“The Muslims enlisted in the army to be sworn in”: Russian Muslims on military service in the mid-19th century

Introduction. This article examines the features of taking the military oath by Muslim subjects of the Russian Empire. Military service involves fulfilling obligations that involve risk to life and limb, requiring sacrifice and a willingness to obey orders. All of this must be motivated by sacred obligations that a person undertakes not only to others but also to divine will, which is reflected in the words of the oath. Materials and Methods. The article is based on objectivity and historicism principles. Different works by researchers who studied the characteristics of military service in Russia during the specified chronological period were drawn upon. Both published and independently identified sources pertaining to legislative acts and executive branch documents were used. Both general scientific and specialized historical research methods were employed. Analysis. Based on the document discovered in the State Archives of the Krasnodar Krai and drawing on research on similar issues, the authors reconstruct the circumstances of the oathtaking by Muslim military personnel. This is viewed as part of the process of fostering loyalty among subjects of the empire, regardless of their religious affiliation. Efforts to develop a unified approach to the tradition of military oath-taking among Muslims in Russia are described. The circumstances surrounding the recruitment of Islamic clergy into military service and their role in organizing the oath of allegiance ritual are explored. Results. The authors concluded that imperial authorities sought to ensure their subjects could freely satisfy their religious needs, seeing this as a guarantee of their loyalty, including during military service. The oath Muslims took was reinforced by an appropriate appeal to Islamic values and was carried out through revered religious attributes. 

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