THE TATAR DIASPORA IN FINLAND: ISSUES OF INTEGRATION AND PRESERVATION OF IDENTITY PDF

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THE TATAR DIASPORA IN FINLAND: ISSUES OF INTEGRATION AND PRESERVATION OF IDENTITY RAMIL BELYAEV UNIVERSITY OF HELSINKI Department of World Cultures THE TATAR DIASPORA IN FINLAND: ISSUES OF INTEGRATION AND PRESERVATION OF IDENTITY RAMIL BELYAEV ACADEMIC DISSERTATION Summary in English To be presented...

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THE TATAR DIASPORA IN FINLAND: ISSUES OF INTEGRATION AND PRESERVATION OF IDENTITY RAMIL BELYAEV

UNIVERSITY OF HELSINKI Department of World Cultures



THE TATAR DIASPORA IN FINLAND: ISSUES OF INTEGRATION AND PRESERVATION OF IDENTITY

RAMIL BELYAEV

ACADEMIC DISSERTATION Summary in English

To be presented, with permission of the Faculty of Arts of the University of Helsinki for public examination in the Auditorium PIII of Porthania On 27 November 2017 at 12 o’clock Helsinki 2017

Cover photograph: Meeting of the planning group for the building of a mosque in Finland. 1917. First row (from left to right): Fatih Karimi, (Ahmad) Hadi Maksudi, Weli-Ahmed Hakim, Musa Jarulla (Bigiev), Abdulfattah Hajiev. Second row (from left to right): Rushan Ali, Fathulla Kari, Ymär Abdrahim, Rahim Batyrakov, Imad Camaletdin. (Fazile Nasretdin archive)

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FOREWARD AND ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

My first meeting with the Tatar diaspora in Finland occurred in December 2000 when I made my first trip to that country. The ability of this small group of Tatars to preserve its identity as a European minority stirred my interest in the history of the Tatar emigration as whole and in the history of the Tatars of Finland in particular. I studied the appropriate sources in order to gain a deeper understanding of the migration process of Tatars in the years after the 1917 revolution, and I acquired a more exact understanding of the history of the Tatars of Finland while I was studying history at the Kolomna State Pedagogical University. Work on my diploma on the history of the Tatars of Finland was made easier by the fact that by then I was already working for the Islamic Congregation of Finland. When I was applying to study at Helsinki University my choice of topic was obvious. I was becoming increasingly interested in questions concerning the history of integration, and the preservation of the religion, native language, culture and ethnic identity of the Tatars of Finland. It was important for me to understand what conditions and what mechanisms of influence enabled the culture of this ethnicity to be preserved. The present scientific work is a collective endeavor. A large number of people offered help and support in the writing of this work. First and foremost I would like to express my profound gratitude to my thesis adviser, professor Juha Janhunen of Helsinki University. My understanding of this topic and the writing of this work were only possible thanks to his wise guidance. I would also like to thank the board of the Islamic Congregation of Finland in the person of Atik Ali for their support of my work on this topic and for giving me access to the archives of the organization. The research is based on a large quantity of archival materials in private collections to which members of the community gave me access. For this support I would like to offer separate thanks to the now deceased Abdullah Ali and Ölken Ali for allowing access to photographs and written materials. Fazile Nasretdin and Samil Nasretdin were very helpful in giving access to historical photographs and audio-recordings. They recorded and archived the collection of oral interviews with the first generation of immigrants. I would like to express my deep thanks for being allowed to use this material. The descriptive materials acquired from interviews with members of the community also served as valuable historical sources. I want to thank all those who agreed to talk to me and who gave me access to materials in their private collections: Nermin Samaletdin, Aiten Samaletdin, Osman Abdrahim, Akif Ali,

