In recent history, after the Second World War, organized sports have become widespread in many regions of the world; people of various faiths and faiths, including Muslims, have become involved in it. Along with art, science, and politics, organized sports have become a form of ethno-national reflection and a symbol of modernization. In the 1950s and 1960s, the Asian and African states that were freed from colonial rule actively engaged in modernization processes and at the same time began to establish cultural and political ties with the outside world in order to recognize their independence. Sport has become one of the components of their political and public diplomacy. Thanks to the initiative of young countries, the number of international competitions has increased, new regional competitions (Pan-African, Pan-Asian, Pan-Arab Games) have appeared, which, like other international competitions, have become a means of forming a national spirit and a kind of sports nationalism. Under the influence of radio, television, and the press, organized sports have become widely accepted among Muslims, a part of their leisure time, and for some, a way of life and professional activity. Today, despite the fact that the processes of globalization cause the greatest resistance in the Muslim world, organized sports-a product of Western civilization-in this sense remains an exception. Any international competitions, on the one hand, give everyone, including adherents of Islam, equal opportunities to show their abilities and ambitions, regardless of religious and political orientation, on the other hand, they act immanently as a sublimation of inner energy in a peaceful direction. This raises a number of questions. How does sport in today's globalizing world affect inter-civilizational relations? Is it possible to integrate Muslims into modern world culture through sports? How does Islam prescribe to treat sports and how do Muslims relate to it? Does sport weaken religious feelings? The author of this article tries to find an answer to these questions.

Keywords: organized sports, sports culture, peoples of Islam, Muslim communities, traditional sports, physical practices, games, competitions, evolutionary development.

ISLAM'S ATTITUDE TO SPORTS

The Muslim religion recognizes people's need for entertainment, various kinds of games, including sports, provided that the norms of Islamic behavior are observed. Orthodox Islam [Abdul Muti, 2007, p.236-238], like other world religions, calls its followers to harmony with nature, a healthy lifestyle, spiritual and physical improvement, and constant work on themselves. According to the views of modern Muslim theologians, the classes

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physical exercises are a natural need of human nature, any true Muslim who faithfully observes all the necessary commandments of religion-the five-fold prayer namaz, fasting, pilgrimage to holy places-develops in himself along with spiritual and athletic qualities, and above all sports character. Namaz itself ( ritual prayer) is, in fact, a complex of psychophysical training, the regular performance of which significantly improves and strengthens the physical well - being of believers [Tanikeev, 1970; Bagauddin, 1460/1998, p.11-12; Divine Miracles..., 2001, p. 56-72].

The saying of the Prophet Muhammad "a strong believer is better and more beloved by Allah than a weak one, although in each of them there is good" perfectly defines the attitude of Islam to the sports culture of its representatives. In some Muslim cultures, martial arts and other physical exercises are both a manifestation of cultural identity and an expression of spiritual and physical self-improvement on the path to God. Internal jihad and constant self-improvement strengthen both the Muslim's body and his faith. Muslim masters of wushu in China, pentyak silat in Indonesia, kushti in Iran believe that martial arts increase spiritual strength in accordance with the principles of Islam. Wrestling classes in mountain villages of Dagestan, as well as in other regions of the North Caucasus, are considered a good school for Muslim men. Along with their physical condition, they strengthen their spirit and religiosity and emphasize their loyalty to the precepts of the Prophet, who himself was fond of wrestling and encouraged the faithful to engage in physical exercises [Qaradawi, 2004, p. 275-279; Naciri, 1973, p. 599-601]. Perhaps it is no coincidence that of all the traditional competitions of Muslim peoples, the most popular is still wrestling, which, according to believers, is following the Muslim traditions and instructions of the Prophet Muhammad.

FROM MARTIAL ARTS TO GAMING

Nowadays, in the process of globalization, modern game competitions are becoming more and more decisive in the sports culture of peoples who have embarked on the main paths of human development. Previously, Muslim athletes were mainly represented at major international competitions in such sports as wrestling, boxing, weightlifting, track and field athletics, and equestrian sports, but today they are increasingly making themselves known in game competitions. In some countries with Muslim populations, interest in Western game sports dates back to modern times. So, one of the most popular competitions since colonial times among the Muslims of Malaysia and Indonesia is traditionally considered badminton, just as among the Muslims of India, Pakistan, Bangladesh - the English game of cricket.

Famous players in such sports in these countries surpass many politicians in popularity and are national heroes, idols of entire generations of followers of the Koran. But all these examples are rather exceptions, in the overwhelming majority of cases, Muslim athletes until recently were more focused on individual sports, athletics and martial arts. They have become active participants in modern gaming competitions only in recent times, and in recent decades. Thanks to the mass media, the audience has grown significantly in terms of numbers, a significant share of which falls on football - for the majority of Muslims, it has become the most exciting game and favorite spectacle. In Turkey, Iran, Egypt and other Arab countries, on the days of major football matches, most urban residents subordinate their lives to the football calendar, completely withdrawing from business and family concerns, often contrary to tradition.

