EU Justice Commissioner Vivian Reding yesterday initiated a punitive procedure against France, which organized the mass expulsion of Roma from the country. The vast majority of the members of the EU commission support Reading.
According to Deutsche Welle, a decision on this issue should be made on 29 September. At the same time, penal procedures can be initiated not only against France, but also against four more countries, from where also in Lately expelled gypsies.
French President Nicolas Sarkozy called the deportation part of the fight against crime. According to him, human trafficking, prostitution and exploitation of children flourish in gypsy camps.
The Roma are one of the most persecuted national minorities in Europe. They are often deprived of employment, educational opportunities and quality health care. Amnesty International reports that the unemployment rate in some Roma communities is 97 percent.
In Europe and in Russia, there is an opinion about the natural "criminality of the gypsies", but perhaps the whole point is in the wrong approach to relations with these people.
Let's take a look at the history of the solution of the Gypsy issue in Europe at the time when the Ottoman Empire ruled the Balkans.
The fate of the eastern branch of the gypsies is proof of the thesis that the so-called innate properties of the gypsies are exaggerated. The craving for freedom, the craving for nomadism did not prevent the emergence of many settled groups. And the supposedly innate criminality is refuted by the widest development of crafts among them, when the Islamic Ottoman state ruled in the southeast of Europe.
The division into Eastern European and Western European Gypsies that has developed since then shows how much the development of one people differs in different historical conditions.
The gypsies of Serbia, Albania, Bulgaria, Hungary in the 15th century found themselves under Ottoman domination. Immediately after the appearance of the Turks in the lands of the former Byzantium, local gypsies were able to find with them mutual language. They even joined the auxiliary military units of the Ottoman army or went with the army, serving its needs. A significant number of gypsies came to Bulgaria in this way.
Sultan Mohammed II Fatih (the Conqueror), who took Constantinople, taxed the gypsies, but freed the blacksmiths who forged weapons, as well as those gypsies who lived in fortresses. Information that some of the Gypsies converted to Islam dates back to this period. The number of Muslim gypsies increased during the reign of Suleiman Kanuni (the Lawyer), whom Europeans call the Magnificent. The conversion of the Gypsies to Islam was part of a general trend among the peoples of the Balkans.
Gypsy blacksmith in Ottoman Bulgaria
However, a pattern has emerged. The nomadic gypsies, as a rule, remained Christians (and still are), while the settled ones, who settled in the city suburbs and had constant contacts with Muslims, converted to Islam. These are the Arli and Khorakhaya ethnic groups in Bulgaria, Albania, Serbia and Turkey. For the indigenous population of Bulgaria, the word "gypsy" has even become synonymous with the word "Muslim".
The Ottoman Caliphate had a well-thought-out system of government and a transparent mechanism for collecting taxes. In 1541, the "Law on the Manager of the Gypsy Sanjak" came into force. The "sanjak" was understood as a certain category of the gypsy population from a number of places, engaged in serving the army. In general, during this period, considerable efforts were made to census the Gypsies. Ottoman documents detail age, occupation, and other data necessary for taxation. Even nomadic groups were entered into the register.
The overall favorable environment affected the structure of professional specialization. While the camps of Western Europe involuntarily moved away more and more from crafts, the Balkan gypsies washed golden sand, made bricks, herded sheep and even worked on seasonal agricultural work. The list of professions was very extensive. Documents from the Balkan archives list blacksmiths, tinkers, butchers, painters, shoemakers, watchmen, wool beaters, walkers, tailors, and so on. Thus, Ottoman policies were more favorable to the Romani than Western European exile laws.
In essence, the gypsies were allowed to live in accordance with traditional attitudes with the non-interference of the state in inner life camp. Islamization, however, did not become a tragedy for this national minority, but, on the contrary, contributed to the development of best qualities personality.
Gypsies were full members of society
The researchers note that if the gypsies got into a difficult situation in the Ottoman state, it was not from bad laws, but from their incorrect or malicious interpretation. Officially, they were not declared enslaved people.
The military defeats of the Ottoman state, during which Hungary, Slovakia, part of Serbia and Transylvania came under the control of the Habsburgs, were of great importance for the gypsy diaspora. The Austrian authorities, who had a Western mentality, extended the repressive legislation to the gypsies of the conquered lands. Undoubtedly, this approach was caused by all the previous experience of the extermination of the western branch of the gypsies.
