol. 58. P. DOI:

Kamil G. Akhsanov

C.Sc. (History), Associate Professor of Kazan State University of Culture and Arts. Kazan, Russian Federation.

e-mail: kgaxanov@list.ru

SPIN-code: 8738-3281

AuthorID: 265015

Dilara Sh. Muftakhutdinova

C.Sc. (History), Associate Professor of Russian Islamic University. Kazan, Russian Federation.

e-mail: dilaratatar@mail.ru

ORCID: 0000-0002-0522-4260

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