Natal’ya V. Kornienko

Khasan V. Dzutsev

The article is based on materials of ethnosociological research conducted in summer of 2016 in the republics of the North Caucasus Federal District of the Russian Federation, the sample was 1200 people. The article examines the attitude of residents of the republics of the North Caucasus Federal District to freedom of religion and apostasy. The first part of the article is devoted to the relationship between Christianity and Islam in Europe and in Russia today. The second part reveals the interrelation of ethnic and religious identity among representatives of titular ethnoi of the North Caucasian republics and Russians, which has a significant influence on the attitude towards religious self-awareness. In the third part we analyse the data obtained for the whole of the North Caucasus Federal District. The fourth part is devoted to comparison of results in different republics, also this section includes experts explanations from each republic about the true motives of the respondents. In conclusion, the results of the analysis were summarized, as a result of which we divided the investigated republics into three groups: 1) with a high level of freedom of religion (Republic of North Ossetia – Alania and Kabardino-Balkar Republic); 2) with an average level of freedom of religion, a restrained-negative attitude towards newly converted Christians and a fairly broad approval of the transition to Islam (Karachay-Cherkess Republic and Republic of Dagestan); 3) with low level of freedom of religion, very high level of approval of Muslim converts and negative (Republic of Ingushetia), sometimes even aggressive (Chechen Republic), disapproval of newly converted Christians.