In some cases, football becomes a kind of cultural rubicon between traditional and new, urban and rural, which carries far-reaching consequences.-

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tvia for society. For example, in Iran, the victory of Iranian football players over the Australian national team in November 1997 caused such a powerful wave of social movement that some politicians managed to call it the "football revolution" due to the fact that this event was the beginning of the movement of Iranian society along the path of democratic reforms. Ultimately, these events resulted in the rise to power of supporters of liberal religious circles (Chehabi, 2003; Foer, 2006, pp. 204-206).

Turkish athletes are increasingly showing themselves in football, which plays into the hands of Turkey, which seeks to establish itself in Europe and become a full member of the EU, while demonstrating its loyalty to the political and cultural values of Western civilization in every possible way. Although the Old World is not particularly enthusiastic about the prospect of recognizing Turkey as a full partner in European affairs, it cannot underestimate the achievements of Turkish football in Europe and in the world. In these circumstances, the game of football for Turkish politicians becomes one of the few trump cards that makes it possible to grab "the floor of the elusive Europe". After the bronze victory of Turkey at the World Cup in 2002, the famous sports journalist Dmitry Kharitonov in one of his works compared the football victory of the Turks with the victorious glory of their distant nomadic ancestors, who for several centuries stubbornly moved from the endless steppe expanses of Asia to the west, to Europe [Kharitonov, 2007, p. 123]. In the figurative comparison of Turkish football players with their warlike ancestors, one can see the historical military spirit and perseverance of the Turks in achieving their goals, and modern football is a clear confirmation of this.

Significant investments in the sports industry by some Islamic states and financial corporations in the Arab East are not only and not so much related to the interests of big capital, but also due to the desire of Muslim politicians to demonstrate their potential to the whole world through sports in response to the challenges of globalization. In the sports business, representatives of the Arab business community, by purchasing large shares of well-known football clubs in Europe, have the opportunity to directly or indirectly influence the sports life of these clubs. A significant increase in the number of Arabic-speaking Internet fans in 2009 led to the appearance of an Arabic version of the official website of the International Football Association (FIFA). For many Arab fans, the matches of their football teams, especially the national teams, are perceived as an occasion to express patriotism, and any football victories result in national celebrations and impromptu celebrations. In football, such traditional moral and ethical values of the Arabs as men's honor, izzat (Dag Tuastad, 1997, p. 116-117) are manifested, which obliges to play and win in a fair fight or lose with honor.

Sport reflects the real values of society, but it cannot be completely subordinated to these values. Competitive competitions can not only arouse mass interest in the game, the spirit of collectivism and creativity, but also cause bursts of aggressive moods [Abdulkarimov, 2006, pp. 145-157], which is also typical for certain groups of Muslims. At the same time, the aggression of some is fueled by their religious radicalism, which is associated with the rejection of everything that is not related to Islam, while others are more driven by secular and sports passions than faith [Don Yaeger, 2003, p. 108 - 112; Mannanov, 2009, p.225-230].

In Russia, representatives of the Muslim religion play a significant role in various competitions and achievements of Russian sports at major international competitions. It has become almost traditional to see athletes from Muslim regions of the North Caucasus on the podium in martial arts. In recent years, North Caucasian athletes have been increasingly asserting themselves in football: teams from the Chechen Republic, Kabardino-Balkaria and Dagestan

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they actively demonstrate their sporting will and perseverance in stadiums. Among the leading athletes and coaches in game sports, the media and the Internet are increasingly mentioning Tatars-representatives of the largest Muslim nation in Russia. Kazan sports clubs have repeatedly won prizes in football, hockey, and basketball in recent years. Many sports analysts attribute the winning achievements of the Rubin football team to its head coach Kurban Berdyev, a Muslim - a deeply religious person who observes all Muslim rites and regulations. Football tournaments and other sports competitions initiated by representatives of the Tatar clergy among Muslims [Malashenko, 2007, p.18] have their own regularities, due to the deep integration of Tatars into Russian culture, adherence to the traditions of Jadi-dizma and new cultural trends in society.

The processes of institutionalization of modern games within the cultural boundaries of Islam in recent history have not only significantly influenced the sports culture of Muslim peoples and enriched it, giving it a qualitatively new meaning both in content and form, but also contributed to the establishment of new value orientations. Games such as football, basketball, cricket, tennis, badminton, artistic and athletic gymnastics and others have brought to life new types of creative activity, initiative and competition, which has contributed to the universalization of norms of human relations in society and the integration of Muslims into modern urban culture.