The edict of the Austrian emperor Leopold I from 1697 outlaws the gypsies. The mass extermination of nomads began, facilitated by the fact that the murder of a gypsy was no longer officially considered a murder. In 1701 this edict was confirmed. In 1710, the imperial governor in the Czech kingdom announced the measures already described earlier: the execution of men; whipping and cutting off the ear of women and children. Charles VI in 1721 ordered women to be hanged and children to be raised in hospitals. Such massacres continued until a sharp turn in politics under Empress Maria Theresa. Under this Austrian empress, physical extermination was supposed to be replaced by forced assimilation.
The Western school of gypsy scholars traditionally highly appreciates the activities of Maria Theresa and her heirs, although this is only a consequence of the fact that it was beneficial to hush up the humane Muslim approach - after all, against its background, the policy of the empress looks like only a milder form of extermination of the gypsies. If everything that was conceived by Maria Theresa had been done, the gypsy people would have ceased to exist within one generation, dissolving among the Hungarians.
According to the decrees of Maria Theresa of 1761 and 1767, as well as the decree of Emperor Joseph II of 1783, even the ethnonym “gypsy” itself was replaced by “new settler” or “new Hungarian”. Nomads were obliged to stop wandering and engage in agriculture. Gypsies were issued passports with new, non-Gypsy names (which meant obtaining civil rights), but they were charged with the obligation to forget their former names and nicknames; it was also forbidden to use the gypsy language. So that children do not experience influence from their parents, they were supposed to be transferred at the age of two to four years to be brought up in peasant families. Gypsy children were to receive a church upbringing and public education. Young people were waiting for military service, adults - life in village houses rebuilt at the expense of peasants.
Under the influence of Austrian legislation, a similar turn in the repressive antigypsy policy took place in Spain. The Spanish King Charles III in 1783 issued a law repeating the main provisions listed above. Even the terminology was copied - the gypsies were supposed to be called "new Castilians".
The results of the Austrian and Spanish experiment turned out to be unexpectedly successful precisely because the original idea could not be completed. The complex of assimilation measures turned out to be too expensive and required an excessive effort of spiritual forces on the part of the indigenous peoples. If the decrees on executions and expulsions (economically cheap) turned out to be unenforceable, then it was all the more impossible to educate or re-educate hundreds of thousands of people. As a result, the gypsies, having received civil rights and the fundamental opportunity to grow into society, after some time they were left to their own devices. When it became clear to the executors of the decrees that the task was unbearable, they allowed those who were not yet internally ready for the transition to a settled way of life to roam. It is from the gypsies who lived within the Austrian empire of the Habsburgs and Spain that the nomadic gypsies of Central and Western Europe, which are so annoying to the local inhabitants, originate.
So what's the bottom line? The humane, fair policy of gypsy integration in the Ottoman state, based on Sharia, led to their departure from marginal behavior and made them respectable members of society. Moreover, many gypsies, having converted to Islam, remained Muslims, despite the fact that the Balkans have not been governed by the laws of this religion for 100 years. And this approach is fundamentally different from the policy that Western European rulers pursued for many centuries against the Roma: they either physically destroyed the Roma, or expelled them from their lands, or forced them to complete assimilation.
Used materials
1. Gypsies. Nature and Geography. St. Petersburg, 1864. Vol. 3, No. 3.
2. Nemtsov F. Gypsies. Nature and people. SPb., 1901/1902. No. 6
3. Kenrick Donald Puxon Grattan. The destiny of Europe's hypsies. N.Y., 1972.
4. Marushiakova E.; Popov V. Tsiganite in Bulgaria. Sofia, 1993
Gypsies are a mysterious nomadic people. Their life and history are shrouded in many myths and prejudices, and their culture is original and is rooted in the distant past. Historians, culturologists, ethnologists and ordinary people concerned about the question of where they came from, what they live with and what faith the gypsies have.
Gypsies - who are they?
Gypsies are one of the largest ethnic groups in Europe. Bulgarian ethnologists call it an intergroup ethnic formation. The essence of this definition lies in the peculiarities of the settlement of gypsies in different territories. The mosaic distribution of gypsies is associated with a huge variety of their varieties and distinctive features. Depending on the territory of residence, there are different ethnic self-names: Sinti, Manush - people, Kale - black, Roma (Romani) - a common political designation for all gypsies living in Europe.
