Religious Practices and the Mediatization of Islam in the Crimea Amidst the Pandemic
The article deals with the changes in the religious life of the Crimean Tatars during the COVID-19 pandemic. It examines such issues as Crimean Muslims’ perception of restrictions on mass religious events, transformation of Islamic rituals and practices, and the process of mediatiza-tion of Islam. The article is written on the basis of analysis of publications in social networks and websites of official Muslim organizations in the Crimea, interviews with religious leaders and partic-ipant observation. The author concludes that the Crimean Tatars’ adaptation to new conditions was generally conflict-free although some manifestations of “coronadissidence” took place. The pandem-ic stimulated the mediatization of Islam in the Crimea, which manifests in accelerated digitalization of Muslim practices and the transfer of Islamic knowledge to the online sphere. For Islamic institu-tions, practices and communications in the Crimea, the transforming consequences of mediatization of religion will become visible over time and will get in the focus of academic research.