ON SOME METAMORPHOSES OF GLOBALIZATION

Against the background of a dynamically developing modern society with its constantly changing correlation between the world and the local, relations between the Western and Islamic worlds paradoxically include both interaction and rapprochement, as well as mutual rejection and rejection. On the one hand, Western sports are becoming part of the sports culture of Muslim nations that have embarked on the path of modernization. On the other hand, many of the traditional sports activities of Muslims go beyond their own cultures and become the property of world civilization: Persian horse polo, Turkic belt wrestling, Iranian zurkhane, Indonesian pentyak silat and other competitions. At the same time, in response to the challenges of globalization, in some cases, it is necessary to revive and even artificially construct new traditional forms of physical activity [Abdulkarimov, 2004, p. 91; Mandzyak, 2008, p. 383-389; Shadows of the Prophet..., 2009, p. 8].

The cultural imperialism of Western values in sports provokes a response from a certain part of Muslim society, starting from the active propaganda of traditional sports by the institutions of power, which becomes the subject of their official public policy [Guttmann, 1994, p. 165-166; Foer, 2006, p. 218], and ending with violent speeches of extreme fundamentalists against sportswear,sportswear, and sportswear. opening up the body, and the participation of Muslim women in sports. In many countries, these processes have become a reality today. Statistics indicate a decline in the number of Muslim countries that include women in Olympic teams. While there were 35 such teams in Barcelona (1992), in Athens (2004) the number was reduced to four. One of the main reasons for this trend, in addition to the form of clothing, is the internal rejection on the part of radical clergy and their supporters of Western cultural values, including women's sports, which, in their opinion, do not fit into the traditional religious and moral norms of Islamic culture. Those who violate the established prohibitions are subjected to social ostracism, which forces some athletes to quit sports, others to play sports illegally or to immigrate to Europe

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and take part in competitions already as part of sports clubs and national teams of European countries.

However, even in Western democracies, as practice shows, certain cultural contradictions may arise in sports between the values of Islam and Western culture, in particular, according to the dress code. There are many cases in Europe and North America where Muslim athletes were banned from competitions precisely because of wearing sports hijabs. Apparently, such paradoxes can be explained by the words of A. J. Toynbee "the stronger the challenge, the stronger the incentive", and those who avoid such extremes act wiser [Toynbee, 2008, p. 181].

At the same time, sports, especially high-performance sports, remain the subject of a peaceful dialogue between the Christian and Muslim worlds, which nevertheless brings them closer together rather than repels them. During the performances of African-American Muslim boxer Hasim Rahman against Christian boxers from other countries, all Americans, without distinction of denomination, cheered for his victory. Similarly, the Russian boxer of the Orthodox faith Oleg Maskaev was supported by all Russians, both Muslims and Orthodox, as well as Muslims of Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan, on the territory of which he lived in different years. On the days of major football matches in some Western European cities, municipal authorities work together with local Muslim communities to ensure security and law and order in the streets and stadiums during and after games. Ultimately, this creates a positive experience of their cooperation in the longer term and in other spheres of public life [Mancho, 2009, p. 71].

ISLAM IN EUROPEAN SPORTS

The problems of population and the rapidly growing number of Muslims in France, Germany, Great Britain, the Netherlands and other Western European countries have made their integration into the surrounding culture extremely relevant. Today, this is one of the most pressing problems in European countries. Since the 1980s, sport has been seen as the best option for bringing cultural groups closer together and reducing interethnic tensions in Europe. However, scientific studies have shown that the acculturation of ethnic groups with a distant cultural distance into European culture through sports does not always bring the expected results, although it significantly contributes to the sublimation of aggression and possible conflicts [Frogner, 1985, p. 75-86; With God..., 2002, p. 43-44; Krouwel and al., 2006, p. 165-180].

Most representatives of Muslim groups prefer to play sports in their own cultural environment, which significantly reduces their communication with the environment. At the same time, the situation is somewhat different among professional athletes. As a rule, professional athletes from an immigrant background are more actively involved in cross-cultural exchange and are much more easily integrated into European culture than most of their compatriots. Such athletes often become their own among Europeans, gaining popularity and respect among millions of fans and spectators. Every year, more and more professional athletes from second-and third-generation immigrants persistently assert themselves in the world of sports, especially in football. Participation in national teams and leading sports clubs in Western Europe not only contributes to their personal career growth and social advancement, but also to a certain extent encourages the formation of positive stereotypes among European citizens in relation to representatives of the respective diasporas. Although sometimes this attitude, as practice shows, can change depending on the political situation in the country and in the world.

