III. Non-Christian Relif/ions. — 1. Jews. — For the edu- cation of Jewish rabbins. Rabbinical schools have been established by the government at Wilna and Shitomir. The government also supports Jewish schools at Odessa, Kishinef, Vinnica, Stara-Coustantinof, and Herditchef. The number of Jews of Russia proper in Europe was stated to be, in 1878, 1,944,378; iii Poland, 815,433; in Caucasia, 22,732; in Siberia, 11,941; in Central Asia, 3396.
2. ]\[ohammecIans. — The Mohammedan population has rapidly increased by the progress of the Russians in Central Asia. It now amounts to about 7,500,000, of whom 2,364,000 are found in Russia proper in Europe, 426 in Poland, 1,987,000 in Caucasia, 61,000 in Siberia, and 3,016,000 in Central Asia. The Mohammedans even constitute a majority of the population in one of the European governments — Oofa. There are about 20,000 muftis, mollahs, and teachers, all of whom, ex- cept those of Tauris and the Kirghis Cossacks, are sub- ject to the mufti of Orenburg.
Lutherans and Roman Catholics are forbidden to con- vert to Christianity a Mohammedan who is a Russian subject, while a non-Russian Mohammedan may be re- ceived into any of the Christian churches permitted in the empire. These laws have been very strictlj' exe- cuted. On several occasions Tartars who had em- braced Christianity and had afterwards returned to their original faith were punished by imprisonment, while no attention was paid to the excuse that the re- lapse had been occasioned by an unbearable pressure exercised by Orthodox priests, as well as by their ava- riciousness. On the other hand, the government aids the Orthodox clergy in every possible manner in their efforts to convert the unfaithful. In Kasan, one of the principal seats of the Mohammedan population of Euro- pean Russia, the Brotherhood of St. Gurij was formed in 1870 for the purpose of converting the Jlohammedans and pagans on the Volga. This brotherhood had es- tablished up to 1874 115 schools with their own means, which were attended by 1992 male and 339 female Tar- tars, besides members of other nationalities. The civil rights of the Mohammedans are, like those of the Jews, limited by special laws. They are, indeed, eligible to mimicipal and government offices under the same con- ditions as Christians; but in city councils, e. g., the non- Christian members must not exceed one third of the
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total number of members, wbile the office of mayor is entirely closed to them. The criminal statistics are particularly interesting;. Among all the inhabitants of the empire, the jNIohamraeilans occupy the lowest ranit with regard to the more serious crimes, there being but one conviction among 5779 Mohammedans against 2710 Orthodox Christians. With regard to the less serious offences, the Mohammedans occup}' the fifth rank ; but even this unfavorable relation is caused by the numer- ous convictions for evasion of military thity. Theft, however, is also of common occurrence among them. The Mohammedans are generally very prompt in ob- serving their duties to the State, with the exception of those arising from the general liability to military ser- vice. The service in the regular army is to this day so unpopular among the Tartars of the Crimea that in 1876 the government was forced to take severe measures to prevent a wholesale emigration to Turkey. An official report states that the Tartars feared, above all things, that they would be forced to fight against their co- religionists the Turks, and that they would be compel- led to eat pork, which is to them worse than death. But even before the declaration of war against Turkey, and during this war, the excitement was said to have subsided, and they were, with a few exceptions, loyal. The same was the case with the jNIohammedans in Asi- atic Russia. In matters i)ertaining to their religion, the Mohammedans are granted complete liberty, although the government takes care to be informed on the entire pei'sonnel of the clergy, their actions, etc.
The highest Moslem ecclesiastical body in the gov- ernments of European Russia is the Moliammedau Ec- clesiastical College of Oofa. This college is elected, and fills all offices under its jurisdiction without the neces- sity of obtaining the consent of the government. For the Mohammedan clergy of Central Asia, the cities of Bokhara and Samarcand are to this day centres of learning, and the heads of the institutions of learning at these places are regarded as the preservers of the true faith. The colleges for theology and Mohammedan law (niadrassa.ox medrcsseli) number several hundred. (In European Russia there are two hiuidred and fifty, of which several are attended by hundreds of students.) In these colleges, Mohammedan science flourishes, with- out ever having been touched by so much as a breath of Western culture. The government does not interfere in any manner in the inner affairs of these schools; does not oppose a journey to JMecca; and even permits priests (mollahs) who have finished their education in Constantinople, Arabia, or Egypt to hold a position upon their return to Russia. It was found tliat the ulemas (the learned men) connected with the mosques or schools readily submit to any government, as this alone could secure to them the use of their legacies {vakil/), their main source of income. Those brethren, however, who hav'e had themselves declared saints have become in all Mohammedan countries a perfect nuisance, and the sworn enemies of a well-regulated government. The title of saint (ii</ut?i) is easily obtained. The mo- tives to obtain it are, however, very frequently the most dishonorable, while the saints tliemselves in many cases bear a very poor reputation. In Central Asia, the ma- jority of robberies are committed by the saints, and they are therefore avoided by tlie stationary popula- tion. The nomads, on the otlier hand, receive them with open arms, an<i here, among the roving sons of the steppe, they find tlieir true home. The Russian gov- ernment at first did not oppose them. The decrees of 1781 and 1785, on the contrary, opened to them the newly acquired Kirghis steppes. Their influence here was a very pernicious one. The government, however, treats tliem at present more strictly. In 1873 a case occurreil in Orenburg where such a saint was banished to a government having no jMohammedan inhabitants. In the same manner, the Russian government proceeded against tlie saints in the Caucasus, while in Turkestan it watches the fanatical order of Nakshbandi very closely.