God Save the USSR - Soviet Muslims and the Second World War

It surprises many to learn that millions of Soviet Muslims fought on the frontlines against Hitler''s armies. During the Second World War, as the Soviet Red Army was locked in brutal combat against the Nazis, Stalin ended the state''s violent, decades-long persecution of religion. Religious elites of all faiths were suddenly tasked with rallying Soviet citizens to a "Holy War" against Hitler. Using evidence from many sources (in several languages including Russian, Tatar, Bashkir, Uzbek, and Persian), God Save the USSR recounts the wartime "religious revolution" that ensued, with a focus on the Soviet Union''s Muslims.