Without a permanent habitat, the gypsies live in all corners of the planet, except for Antarctica.
Types of gypsies
The division of the Roma into ethnic groups occurs depending on the territorial location and occupation. Ethnologists distinguish three western and three eastern branches of the gypsies.
The Western ones are:
- Roma is one of the largest groups. It includes gypsies occupying the territory of Europe.
- Sinti are German and French gypsies.
- Iberians are Spaniards and Portuguese.
The eastern branch is formed by:
- Lyuli are Central Asian gypsies.
- Bosch - Gypsy peoples occupying the territories of Turkey and the Caucasus.
- Home - Arab peoples and living in Israel.
There are small gypsy groups that are difficult to attribute to any particular offshoot. On the territory of Europe live ethnic groups that are close in culture, but not related to the Gypsies: Travelers from Ireland and Yenish from Central Europe.
Researchers of gypsy culture talk about the possibility of dividing gypsies into groups, in accordance with the nature of their activities.
What religion do gypsies profess?
Gypsy culture is closely connected with the Gypsies, forms their traditions, customs and moral and ethical standards, and depends, as a rule, on the territory of residence. The main religions to which the gypsies belong are Christianity and Islam. But to this day, features of Hinduism, Shaivism, animism, Zoroastrianism and magical elements have been preserved in official beliefs.
The researchers argue that the adoption of a particular religion was a way of self-defense. Settling in a particular region, the gypsies tried to at least outwardly correspond to the followers of the local religion, so as not to conflict with the indigenous population.
Regardless of what faith the gypsies of a particular group belong to, their mentality and beliefs that have developed over long time their existence, leave an imprint on the adherence to certain moral standards.
Outward acceptance of the official religion gives the Gypsies the opportunity to pay tribute to their pagan and animistic idols. So, for example, the Central Asian gypsies had gods denoting the Sun. The faith of the gypsies in the west is based on the worship of the moon. The full moon was considered a holiday in which magical rituals and witchcraft rites were held. The faith of the gypsies in India is based on the worship of the phallus; the cult of Shiva and the goddess Kali is also widespread here.
Regardless of what faith the gypsies belong to, they pay great attention to protection from evil spirits. A serious task is to protect the newborn from powerful demonic forces. After birth, he is sprinkled with salt water and given a name that will only be pronounced at certain periods of his life. The rest of the time the worldly name is used.
Veneration of saints
The faith of the gypsies is based on the veneration of female religious images. Despite the dominant role of men in society, their main saint is a woman. No matter what faith the gypsies are, everyone honors the mythological image of St. Sarah. There are several legends associated with her. According to the first, she was the savior of the relatives of Mary Magdalene, during a terrible storm she saved them, finding the way to the shore by the stars. The second legend says that she was the first to receive the Holy Revelation from the saints who sailed past her camp.
Gypsies who believe in an afterlife try to protect themselves from meeting the deceased. So that nothing would hold the souls of the dead in this world, they burn all the belongings of the deceased and their homes. There are those who do not believe in life after death. Also, according to some ethnic groups, the soul can return to earth three times, once in 500 years. Serbian gypsies claim that after death a person lives the same life, but indefinitely.
Spirits and vampires are denoted by the word "mullo". If a gypsy dies at the hands of a man, the mullo will find and hunt down the culprit. Slavic gypsies believe in werewolves. They are those who led a dissolute life or became a victim of a vampire.
Gypsy customs
The faith of the gypsies determines their customs. Russian Orthodox gypsies are devout and obligatory for them is the rite of baptism. In gypsy houses there is a "red corner", with icons. In Russia, gypsies celebrate Christmas and Easter, get married in a church for marriage. An important stage of a gypsy wedding is the recognition of the union by the community. This is the initial and most important stage of marriage. On Radonitsa, gypsies visit cemeteries, where they ask for alms. This tradition is considered good, since those who serve at this moment are doing a good deed, fulfilling a Christian duty.
Saint George is one of the most revered gypsy saints. Holidays in his honor are held in Turkey and the Balkans. Muslims also pay great attention to customs. However, women ignore the need to cover their faces, and men do not circumcise.