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Raif Nisametdin, Törken Arifulla, Ümit Bedretdin, Nail Bedretdin, and Mine Bedretdin. I want to thank Chingiz Safiulla separately for offering me valuable materials. I also want to express gratitude to Kadriye Bedretdin and Türker Soukkan for providing me with information. In general, I want to express my gratitude to all the members of the Tatar community of Finland and to all those who in word and deed collaborated with me on this work. I also offer my deepest gratitude to my wife Gulfiya Belyaeva for her patience and support on this path. I thank my sister, Dinara Guzel, for her considerable help. Separate thanks for their support is due to: Marat Gibatdinov, head of the H. Faezkhanov Centre for the history and theory of national education at the Sh. Marjani Historical Institute, which is part of the Russian Federation Academy of Sciences; Nison Vatnik, docent at the Russian and general history faculty of the State Social-Humanitarian University of Kolomna; hadhrat Islam Zaripov, imam of the Moscow Cathedral mosque, and his wife Nailya khanum Zaripova. This research would have been impossible without the support of mufti Ravil Gaynutdin, head of the Spiritual Board of Muslims of the Russian Federation, who supported my membership in the Islamic Congregation of Finland. I am deeply thankful to him.

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CONTENTS ABSTRACT ABSTRACT (RUSSIAN) INTRODUCTION AND ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

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1. INTRODUCTION 1.1 The Tatars of Finland as an object of research 1.2 Previous research concerning the Tatars of Finland 1.3 Unpublished materials on the Tatars of Finland 1.4 Interviews and observation as methods of research 1.5 Theories of diaspora, acculturation and identity

13 13 15 21 23 25

2. THE HISTORY OF THE TATARS IN FINLAND 2.1 The Tatar ethnicity in Russia 2.1.1 The Golden Horde period in the formation of the Tatar ethnicity 2.1.2 The Kazan khanate 2.1.3 The Kasimov khanate 2.1.4 The Mishar Tatars 2.1.5 The emergence of Tatar-Mishar villages in the Nizhny Novgorod guberniya 2.1.6 The impact of religion on the identity of Nizhny Novgorod Tatars 2.1.7 The religious life of Nizhny Novgorod Tatars 2.1.8 The tradition of tolerant coexistence 2.2 Ethnic minorities in Finland at the start of the XIXth century 2.2.1 Jews 2.2.2 Gypsies 2.2.3 Russians 2.2.4 The state policy of Finland towards linguistic and religious minorities 2.3 The presence of service Tatars in the Grand Duchy of Finland 2.3.1 The first Tatars in Finland 2.3.2 Army mullahs 2.3.3 Тhe transformation of the Tatar ethnicity in Finland at the start of the XXth century 2.4 The migration of Nizhny Novgorod Tatars to Finland 2.4.1 The first Nizhny Novgorod Tatar merchants in Finland 2.4.2 Migration processes among Tatars 2.4.3 The formation of Tatar diasporas in Finnish cities

31 31 35 36 38 40

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41 45 47 48 53 54 56 57 58 63 63 64 74 77 77 79 84

3. THE FORMATION OF THE TATAR ETHNO-RELIGIOUS MINORITY IN FINLAND 3.1 The Tatars of Finland in the pre-Revolutionary period 3.1.1 Tatars and the Revolution 3.2 The influence of prominent intellectuals on the ethno-religious selfconsciousness of the Tatars of Finland 3.3 Tatar intellectuals in Finland 3.3.1 Sadri Maksudi 3.3.2 Ayaz Ishaki 3.3.3 Musa Bigiev 3.3.4 Abdulla Battal-Taymas 3.3.5 Lütfi Ishaki 3.3.6 Zakir Kadiri and Saniye Iffet 3.3.7 Alimcan Idris 3.3.8 Mufti Rizaetdin Fahretdin 3.3.9 The influence of the work of Abdulla Tukay 3.4 Official organizations of Tatars in Finland 3.4.1 The Helsinki Mohammedan Charitable Society 3.4.2 The consolidation of Tatars in Finland under the Islamic Congregation of Finland 3.4.3 The Association of Turks of Finland “FTB” 3.4.4 The “Yolduz” Sports Club 3.4.5 The Islamic Congregation of Tampere 3.4.6 The Abdulla Tukay Society 3.5 The evolution of relations between Tatars and the state authorities of Finland 3.6 The participation of Tatars in Finland’s defensive wars 4. THE PRESERVATION OF THE RELIGIOUS HERITAGE AMONG THE TATARS OF FINLAND 4.1 Imans and teachers in the Tatar diaspora 4.1.1 Semiulla Sadri 4.1.2 Weli-Ahmed Hakim 4.1.3 Ahmet Naim Atasever 4.1.4 Abdurrahman Kaya 4.1.5 Enver Yildırım 4.1.6 Habibur-Rahman Shakir 4.1.7 Gibadulla Murtazin 4.1.8 Abdul-Ber Muhammed, Aise Beshar 4.1.9 Osman Ali Soukkan and others 4.2 Educational activities

