The social environment of Muslim women in the Islamic parts of Russia, which included Azerbaijan and today's Central Asia (that is, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan) during the Tsarist period (1865–1917) is a topic not extensively studied. Despite this intellectual hindrance, there is some evidence that the Tsarist government reinforced the hierarchical, patriarchal social structure of the Islamic lands by choosing not to disturb ancient attitudes that had been held over millennia.

The history of Central Asia and its surrounding region…