Since 11 September 2001 Islam and Islamic fundamentalism, in particular, have been at the centre of media, academic and political debate in the West, the Islamic East and in the post-communist Eurasia. This debate, however, has been dominated by a decontextualized approach portraying Islamic radicalism as a homeless global force, disconnected from real people, places and histories. In reality, it has numerous regional and ethnic forms that are rooted in particular local cultural contexts, traditions, ways of life, and political and social structures. This article seeks to explore one such distinctive Muslim community represented by the Muslims of the north-western Caucasus which is administratively divided between Russia's Muslim autonomous republics of Kabardino-Balkariia, Karachaevo-Cherkessiia and Adyghea.