Islam in Tatarstan

Today, Islam is a major faith in Tatarstan, adhered to by 47.8–55 percent[2][3][4][5][6] of the estimated 3.8 million population, making it one of the two dominant religions in the region, the other being Orthodox Christianity.

The Volga Bulgars had an advanced mercantile state with trade contacts throughout Inner Eurasia, the Middle East and the Baltic, which maintained its independence despite pressure by nations such as the Khazars, the Kievan Rus' and the Kipchaks.

[10] Cathedrals were built in Kazan; by 1593, mosques in the area were destroyed, and the Russian government forbade their construction.

Under Joseph Stalin, the Soviet Union began to place restrictions on the use of the Bulgar turki language, which used a variant of Arabic script.

The development of national culture declined significantly and religion, including Islam, in Tatarstan was severely repressed.

The 1921–1922 famine in Tatarstan was a period of mass starvation and drought that took place in the Tatar ASSR,[11][12] in which 500,000[13] to 2,000,000[14] peasants died.

[20] In September 2010, Eid al-Fitr and May 21, the day the Volga Bulgars embraced Islam, were made public holidays.

[citation needed] The first halal food production facility opened with foreign companies expressing their interest to expand the project in Tatarstan.