The history of Islam in Ukraine has deep roots. The local people learned for the first time about Muslims and their religion from merchants coming on trading affairs from the Arabian and Oriental countries at the dawn of emergence of the Kiev Russia. In due course between the states were established closer trading and diplomatic communications. According to the official history the first Muslim settlements in Kiev appeared in the XIII-th century. For the last two centuries the community of Muslims on the land of Ukraine expanded, and for the present day in the country live about 2 million followers of Islam.
Up to the XIX-th century…
While the overwhelming majority of Ukrainians professed Christianity, Muslims lived basically in the south of the modern territory of the country, first of all on the Crimean peninsula, in the state known as the Crimean Khanate. The Crimean Tatars professed Sunni Islam. During the capture by the Russian Empire of Crimea in the XVIII-th century, in Bakhchisarai, the capital of the Crimean Khanate, there were at least 18 mosques. In their turn, the authorities of the Russian Empire compelled 160.000 Crimean Tatars to leave Crimea.
Ukrainian Muslims in the XX-th century
Before the October revolution the third of the population of Crimea practiced Islam.
Up to 1917 religious life of Muslims of Ukraine developed, but with coming of the Soviet power there were obstacles for open observance of rituals though Muslims all the same continued to follow a way of their ancestors, keeping their religious heritage.
In 1944 the Soviet government on suspicion in cooperation with Nazi Germany deported the Crimean Tatars from Crimea to Central Asia, mainly to Uzbekistan. Naturally, mass deportation of the Crimean Tatars seriously struck Islam in Ukraine.
By order of Joseph Stalin, fighters of the Red Army and the army of PCIA since the morning on May, 18th and till the evening on May, 20th, 1944 deported from Crimea almost 190 thousand Crimean Tatars. In general, the quantity of the deported Crimean Tatars exceeded 200 thousand persons. During eviction and in the first years of stay in deportation, according to official figures, were lost up to 25 % of the deported. According to the National Movement of the Crimean Tatar people, received by results of national interrogation in 1960 years, were lost about 46 % - almost every second...
Only in the late eighties mass returning of the Crimean Tatars home started.
From the beginning of the 1990th there were dramatic changes in life of the community of Muslims of Ukraine in connection with democratic transformations in the USSR and the basic changes which followed that principal changes in the state-confessional relations. Muslims had an opportunity to declare their religious accessory openly, to satisfy their religious requirements freely, to perform Islamic ceremonies, following traditions of their ancestors.
However long deportation destroyed almost all national infrastructures – schools, high schools, libraries, scientific institutions, newspapers, considerable part of archives, religious structures were liquidated and destroyed.
And after two decades after repatriation the Crimean Tatars did not manage to restore these losses.
During the Soviet period the majority of mosques and other cult constructions of Muslims were destroyed, religious figures were subjected to repression, and spiritual literature was destroyed.
It is known that two centuries ago “in Crimea there were 1,5 thousand Muslim constructions – mosques, medrese, tekkiye, durbe. Nowadays there are just several tens of them. Almost all constructions... are in a deplorable state”.
Islam in Ukraine today
Nowadays "the Islamic" factor possesses an appreciable place in spiritual, cultural, social, political life of the Ukrainian people.
Intensity of spiritual, cultural, political life and statistical data testify that in modern Ukraine there are places of compact residing of Muslims and Muslim historical and cultural traditions develop. It promotes that ethnic Ukrainians actively convert to Islam.
86 % of Muslim religious network of Ukraine make communities of Crimea. During 1988 – 1998 in Crimea were registered 183 Muslim communities, to the beginning of 2003 their number exceeded 300. In 2004 in Ukraine operated already 445 Muslim communities which had their own registered charters and 22 communities, functioning without charter registration (that is supposed by the legislation of Ukraine), from them on the territory of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea functioned 349 communities which registered their charter and 20 – without charter registration.
Nowadays Muslims in Crimea are not only the Crimean Tatars, but also, for example, Volga Tatars, Russians, Ukrainians, Azeris and separate representatives of some other ethnoses.
Democratization of all spheres of public practice in Ukraine, certainly, facilitated spiritual and cultural life of all religious and cultural communities, including Muslims, brought new trends promoting revival in new conditions.
Nowadays in Ukraine operate 90 Sunday schools, 7 Muslim spiritual educational institutions with 276 listeners, 5 periodicals. At the disposal of Muslims there are 160 mosques and prayer buildings from which 10 are architecture monuments.
Nowadays Ukraine is not only Slavic and Christian, but substantially Turkic and Muslim country, and this fact demands reorganization of relations in the state.
Formation the Ukrainian Ummah: problems and prospects.
Modern Ukraine belongs to the group of European countries which have their own native Muslim population. Islam on the territory of Ukraine has more than thousand-year history. But throughout long time this religion existed on illegal position that led to its decline.
Nowadays the Muslim community in Ukraine actively develops, but there are a number of problems on the way of revival of Islam in religious space of Ukraine.
This faith has no uniform organizational structure. Islam has no accurate hierarchy similar to Christian church. But, despite rather short period of development, Islam in Ukraine has as a variety of organizational forms.
Nowadays in Ukraine officially operate some the registered Spiritual centers.
Muslim communities function, as a rule, within the current legislation, recognize the Ukrainian statehood, do not suppose displays of extreme religionism and extremism.