For the younger generation of Muslims (Algerians, Moroccans, Turks, etc.), sport is not only a recreational activity, but also acts as a banner of the group.-

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self-affirmation. For young Muslim French pensioners, for example, football is more than just a game, it demonstrates their group unity and cohesion. Like hip-hop music, football for many of them is part of the lifestyle and culture, and the world-famous football player and famous ber of all time, Zinedine Zidane, is an ideal not only for teenagers from the Muslim neighborhoods of Paris, Marseille, Toulouse, but also for many French teenagers. France has a leading position among European countries in terms of the number of Muslim players in the leading clubs and national football teams. Thus, at the European Championship in June 2008, 9 out of 23 players in the French national team were Muslims, to which one well-known Italian politician in an interview unflatteringly commented that the French, having recruited Muslims to the team, are ready to sacrifice their own identity in pursuit of results.

With the rationalization of culture and the development of pragmatism in an industrial society, sports largely compensate for the lack of an irrational principle in people's minds. For many Western fans, football, rugby, cricket or baseball often become a kind of religion. This is largely due to the immersion of modern society in mass culture, which began in modern times. The claim of some researchers that sport "eliminates the last remnants of the religious proper in the minds of its followers" [Tsurkova, 2009, p.343] is highly controversial. Some of this can be attributed to the audience and fans, but in no case to the athletes themselves and their coaches.

The author has already written in the journal "Ethnographic Review" [Abdulkarimov, 2007, p.164-165] that, according to his observations, sports strengthen the faith of both Muslim athletes and athletes of other faiths. Before and during competitions, they perform prayers, visit religious temples, and engage in charity work, which internally strengthens their religiosity and stimulates their will to win. Of course, life in big-time sports dictates its own laws, and Muslim athletes (as well as to some extent fans) have to adapt to its harsh rhythms and change some of the generally accepted and centuries-old norms and Islamic traditions. Many Muslim athletes continue to participate in football and other sports during the Ramadan fast. For example, the Egyptian national football team did not break its fast even during the 2010 World Cup qualifier against Rwanda in the month of Ramadan in 2009.

And there are many such athletes. Such examples are widely replicated in the Western press, which not only creates advertising for the athletes themselves, but also to a certain extent popularizes Islam in Western society. As you know, the growth of the Muslim population in Europe occurs not only through natural growth and immigration from Asian and African countries, but also at the expense of new converts. In the context of the spiritual crisis of Western civilization, many Christians, Europeans and Americans change their religious affiliation and switch to various Eastern religions, including Islam. Muslim neophytes, as a rule, explain their choice by saying that Islam is close to them with its transparency and simplicity, lack of lavish rituals and communal brotherhood. Such facts are no exception in sports. It is enough to recall the names of such famous American sports stars as boxer Mohammad Ali and basketball player Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, who, like other popular American athletes, converted to Islam in the 1960s and 1970s [Baker, 2007, p. 218-239]. Currently, this phenomenon is continued in the West in the face of such famous sports stars-envelopes as the American Michael Tyson (Malik Abdul Aziz), the Dutch Van Persie Robina, the French Eric Ebidal, Franck Ribery, Nicolas Amelka, Henri Thierry and others.

Today, no one is surprised that Muslim athletes compete in European teams, and Christian athletes defend the honor of Muslim athletes.

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international competitions, as well as the fact that traditional sports permeate the global culture, and modern competitions become an integral part of the culture of Muslim societies. Such metamorphoses are the essence of modern reality. All this once again confirms and proves that sports games and competitions can smooth out any cultural contradictions, bring peoples closer together, despite religious differences, promote tolerance in society, despite the constant disputes and debates around Islam and some gloomy forecasts about the future of human civilization.

INSTEAD OF CONCLUDING

Today, with the advent of the new information age and the immersion of society in mass culture, intercivilizational relations have significantly accelerated and at the same time become more complex. Along with the universalization of sports culture, the polarization of cultural systems has increased, and the revival of traditional forms of folk physical culture has become a natural result of these processes. Throughout recent history, the evolution of bodily practices in many Muslim cultures has been accompanied and is accompanied by a struggle between two principles, which are expressed both in adaptation to modernization and in its rejection. Organized sports, especially high-performance sports, as already mentioned, do not weaken the religious feelings and faith of Muslim athletes, but to a certain extent even strengthen their religiosity. Moreover, the success of Muslim athletes in some cases encourages athletes from other faiths to convert to Islam. In the context of globalization, the Muslim religion for many athletes remains the spiritual basis of their cultural identity, regardless of their place of residence and cultural environment. At the same time, both for athletes and for spectators and fans, Islam does not represent a conservative principle that cannot be changed. Modern sports clearly show that in a changing world, the interaction of cultures and civilizations is not always a confrontation, it can also be peaceful coexistence and cooperation. Finally, we must not forget that globalization not only leads to the westernization of local cultures, but also contributes to the emergence of alternative models of modernity. In different Muslim countries and communities, this manifests itself in different ways, as we see in sports.

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