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101 101 103 109 117 118 119 122 123 124 127 129 131 133 135 135 136 139 142 145 145 147 155 165 165 165 166 169 171 174 174 177 179 179 181

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4.4 4.5

4.2.1 Courses on language and religion 4.2.2 The Turkic elementary school in Helsinki Tatar religious-cultural centers in Finland 4.3.1 Prayer rooms 4.3.2 The “House of Islam” in Helsinki 4.3.3 The mosque in Järvenpää 4.3.4 Prayer spaces in Tampere 4.3.5 Prayer spaces in Kotka 4.3.6 Prayer spaces in Turku 4.3.7 The prayer room in Terijoki Religious activity International contacts with the Muslim world

181 182 189 189 190 196 199 200 202 203 205 219

5. PRESERVATION OF ETHNIC IDENTITY AND NATIVE LANGUAGE 5.1 Publishing activities 5.2 Social activity 5.3 Cross-generational transmission of the native language 5.4 Preservation of ethnic identity in families

227 227 239 245 255

6. CONCLUSION 6.1 The Tatars of Finland: an ethnic or a religious minority? 6.2 Preservation and integration as strategic thinking 6.3 The experience of the Tatars of Finland as a model for the selfpreservation of ethnic and religious minorities

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SOURCES AND LITERATURE Photographs Illustrations Tables Maps Interviews Literature Archives Internet resources Documentary films Appendices Index of names 1 Index of names II Index of geographical locations

277 277 278 278 278 279 280 289 289 290 291 296 302 306

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1. INTRODUCTION 1.1 THE TATARS OF FINLAND AS A SUBJECT OF RESEARCH In today’s dynamically changing world more and more migration processes are occurring, bringing with them new challenges. Migration is often triggered by wars, the internal instability of certain countries, low social status and so on. The so-called “color” revolutions of the last few decades in the countries of North Africa and the Middle East have led to the enormous displacement of refugees from these countries to the European continent. One of the greatest challenges lies in integrating these refugees. Having no experience of living as a religious or linguistic minority the overwhelming majority have had to develop mechanisms to cope with the task of coexistence in an environment that differs from their habitual lifestyle. Another aspect of the problem concerns the unprepared state of European society when it comes to absorbing these immigrants and understanding their mentality and religious customs. This often takes the form of rejection of, or hostility towards, immigration. In such conditions there is a real threat of interethnic or inter-religious conflict, which can have negative consequences. Today, such a crisis looks imminent. One indicator is the sharp rise in extremist tendencies in European countries, as expressed in opposition to the influx of refugees. This takes the form of widespread support for right and ultra-right parties, and the growing activity of radical groups. Another indicator is the formation of ethnic and religious ghettos on the European continent. As a rule, within these enclaves people speak the national language poorly, are indifferent to the majority culture, and as a result, do not integrate into the social fabric of the country. These populations are often at the centre of inter-ethnic and interreligious conflicts. In this respect, it is extremely important to study examples of positive integration on an international scale, and to analyze the instruments and methods underlying it. One such example is the history of the Tatar diaspora in Finland. On the cusp of the 20th century a small group of Tatar merchants from the Nizhny Novgorod guberniya began living in Finland. They passed through the process of consolidation, adaptation and positive integration into Finnish society, while at the same time maintaining their native language, national identity, and religion. The relocation of Tatars to Finland had much in common with processes taking place today. At the beginning of the century people were fleeing from a revolution-wracked Russia, which was undergoing de-kulakization, civil war, famine and the atheist policies of the new government. Today people are forced to leave their countries due to the consequences of the “color” revolutions and civil

