중앙아시아 이슬람과 종교적 신크레티즘(Syncretism)

Islam and Religious Syncretism in Central Asia

The peoples of Central Asia began to accept Islam from the middle of the 7th century; however, in those regions Islam took on different aspects. The purpose of this study is to analyze Islam in Central Asia from the perspective of religious syncretism. First I focus on how Islam spread throughout Central Asia in order to identify the origins of religious syncretism. Secondly I deal with the main factors of syncretism in Central Asia that can be explained both by Sufism and the Hanafi school of law belonging to the Sunni sect. When Islam appeared in Central Asia in middle of the 7th century, the people did not want to accept a new religion and in the process abandon their own indigenous religion. Therefore, the ruling class had to take a carrot and stick approach to convert people to Islam. In addition, Sufism and the Hanafi school of law played a significant role in accepting Islam in Central Asia. Sufis introduced a variety of religious practices to the Central Asians including new music, dance and dhikr. Above all, they respected the Saints in the mausoleum. Through this behavior, Sufis were able to gain recognition from the local people. Hanafi law was very flexible interpreting the Koran(Quran) and the Hadiths.Hanafis reinterpreted the concepts of indigenous Tengrism and religion so that local folk might be able to accept Islam. Consequently, Central Asian practices and customs such as Animism, Totemism, Tengrism and Shamanism, which had existed since ancient times could be assimilated into Islam, thus recreating Islam into a form called “Folk Islam”. Islam in Central Asia and Syncretism of Religion.