Myths and legends of the gypsies
No matter what faith the gypsies belong to, there are common beliefs that determine their entire worldview. There is a story that a gypsy stole a nail that the Roman legionnaires were supposed to drive into the head of the crucified Christ. For this, God blessed all the people and allowed them to steal. In reality, the tendency to steal is only a consequence of the historically established worldview of the gypsies.
They are convinced that everything created by God belongs to people and exists for the common good. So, fruits, animals and birds are God's gift, given to people for free use. Today, theft is the main way for Roma to earn money.
Raymond Buckland in his book Gypsies. Secrets of Life and Tradition” tells about a real case when gypsy children baptized the same borrowed baby eight times in different churches, because at baptism the priest gave the child a coin. The lack of attachment to a certain territory is also perceived as a gift from God, the gypsies believe that the Almighty has given the whole world at their disposal.
Russian gypsies. Roma Customs and Faith in Russia
According to official figures, 200,000 Roma live in Russia today. Their real number exceeds these figures by at least five times. This is due to the fact that at the time many indicated other nationalities.
"Russian Roma" have their own dialect - a mixture of Russian, Polish and German language. The traditional occupations of Russian gypsies are horse breeding, playing music, dancing, fortune-telling and the circus. It was in Russia that the genre of gypsy romance was born.
Most Russian Gypsies are Christians. But what kind of faith the gypsies have in Russia is not important, the main general gypsy law for them. The smallest number of rules regulate relations with non-Roma: here it is necessary to adhere to the norms of behavior that are established in society. More important - the laws of communication with both Roma and non-Roma: the prohibition of murder, rape, physical injury.
Respect for the guest is a must. The largest number of rules speaks of behavior within the gypsy community. The main thing is that no one has the right to exalt himself over another. However, in every community there is an unspoken leader and intermediary responsible for communication with the outside world. Most often, this person is
Gypsy laws strictly regulate communication with each other, with elders, children and women, the procedure for holding holidays, the rules for choosing clothes and a list of “decent” activities. Worthy professions are those that are associated with creativity, needlework, pottery and carpentry.
A significant part of Russian gypsies today is associated with crime. Among them, as among other ethnic groups, there is theft, begging and drug trafficking. At the same time, there is another side of Romani society, which includes talented singers, musicians and actors. For example, in Russia there is a popular all over the world
Impact on culture
The unique color of gypsy art had a tremendous impact on world culture: music, poetry and cinema. Everyone knows the heroes: the gypsy Esmeralda from Hugo's Notre Dame Cathedral, the fatal Carmen of Georges Bizet, Pushkin's Zemfira and Aleko, modern style boho, touching romances and the music of Goran Bregovic - humanity owes all this heritage to the gypsies.
Finally
Gypsies are a complex and mysterious people. It is impossible to fully experience their culture without plunging into it personally. The main thing is not to form your ideas, only based on the image of dirty beggars on the streets. In fact, the gypsies are an original and extraordinary ethnic group with their own laws, customs, rich culture and valuable legacy.
Researchers suggest that the gypsies (Roma) are the descendants of one of the castes in the north-west of India, who were forced out to Central Asia and North Africa. From there, at the beginning of the XIV century, they appeared in the Mediterranean and dispersed throughout Europe. To avoid persecution, the gypsies adopted the religion of the people among whom they lived, but also preserved the cults and beliefs of those places where they roamed before. Among the religions professed by modern gypsies is Islam. Roman GROKHOLSKY, President of the Moscow Union of Roma, actor and director of the Romen Theater, spoke to NGR correspondent Oksana Kotkina about the life of that part of her people who profess Islam.
– Roman Andreevich, do Muslims live in a special way, not like other gypsies?
– We are quite tolerant and tolerant of any faith. First of all, we are Roma, that is, gypsies, and then faith and everything else. We unite along ethnic lines. The gypsy ethnos consists of different groups: Lovaris, Serves, Russian gypsies, Crimeans. Crimeas are just Muslims in Russia. But there are also a lot of Muslim gypsies abroad: in Croatia, Greece, Romania, Macedonia, and Turkey. How this whole story began: the gypsies, as usual, accepted the religion of the country in which they were. They came to Byzantium already during its decline, before it was conquered by the Turks. Many gypsies in the Ottoman Empire converted to Islam. And why? The Turks were very sympathetic towards the gypsy people, as they saw in them similarities with their way of life. They also led a nomadic lifestyle. They understood our nation, they were very loyal to us, and therefore the gypsies converted to Islam. Then, with the collapse of the Ottoman Empire, the gypsies have already moved to Europe.