Circle of barriers on the way of formation of Islam on the territory of Ukraine includes: maintenance of Muslim communities with cult constructions; highly-skilled personnel of clerics; a question of language during the Muslim sermon; material support problem; education, etc.
In the context of observance of norms of Shariat Muslims of Ukraine face certain problems which are characteristic for all non-Islamic countries.
Though in Ukraine holidays often coincide with working days, for the Muslims of Crimea in this case it is easier - under the decision of the Supreme Council of Crimea from March, 26th, 1993 “About establishment of holidays for the citizens of the Republic of Crimea who are practicing Islam” and the article 73 of the Code of Laws about work of Ukraine, the first and the last days holiday of Id al-Fitr (Uraza-Bayram) are days off for inhabitants of Crimea of Muslim creed.
On the bigger part of the territory of Ukraine is almost not developed halal-industry; therefore there is a deficiency of production which would correspond to the norms of Shariat. Halal, i.e. food corresponding to Islamic norms is a problem in Ukraine. Purchase of halal-products in small shops at mosques and Islamic centers does not satisfy the requirement of all Muslims. Nevertheless, it is necessary to notice that nowadays this problem starts to be solved, and different companies start to adjust manufacture of halal production.
Moreover, at some religious organizations of Muslims of Ukraine are created centers of standardization and certification of "Halal" which give documentary acknowledgement of halal-production. Halal fairs are rather popular during Muslim holidays.
In the cities where Muslims live, there are not enough mosques and religious centers, or they are absent at all. Till 1990th there remained just 68 of them, and only 2 mosques - in Bakhchisarai and Evpatoria - were in satisfactory condition.
Nowadays Muslims of Ukraine make all efforts to receive sites under building of mosques.
In general the quantity of mosques in Ukraine is insignificant if to consider that Muslims of Ukraine united into 1135 registered and not registered religious communities in different areas of the country.
Nowadays in construction of new cult buildings Muslims of Ukraine are helped mainly by Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait. In 2007 Turkey allocated almost 3 million dollars for restoration of Muslim relics of Crimea.
The issue of repair-restoration works on the objects esteemed by believers as rather sharp. Moreover, considerable part of cult constructions, in particular in Feodosiya, Yalta, Simferopol, Bakhchisarai which were selected during the Soviet period, was not returned to Muslim organizations.
Nevertheless, it is possible to ascertain that the process of growth of mosques in Crimea develops dynamically.
At the schools of Ukraine Islam is practically not taught. Only in 14 Crimean-Tatar schools there is a special course “ethics of Islam”.
Except the listed problems, there still exist specific issues, characteristic for any non-Muslim country, but there are many positive shifts, for example, passengers of the Ukrainian railway have possibility to go in special compartments - only for women or only for men. For the Ukrainian Muslims the presence of similar service is very important, after all stay in a close premise with persons of an opposite sex creates certain discomfort for believers.
One of issues which excite many Muslims of Ukraine is wearing of hijab. The matter of official registration of papers where Muslims would be with the covered head, in Ukraine is also not solved.
In Ukraine unlike the other countries (Russia, the EU countries) are absent possibilities to use interest-free contributions and loans as the majority of financial operations of fellow citizens of Ukraine are carried out through the state Savings bank which has the fixed interest rates that is forbidden by norms of Islam.
However, nowadays a number of Muslim countries conduct negotiations on the occasion of opening of such banks in Ukraine. It is planned that they will open branches of Islamic banks which will work in accordance with Shariat principles.
Emergence of possibility for fulfillment of hajj - pilgrimage to Makkah and Medina testifies to normalization of religious life of Muslims of Ukraine. From the beginning of the 1990th years hajj was performed by hundreds of Muslims of Ukraine.
Also one of the important problems which face Muslims of the country is development of Islamic journalism. Increase in quantity and quality Islamic programs on the TV and radio of Ukraine, publishing of magazines and newspapers on Islamic subjects.
Development of Islamic mass-media in Ukraine will give the chance to reveal spiritually-ethnic, humanistic values of Islam, to expose artificially created myths about Islam, to separate the concepts of extremism and terrorism from religion.
Recently in Ukraine increases attention to the problems of Ummah, amplifies influence of the Islamic factor on internal and foreign policy of the country.
Nowadays in Ukraine on the foreground are the problems of qualitative improvement of life and activity of the Muslim community, and also increase of efficiency of use of its potential in the development of economy, science and culture of ethno-confessional friendship of the Ukrainian people. This stage led to reconstruction of infrastructure of the Muslim life. In Ukraine operate several religious administrations and centers. Thus the great value is got by the issues of fuller satisfaction of spiritual needs of Muslims of Ukraine, increase of their contribution to strengthening of the international positions of the country, substantiation of qualitatively new model of development of Ukraine adequate to modern realities and calls. The decision of these and other problems demands, first of all, formation and statement of the state strategy of the further development of Muslim revival in a context of national interests and aspirations of Ukraine.
In these conditions special value has consolidation in the frameworks of Ummah of Ukraine, overcoming of splits and dissociation.
On this background shortage of educational institutions and cultural-educational centers, authoritative Imams declared itself, and also general low level of knowledge of the Ukrainian Muslims about their religion which is closely connected with it.
Hadji-Murat RAJABOV
By islamdag.ru
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Muslims in Ukraine: Revival in the Context of Eurointegration