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wars. While carrying out this research, the goal was to gain as broad an understanding as possible of the Tatar experience in Finland. After more than a century in the country the Tatar diaspora numbers less than a thousand people, but it has been able to create an independent organization with its own internal structure, finances, activities and values. Despite assimilation, their ethnoreligious culture has for the most part been preserved. To study this topic in detail, it was helpful that the author could speak the native language of the Tatars of Finland and was familiar with old Tatar literature, as well as the Finnish, Turkish, Arabic, Russian and English languages, which allowed him to make use of a broad array of materials. Another important factor in studying this topic was that the research was carried out from the perspective of an uninvolved observer and the utmost objectivity was maintained when analyzing the results. Due to his special position in the Tatar diaspora the author was given many opportunities to use the large quantity of archival materials and private collections in existence, which led him to discover previously unpublished archival and descriptive materials. The author was granted oral permission to use the materials in this work. In order to gain a deeper understanding of his topic the author also investigated the experience of historical integration among Tatar diasporas in other countries such as the U.S.A., Japan, China, Turkey etc.

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1.2 HISTORIOGRAPHY OF THE TATARS OF FINLAND The emergence of a Muslim diaspora in Finland has been of interest primarily to Finnish scholars. The first attempts at a scholarly understanding of this ethnic minority were made by Martti Räsänen, a professor of Turkology at Helsinki University in 1941. In that year he wrote a scholarly article in the journal “Suomen Heimo” (The Finnish tribe), where he described their migration and settlement in Finland. In 1957 scientist Hilma Granqvist wrote an article for the Swedish-language paper “Nya Pressen” (New Press), in which he interviewed the retired imam Weli-Ahmed Hakim and Behiye Tahir, the daughter of the head of the community Zuhur Tahir. These articles were more in the nature of sketches of the Tatar diaspora in Finland based on conversations with its members1. At various times researchers from Helsinki University studied the Tatar diaspora of Finland from different angles. The first and most comprehensive description of the Tatar minority appears in the 1965 work of Silja Lauha, which was titled “Piirteitä Suomen muslimien seurakuntaelämästä” (Features of the parish life of the Muslims of Finland). Silja describes in detail the history of the Tatar’s immigration to Finland, their religious and cultural customs, as well as the spheres of teaching and children’s education, and the interaction of the community with the Lutheran church. A scholarly examination of the singing and musical tradition of the Tatars of Finland can be found in the 1977 dissertation of Marja-Leena Marjamäki, “Kenttätutkimus Järvenpään tataariyhteisön musiikkikulttuurista” (A local investigation of the musical culture of the Tatar community of Järvenpää). In addition to describing the musical tradition, Marjamäki’s work also gives an overview of the history of education among the Tatar diaspora in this city. In 1980 Sinikka Peltohaka defended a dissertation on the topic ”Nimenantoja hautaustavat Suomen Islam-seurakunnassa (Uskontoantropologinen tutkimus Suomen tataarien siirtymäriiteistä)” (Name-giving and burial rites in the Islamic Congregation of Finland (a religious-anthropological study of the rites of the Tatars of Finland). The author of the work observed for herself the events described and was able to give a comprehensive analysis of the theme. The social-anthropological study of Kirsi Aulikki Hoffren “Suomen tataarit etnisenä ryhmänä” (The Tatars of Finland as an ethnic group) was undertaken in 1990 and gives a detailed analysis of the components of ethnic identity of the group in question. Another work that deserves attention is a study done by a member of the 1 2

Lauha, 1965, p. 2. Kansalliskirjasto,№ 3/2011, p. 58.