- Was the transition of the Gypsies to Islam in the Ottoman Empire associated with the exemption from special taxes on non-Christians?
- I do not think that this was the main motive, but it could be one of the elements of the appeal. Gypsies are generally tenacious people, that is, adapting to the environment in which they are in a given situation. Today, for example, there are more Muslim gypsies in Bosnia and Herzegovina. If in Russia, out of the total mass of gypsies that we had, according to official estimates, about a million, perhaps 10 percent are Muslims - this is the maximum. That is, in our country it is not a very common religion, because the country in which we live is Orthodox.
- How did the gypsies get to Russia?
- Through the Crimea. They are quite different from European gypsies, that is, they preserve the culture of the Ottoman Empire, its traditions.
– Are there those who accept Islam in Russia today?
- There is, of course. And what impresses me is that over the past few years, young people have been behaving more and more in accordance with the canons of Islam. They fast, actually fulfill all the rules that are written in the Koran. They are more disciplined, easier to organize. What pleases me in this situation is that we support their faith when necessary, they support our faith (our interlocutor is a Christian. - “NGR”) when necessary.
- That is, for the Gypsies, national identity is much higher than religious?
- Higher, higher than religious! That's what really warms me, because religion is a personal matter for everyone. But there is society, it is more important than religion. The gypsies had the most correct democracy when they were still nomads. What was it? There was an election. The election of the elder, the head of the clan. He was chosen not by pull, not for money, it was a matter of survival. The most intelligent, most literate, the one who can keep order in the camp became the elder. To do this, he was given an independent court to help him, which consisted of people who could not be bought, representatives of all clans. We still have this arbitration court today. That is, from each clan there is a representative - an elder. Suppose there is a conflict between one clan and another. Then the representatives of the clan call people who are trusted by the gypsy society. They go to the gypsy court with their problem, and the arbitration court decides which of them is right. The decision of the court is not discussed.
- What do you do when the problem concerns not only gypsy clans, but also relationships with other communities?
- We have such cases, yes. Then our representatives meet with representatives of other nations (Chechens, Ingush), sit down at the table and try to find a common language.
– You said that young people are becoming more and more zealous Muslims. Are there any primordially gypsy customs that also need to be honored?
- Gypsy laws do not run counter to any religion. Gypsy laws are universal, let's say so. For us, today, the concept of “motherland” exists, because we are already a little different, we were born here, our ancestors were born here, our fathers, who, defending our homeland, died. The philosophy of the gypsies is that the Lord created this world for everyone. A world where there are no borders. These people have already begun to put up a cordon in the middle of the river and say: this is your fish, and this is my fish, why should you come and take this away from me?
– It was reported that the Qur'an had recently been translated into Romani. What dialect?
- To the Balkans.
What alphabet does it use?
- Latin.
- What Islamic association do Muslim gypsies gravitate towards?
- This movement is only at the beginning of our journey, but rather to the Council of Muftis, their mufti was also at our holiday.
– Are there any Muslim religious leaders among the Gypsies?
- There are no imams yet. Only activists, let's say. In fact, we are at the beginning of the path of entering the public field. The first action held by Muslim gypsies in Moscow was a theme night within the framework of the Ramadan Tent project in June, but I hope that this will become an annual event. This is important for our nation. It is important that she be able to represent herself in any manifestations, in good ones, I mean.
– And how does the work of Muslim gypsies in the theater fit in with Islamic customs?
- And the church is not a theater? And Muslim rituals are not theater? It's still staged stuff. I say, maybe blasphemy, but the theater arose from the church. There is a certain staging, a certain mise-en-scene, where the audience stands, where the characters are. What is different in Islam? What does the theater carry? The theater can turn the human soul both in the direction of good and in the direction of evil. Theater is not entertainment, not a stage. If the theater is good, then a person will either leave a little kinder, or a little angrier, or open a book and read: what is it all the same, I saw here today. The theater speaks about the essential, about the eternal, about the universe. Still, the universe is higher than individual religions.
Gypsies are one of the most mysterious peoples in the world. Without their own script, documented history and without their own ethnic territory, they were able to maintain their national identity.
