“Rethinking the Tradition”: about young believers seeking their own path within Islamic Spirituality

In the modern world, as noted by researchers (P. Berger, D. Hervieu-Léger, etc.), there is an increasing individualization of religion. Believers are increasingly constructing their own religion, using symbolic resources of different religious systems. The article describes three stories of young believers studying in Muslim educational institutions of Tatarstan. The paper also reveals the main stages of their spiritual quest. Young people are critically rethinking their own religious traditions. Their further religious choices turn out to be closely related to the changes in their personal lives and refer to the realization of their key life interests. A new understanding of religion gives young people a desire to benefit the entire Muslim community and provides them with an openness to social creativity. These stories show three options for rethinking a man’s religious tradition: the transition to Islam from Orthodoxy; creative combination of the postulates of Islam and Buddhism; and also a new understanding of Islam, different from that of the older generation.