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Tatar community, Betül Hairetdin, “Suomalaisten tataariopiskelijoiden kulttuuriidentiteetti” (Cultural identity among Tatar pupils in Finland). The author attempts to study the fostering of national identity in bi-cultural conditions. In 2000 another social-anthropological study appeared on the topic of “Kollektiivinen muisti etnisen identiteetin vahvistajana: tapaustutkimus Suomen tataareista” (Collective memory as a factor in strengthening ethnic identity: a thematic study of the Tatars of Finland). The author of the study, Joanna Karin Brady, offers a new perspective on the theme of ethnic identity preservation, where the main factor is seen to be Finnish Tatars’ memory of the religious and cultural roots of their ethnos. Walid Hammoud’s work, “The Islamic minority in Finland 2000. Religious problems” describes the history of the Muslim religion in Finland and briefly tells the story of the Tatars of Finland as the first Muslim group to settle in the country. In 2007, a member of the Tatar diaspora, Kadriye Bedretdin, undertook a Turkological study called “Suomen tataariyhteisö ja Hasan Hamidulla ja Sadri Hamid yhteisönsä kirjailijoina” (The Tatar community of Finland and Hasan Hamidulla and Sadri Hamid – writers of the community). The author gives a broad overview of the literary works of the Tatars of Finland, as well as examining the features of the Mishar dialect of Tatar. The third dissertation by a representative of the Tatar diaspora was submitted in 2008. Nilgün Wafin’s study of the problems of a bi-cultural society was called ”Olen tataari ja suomalainen: monikulttuurisuuden haasteet ja mahdollisuudet” (I am a Tatar and a Finn: the problems and opportunities of multiculturalism). An interesting picture of the religious identity of active members of the Tatar community can be found in the 1999 study of Jari Portaankorva, called “Tutkimus Suomen Islam-seurakunnan aktiivijäsenten uskonnollisesta identiteetistä” (A study on the religious identity of active members of the Islamic Congregation of Finland). In addition to these academic dissertations, various aspects of the Tatar diaspora’s life were discussed in seminars at Helsinki University. In 1976, a member of the community Feride Nisametdin gave a talk on the topic, “Suomen tataarien artikulointieroista muutamien lauluesitysten perusteella” (Differences in the articulation of the Tatars of Finland from the evidence of several songs.) Fazile Nasretdin’s 1995 study, “Hasan Hamidullan Yañaparin historian käännös ja kääntäjän kommentit” (A translation of the work of Hasan Hamidulla’s History of Yañapar” with a commentary) was a valuable contribution not just to the history of the Tatars of Finland but also the Tatars of the Nizhny Novgorod guberniya. The works of Hasan Hamidulla were also discussed in a seminar led by Kadriye Bedretdin in 2000 on the topic, “Hasan Hamidullan (1900–1988) kielestä

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ja kirjallisesta tyylistä” (The language and literary technique of Hasan Hamidulla (1990-1988)). In 2011, Kadriye Bedretdin published a collection of articles called “Tugan tel. Kirjoituksia Suomen tataareista” (Native language. Articles on the Tatars of Finland.) The book contained studies by different authors expressing their views on different aspects of the life of the diaspora. The publication of the book was accompanied by an exhibition organized by K. Beretdin and professor Tapani Harviainen on the literature of the Tatars of Finland. It ran from 16 September 2011 to 7 January 2012 was called ”Tugan tel” (Native tongue), and included writings by the Tatars of Finland from 1864 to 2011.2 In addition to dissertations and practical studies...