Gypsies, although scattered all over the world and constitute a huge community, still keep apart from others and are in no hurry to assimilate with their neighbors, no matter how much they live next to them. Even less is known about the religion of the gypsies, but it is believed that the vast majority of them are Christians, as they live mainly in Christian countries: Russia, Romania, Hungary, Moldova.
But there are also Muslim gypsies. In this article, we will talk about them.
How Gypsies Became Muslims
The study of Gypsy history is a big problem for historians. Due to their nomadic way of life, they did not leave archaeological sites; the lack of their own writing leaves no chance to study the events of their history.
However, on the basis of linguistic and genetic analysis, it was possible to find out that the homeland of the gypsies is central India. Later, the ancestors of the Gypsies migrated to the northeast of India, where the arid climate and infertile soil led to their nomadic lifestyle, small-scale trade and handicrafts.
It is believed that the first gypsies entered Europe between the 11th and 15th centuries through the peninsula of Asia Minor (Anatolia), and the first European peoples they encountered were the Greeks of the Byzantine Empire. But the rapid decline and capture of Byzantium by the nomadic Turkic tribes, who converted to Islam and subsequently created the Ottoman Empire, opened new page and in the history of the gypsies.
A significant part of the Balkan gypsies converted to Islam.
Commenting on this fact, Roman Grokholsky, president of the Moscow Union of Roma, says in an interview for Nezavisimaya Gazeta: ... Gypsies, as usual, accepted the religion of the country in which they were. They came to Byzantium already during its decline, before it was conquered by the Turks. Many gypsies in the Ottoman Empire converted to Islam.
And why? The Turks were very sympathetic towards the gypsy people, as they saw in them similarities with their way of life. They also led a nomadic lifestyle. They understood our nation, they were very loyal to us, and therefore the gypsies accepted Islam. Then, with the collapse of the Ottoman Empire, the gypsies already moved to Europe».
And to the question: “Was the transition of the Gypsies to Islam in the Ottoman Empire associated with the release from special taxes on the Gentiles? » Roman Groholsky replies: « I do not think that this was the main motive, but it could be one of the elements of the appeal ... ».
Surprising as it may sound, Muslim gypsies are represented in Russia as well. And this is by no means a few new converts, but a whole group.
It is worth noting here that the Gypsies are an ethnic group consisting of several groups: Lovaris, Serves, Russian Gypsies, Crimeans. The latter, as the name implies, the Crimean gypsies who converted to Islam during the reign of the Ottoman Empire in the Crimea, are Muslim gypsies. They are the ones who live in Russia.
According to some reports, Muslims make up 10 percent of the total number of Roma. In addition to Crimea, which has recently joined Russia, they also live in the Krasnodar Territory. They moved to the Kuban in the Middle Ages from the Crimea, which was part of the Crimean Khanate.
In the Kuban, the Gypsies developed good neighborly relations with the Cossacks, since the Gypsies were skilled blacksmiths, made high-quality horseshoes for horses, weapons and agricultural implements, which was always necessary for the Cossacks. In addition, the gypsies and the Cossacks were united by their love for horses, strong gypsy stallions were in demand among the Cossacks.
Muslim gypsies, despite the global changes that have taken place in modern society and people's minds, did not leave their religion and continue to adhere to Sharia law. But globalization has not been painless for the Muslim Gypsy religion either.
Worldly riches have shifted spiritual values to the second, and even the third plan. Nowadays, there are fewer and fewer who zealously fulfill the precepts of Islam. However, the return to the spiritual and cultural values of their ancestors is slowly, but still going on.
Noting this, Roman Groholsky says: Over the past few years, young people have been behaving more and more in accordance with the canons of Islam. They fast, actually fulfill all the rules that are written in the Koran. They are more disciplined, easier to organize».
« The first action held by Muslim Gypsies in Moscow was a theme night within the framework of the Ramadan Tent project in June (2015), but I hope that this will become an annual event”, - notes the leader of the Moscow Union of Roma in his interview with NG.
As already mentioned, we do not know the gypsies from the best side, and, unfortunately, there are many reasons for this. But not all people are the same, and it would be wrong on our part to treat everyone with the same brush, this is not the behavior of a devout Muslim.
After all, it is fitting for the believer to give instruction, and not reproach. Even if we cannot call them to the good, we can at least make a dua for them and ask Allah to guide them and us to the path of Truth.
