Bulgaria: the sufferings of one million Muslims

For the past century, Muslims in the Balkans are the victims of many
episodes of ethnic cleansing by the crusaders and later by the
Communists inMacedonia,Albania,Bosnia,Kosovo,Serbia,Montenegro,BulgariaandGreece.
As Communism collapsed, the Muslims inEastern Europeare still facing
suppression, discrimination, harassment and intolerance.
In this context, we will highlight the sufferings of one million
Muslim Bulgarians who are uprooted and forced to flee from their
country before giving up their property. Despite all this, Islam's
presence inEuropeis likely to grow and to bring about social,economic
and political changes.
Historical Dimension:
The Balkan Peninsula has strategic geographic position, controlling
the access to the Silk Road, the ancient trade route linkingChinaand
imperialRome. Therefore, it was a battlefield for the competing
superpowers since medieval times. Theregion that is nowBulgariawas at
one time included in theRoman Empire.
Muslims managed to gainfootholds throughout theBalkans since the
Abbasidera in the 9th century. By 1396, the armies of the Ottoman
Empire controlled all ofBulgaria. During the next five centuries the
Islamic culture dominated inBulgaria. The presence ofMuslims in the
Balkan Peninsula at that time was so great when thousands of Turkish
Muslims had immigrated and settled inWestern Anatolia.
The Christian kingdoms in Western Europe launched many crusades to
take overJerusalempassing through theBalkan Peninsula. On their way
they had exterminated the Muslimsliving there. In 1878, coinciding
with the expansion of Great Serbia, Muslims inBulgariawere the
expelled and a killing spree took place with Russian backing.
After the dissolution of theOttoman Empire, Muslims in the Balkans
have been severely persecuted. By the end ofthe First World War, the
Bulgarian nationalists continued the hostile policies of the Serbs by
destroying schools and mosques in the Muslim areas. Muslims are told:
'Become Christians if you wish to remain inEurope.'
Who Are the Bulgarian Muslims?
Muslims inBulgariabelong to various ethnic groups, such as the
Turks,Pomaks, Gypsies and Tatars. The Pomaks are the main Muslim
ethnic group inBulgaria. There are many contradicting views, regarding
the origin of Pomaks. According to some historians, they are the
descendants of the ancient Slavic or Slavized inhabitants of the
Balkans. Some of them converted to Islam at the time of the conquest
and during the years that followed. Other groups converted to Islam
during the period of the Ottoman Caliphate.
The number of Pomak population changed several times due to the
suppression policy by theChristian and communist governments. During
andafter the Balkan Wars of 1912-1913, the biggest waves of Pomak
migrated toTurkey.
Bulgaria's population is approximately 7.9 millionaccording to a 2001
census. Approximately 13 percent of the Bulgariansare Muslims.
Bulgarization of the Muslims:
Since the Bulgarian independence in 1908, the nationalist regimes
marginalized the Muslimsand traditionally considered them as
foreigners, even if they were ethnically Bulgarian. The Orthodox
Church is very influential and with the help of the Bulgarian
nationalists they forced the Muslims to convert to Christianity. All
the resisting Muslims were wounded, imprisoned, killed or deported.
Thousands of them fled toTurkeyandGreece. In the summer of1989 more
than 300,000 Muslims were deported fromBulgaria.
Mosques were converted into churches. Out of the 44 mosques
inSofiaonly one remained as a historical monument. Thelargest mosque
inBulgariawas the Tumbul Mosque inShumen, built in 1744. Muslims were
coerced to go to church every Sunday. Circumcision was prohibited, and
the people who circumcised their sons were severely punished.
There are pressures on Muslims to change their names, vestment and
language. Since 1942 a new law was passed which commanded Muslims to
change their names to Bulgarian ones.About 2000 Turkish and Pomak
village names were also changed to Bulgarian. Pomaks were banned from
attending Turkish schools or use theTurkish language and they were
forbidden to open private schools. Then Muslim school boards were
abolished and unified with Bulgarian school boards. Thus all their
non-Bulgarian daily life was subjected to censure.
In 1944, the Communist regime came into power and launched the
assimilation campaigns against the Muslims. Pomak villages from the
Rhodopes region were forced to resettle inNorthern
Bulgariaduring1948-1952. In 1949, the agricultural lands were
expropriated affecting many Bulgarian Muslims. For more than 40 years
the Bulgarian government promoted atheism. Muslims were treated as
second-class citizens with no rights to become members of the
government or officers.
In April 1956, the Bulgarian Communist Party decided to create a
unified socialist Bulgarian republic. Further they proceeded in
changing the names ofMuslims to Bulgarians by terror. Pomaks have
developed a strategy to `compromise name and behaviour'. A Pomak, who
was born before 1912 and lived until after 1990, has been forced to
change his Muslim name nine times for instance.
During most of the Communist period, underthe leadership of Todor
Zhivkov-secretary of the Communist Party from 1954, the country's
premier from 1964 to 1971 and head of state from 1971 to late 1989-the
policy of forceful assimilation continued under the so-called `Process
of Rebirth'. After their 'success' with the Pomaks, the Bulgarian
authorities started to work in the same way onthe other ethnic
Muslims. Therefore, in practice Communism is equivalentto Bulgarian
extreme nationalism which aims to Bulgarize the significant Muslim
minorities.
Post Communist Era:
With the fall of the racist regime of Todor Zhivkov in November 1989,
the religious restrictions inBulgariawere loosened somewhat. But still
there is discrimination, harassment, and general public intolerance of
non-Christian Orthodox religious groups.
In each Bulgarian village there are still some former Communist Party
members or local securityforces that had persecuted the Muslim in the
past. Therefore, Muslims are still afraid to speak about their harsh
experiences. They still feel threatened by the Socialist Party )former
Communist Party( members, fearing that one day Communists will be in
power again and then they will be persecuted again.
It is still impossible to find a single Muslim in the Bulgarian army
as a regular soldier. Most of the Muslim Bulgars are uneducated and
work as laborers, shepherds, haymakers and the like. Muslims are
discriminated against in jobs and education. While the Pomaks want
their children to learn Turkish, which is now theoretically possible,
in practice local education directors don't allow them to do so.
Inequalities still exist in practice and those who are dissatisfied
with theirpoor conditions continueto migrate toTurkey. Rumors and
aggressive propaganda against Muslims as terrorists continue to
receive large-scale media coverage. The Government still restricts the
religious freedom of non-Christian Orthodox religious groups. These
restrictions are manifested primarily in a registration process that
is selective, slow, and nontransparent. The Government prohibits the
public practice of religion by groups that are not registered.
However, after 1987, Bulgarian Muslims are allowed to reconstruct
their mosques and new mosques are built in many cities and villages.
Now there are about 1,267 mosques. The Muslim hierarchy was headed by
one chief mufti and eight regional muftis who interpret Muslim law.
The study of the Quran had been completely forbidden under Zhivkov and
now Quran classes are organized. Muslims also began publishing their
own newspaper, Miusiulmani, in both Bulgarian and Turkish.