Materials about the Lithuanian muslims in the tatar periodical press at the beginning of the 20th century

Abstract

The article examines materials of the Tatar periodical press until the year 1917, which covers the history of Muslims in Lithuania and Poland. The first text we would like to pay attention to was written in Tatar and signed by Djamaletdin Alexandrovich. It was published in February 1906 in two issues of the “Kazan mohbire” (Kazan bulletin) newspaper. The article headlined “The origins of the Lithuanian (Polish) Muslim Tatars. A page from history” was a basis of the well-known treatise “The Lithuanian Tatars” by Dj. Alexandrovich, published in 1926. The value of the discovered materials lies in the fact that Kazan Tatars had an opportunity to familiarize themselves with the opinion of the authoritative researcher 20 years before the majority of Russian readers got an access to the book.
In the “Shura” magazine, which was published under the editorship of the prominent scientist and theologian Rizaetdin Fakhretdin (1856–1936), there were a number of observable articles about Muslims in Lithuania: Yusuf Akchura and R. Fakhretdin were covering the subjects such as the Battle of Grunwald, Grand Duke Vytautas and Tokhtamish khan, Fatikh Karimi wrote about the Tatar village Studzyanki in Poland. The author G. F. on the basis of some historical facts drew the conclusion that the Lithuanian Tatars in the Russian Empire were “the examples of loyalty, kindness, and civic consciousness”. R. Fakhretdin informed the readers of the magazine “Shura” in the issue No. 20 of 1915 that a group of Lithuanian Tatars came to Orenburg as refugees persecuted by the First World War. “The wish of local population to learn more about the history of these Muslims dressed as Russians and speaking the Russian language is quite normal”, noticed R. Fakhretdin in his article. At first, he gave an extensive information about Lithuania as a territory stretched over several Russian provinces, about Lithuanians, their language and religion. Further, the author recounted some facts about the “Tatar regiment” in the army of the Grand Duke Vytautas, later called “Ulan”. R. Fakhretdin advanced the theory that the Lithuanian Tatars emerged as a result of blending of the Volga and Crimean Tatars. He reasoned that Karaims who moved from the Crimea to Poland managed to preserve their native language because they had a chance to migrate with their families, while Muslim Tatar warriors came to the Lithuanian territory as single men and then married local women, what led to the loss of the ability to speak the Tatar language. Speaking about the living conditions of the Lithuanian Tatars at that time, R. Fakhretdin brought up the urgent problem: muftiyats and religious boards of the Russian Empire did not pay enough attention to the troubles of Lithuanian Tatars. This discussion was continued by the “Vakit” newspaper which was pleased to inform that the Orenburg Tatars themselves organized medjlis (treating) for the Lithuanian Tatar refugees. Tatar journalists did not conceal their joy that their fellow-countrymen welcomed cordially Tatar congeners who were spilled over the foreign territories, and after 400 years of being separated the meeting of brothers in blood and religion at last occurred.