May Allah give us the strength and opportunity to do so. Amine!
Makhach Gitinovasov
Pavel Skrylnikov
In the polyethnic and multi-release space of the Balkans, many ethno-cultural communities intersect. A special niche is occupied by the Horahane Roma - Muslim gypsies who settled in the region during the time of Turkish rule. How they meet challenges modern world and perceive the history of the last decades, said a researcher at the Institute of Philosophy of the Russian Academy of Sciences Ksenia Trofimova , who has been researching Romani communities in Serbia, Macedonia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Kosovo for many years.
- Ksenia Pavlovna, how does the Islam practiced by Muslim Gypsies differ from the Islam of their neighbors - Albanians and Slavs?
It is more correct to speak about the peculiarities of the localization of Islam, the contexts in which its traditions are formed. Even within the same family, ideas about Islam can vary greatly. Basically, the gypsies in the Balkans adhere to Sunni Islam, there are Sufi brotherhoods. At the same time, the Roma environment is distinguished by its intercultural nature and the preservation of diverse traditions. For example, Muslim pilgrimages to Christian shrines (and vice versa) are preserved - this is the cultural and social experience of the multi-confessional Balkans.
Around various Christian shrines in the Balkans, ideas about the miraculous properties of temples and relics are formed, which turn out to be significant outside the Christian environment. Thus, for many years, Christian monasteries and churches in Kosovo received pilgrims, including Muslims. In the SFRY, the pilgrimage acquired a conditionally legal status: for example, in documentary"GospaLetnicka" emphasized that it symbolizes the unity of the Yugoslav peoples. Later, during the war in Kosovo, the centers of such pilgrimages were forced to become places that were previously in the shadows. For example, the Catholic chapel of St. Joseph in the Macedonian capital Skopje, where after the 1963 earthquake that destroyed the local church, the surviving statues were transferred. Previously, it only attracted those who could not travel to Kosovo Letnitsa, but the war made it a major center of pilgrimage for Muslim gypsies, which it remains today. And in Niš in southern Serbia, such pilgrimages are limited to the clergy.
The confessional identity of Muslim Gypsies is open to external influences, including Islamic ones. The turning point for the development of Islam among the Roma in the Balkans is the second half of the 20th century, when they gain wide access to secular and religious education. This contributes to the formation of various normative systems among local Muslims, which are also strongly associated with the positions of leaders.
- How difficult is it for a woman to work with such respondents?
More importantly, I am a stranger. Gypsies have many religiously mixed families, but the differentiation of insiders and outsiders is more important than religion. Even if I were a gypsy, I would still be a member of a different community. But as a researcher, I am placed at the center of internal conflicts: every spiritual leader tends to monopolize his influence, and it is important for everyone to tell that he is the heir to the true tradition. The Gypsy environment is one of heirs, and issues of authenticity are constantly discussed. In every corner of the gypsy quarter, you can hear a conversation on a religious topic. There are tensions here at various levels, for example over funeral rites criticized as "un-Islamic" or Sufi bodily practices. Even a loud dhikr can become an object of criticism. This practice is done mostly by men, but I am allowed to observe it.
- And how is religious education carried out in the Muslim Gypsy communities?
Along with studying in madrasas and higher educational institutions Religious education is now more accessible than ever before thanks to social networks. Almost every leader I know discusses creeds on Facebook. This may be a video chat of religious authorities, where comments are a platform for reactions from listeners.
In gypsy mosques and Sufi tekkas in the Balkans and in Western Europe Khutbas are read in the Romani language, lessons are taught, schools of the Koran are opened, and various social projects are being implemented. They may have a different format: for example, they make mini-series that deal with doctrinal issues.
At the same time, imams who are sent by official Islamic associations to serve in Roma settlements most often do not come from a Roma environment. In the settlements, new mosques are built and opened by local residents, and it is difficult for them to attach themselves to official associations and find official funding.
- Why? Are official associations afraid of something?
Perhaps connections with extremist organizations or the insufficient level of education of local community leaders.
- What is perceived by Roma communities and states as a source of spreading extremism?
It is difficult to talk about the specifics of extremism in the Roma environment - such ideas are spreading in different communities. Many gypsy settlements are the territory of missionary work for a variety of denominations, spiritual movements and interpretations, including fundamentalist ones. Their distribution routes are usually florid, associated with organizations from different countries and regions. Some local religious authorities are involved in active discussions with followers of fundamentalist ideas. But spreading ideas is one thing, and practice is quite another. Active criticism of the tradition of visiting the tombs of saints and appearance Muslim women are not yet talking about calls for extremist actions. But associatively, fundamentalism is perceived as a potential danger to the environment, the peace of which is very easy to disturb.
- Are there known cases of Roma participation in terrorist groups?
The topic was actively discussed when, in connection with the Middle East military conflicts, a number of Balkan states began to try to control and prevent the participation of their citizens in them. In the wake of this monitoring, it turned out that there were few Balkan gypsies among those who fought. There was very little information about them. There was a little more information on Bulgarian cases, where, for example, the extremist activities of a local gypsy imam were recorded.
- How does the Roma community perceive the history of violence of the last quarter of a century?
The key narrative is "this was not our war". They do not perceive any of the Balkan conflicts of recent decades as inter-religious, only as inter-ethnic and political. Participation in it depended on what kind of relations the Roma developed in the macro environment. The brother of one of my respondents died defending Sarajevo, his name is carved on the monument to the defenders of the city.
The Bosnian war divided the Roma groups, and those who remained in the territory controlled by the Bosnian Serbs and did not prevent the conflict in any way, relations were severed - survivors of the blockade told me about this. In Sarajevo, Christians and Muslims died together. For the Sarajevo Gypsies, it was not the religious marker that mattered, but which side of the military line other Gypsies were on.
The stories about the Kosovo conflict are very different: "their war" and "our life" are clearly separated. The testimonies of Kosovo Roma refugees are the experience of an outsider embroiled in a military conflict. Many recall how gypsy settlements found themselves under crossfire, how soldiers shot civilians without looking at who was in front of them. Refugees perceive the war as a struggle for power, because of which the Roma were caught between two fires and were forced to leave their homes. A huge flow of refugees went to Macedonia, Serbia.
- What are the main situations that provoke a conflict with Muslim gypsies?
First of all, it is stigmatization and discrimination. On the outskirts of Sarajevo, there is a small settlement of Kosovo gypsy settlers. In 2013, I observed one family who had severely limited access to water and could not bathe their children often. Teenagers from this family sought to be included in the community, were drawn to religious enlightenment. But the local imam did not let them into the mosque, arguing that the children were not clean enough. In my opinion, although this is a rare case, it is quite revealing: instead of giving children the opportunity to join religious life and thereby integrate into the community, he preferred to “wash his hands”.
One often comes across the idea that gypsies cannot be good Muslims, that they are "non-Muslims". In the memories there are ideas of tension, distance, aggression. In Skopje, there is a story about a certain gypsy who was allegedly killed in a mosque after a Friday prayer because he hit someone while wearing shoes.
At the same time, there is a high level of mutual distrust among the Muslim Gypsies themselves. “How can I pray where everyone does not trust each other? Where, when they come to prayer, do they wrap their shoes in a bag and put them in front of their rug?” - remarked one respondent in response to the question whether he attends prayers in a gypsy settlement.
- How normal is this situation for gypsies?
There are very different norms here, different ideas about how Islam is historically inherent in gypsies, or whether the Muslim gypsy community is just being formed. Someone focuses on the fact that their families kept Islam between the wars and during the socialist period, others - on the fact that Islam has entered the environment only in the last twenty years. And religious leaders from the Roma community build relationships with their community in different ways. Some defiantly distance themselves from it, participating in the life of a small group of followers, and note that they often refuse to conduct rituals in a “polluted” environment, because not all Muslim gypsies strictly follow religious prescriptions.
- Is this a manifestation of the very idea of the ignorance of the gypsies?
Yes. It is emphasized that multiple attempts at religious enlightenment do not produce results. Features of funeral rites, joint pilgrimages - all this clashes with the "normative" practices of Islam, as prescribed by spiritual leaders. It happens that imams admit to the inefficiency of their own work: for example, when many years of attempts to cleanse the funeral rite of elements that they consider contrary to Islam do not end with anything. It also happens that the leaders refuse to participate in the funeral, without even asking how the ceremony is carried out - and the community finds an imam who either legitimizes these retreats or turns a blind eye to them.
