RISU (Religion Information Service of Ukraine): Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Kyivan Patriarchate, Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscovian Patriarchate, Ukrainian Orthodox Church Kyiv Patriarchate, Ukrainian Orthodox Church (Moscow Patriarchate), Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church Canonical, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Spiritual Administration of the Muslims of Crimea, Religious Administration of Muslims of Ukraine "Ummah", International Society for Krishna Consciousness, Ukrainian Orthodox Church Moscow Patriarchate, Christians of Evangelical Pentecostal and similar, Full Gospel Church and other charismatic communities, Population census 2001: Population by nationality, "Paganism in Ukraine: Its Beliefs, Encounter with Christianity, and Survival", "Public Opinion Survey Residents of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea", "Kyiv: Saint-Sophia Cathedral and Related Monastic Buildings, Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra", United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, ": ? Nevmerzhytskyi, Nature of Ethnic Organized Crime in Ukraine. On Eid al-Adha, an important religious holiday in Islam, Ukrainian Mufti turned fighter Said Ismahilov asked fellow Ukrainian muslims to pray for victory and for those still living in areas under . The program offered adolescent boys a mixed secular, Islamic and athletic curriculum. [fn]Crisis Group consultants interview in previous capacity, representative of Caucasus Emirate, Istanbul, 2016; and Crisis Group interview, representative of Caucasus Emirate, Istanbul, 2019. cit. Crisis Group has no data on how many people Russia requested. Crimea, which has historically had Ukraine's most active and diverse Muslim community, dominated by indigenous Crimean Tatars, has been annexed by Russia. One way or another, a Russia Ukraine conflict will have impacts across the region. The Crimean Tatars are the only indigenous Muslim ethnic group in the country. Crisis Group interview, Murad Suleimanov, imam of Islamic Cultural Centre, Lviv, April 2020. I will not turn my back on others.. The groups referred to here include followers of Sheikh Abdul Kostekskii, a Caucasus Emirate leader who runs schools in Turkey. Crisis Group interview, migrant from Dagestan, Kyiv, October 2019.Hide Footnote Other illicit dealings are local to Ukraine. [38] In total, as of 2016, there are 9,799 registered Protestant groups in Ukraine. cit. Here is a list of Muslim populations by country. Then there are Turks, Chechens, Azerbaijanis, Arabs, Pashtuns. In the 18th century a new teaching of Judaism originated and became established in the Ukrainian lands Hasidism. [fn]Schemes of unlawful legalisation of foreigners in Ukraine, Sudovo-yurydychna Hazeta, 25 July 2019 (Ukrainian); The SBU has uncovered an unlawful scheme of foreigner legalisation in Ukraine, Ukrinform, 16 November 2017 (Ukrainian); The SBU counterintelligence stopped the activities of a group of officials who legalised foreigners unlawfully, Security Service of Ukraine, 11 February 2021 (Ukrainian).Hide Footnote In others, Ukrainian women (and occasionally men) convert to Islam and join the community. A few combine religious and secular roles: one religious leader from Dagestan spent many years running an animal husbandry operation outside of Kyiv. Crisis Group interview, migrant from Dagestan, Dnipro, August 2019. Crisis Group interview, migrant from North Caucasus, Dnipro, August 2019. This analysis is one of a series of Crisis Group publications that explore the origins, evolution and status of the Russian-origin Muslim population in Ukraine, Turkey, Georgia and Western European countries (with a focus on Germany, Austria and France). There is a large Muslim population in Crimea home to the Crimean Tatars and illegally . Their numbers jump to about 12. Crisis Group interviews, migrants from throughout the North Caucasus, Odesa, 2019-2020. Crisis Group interviews, Borys Zakharov, human rights activist, 12 July 2020. [38] In Crimea, which in 2014 was annexed by Russia, Crimean Tatar Muslims make up to 25% of the population. From 2014 to 1 November 2020, some. At the top of our list of 10 most racist European countries towards Muslims comes France. Osmayev is from Chechnya and now has Ukrainian citizenship. Ismahilov said they would pray for victory and the liberation of the occupied territories. 43,637,000 Head Of State: President: Volodymyr Zelensky Form Of Government: unitary multiparty republic with a single legislative house (Verkhovna Rada 1 [450]) . There is a large Muslim population in Crimea home to the Crimean Tatars and illegally annexed by Russian in 2014. By continuing to browse the site you are agreeing to our use of cookies. While denying ties with Ramzan Kadyrov, Mufti Akhmad Tamim has praised the Chechen president for combating Wahhabism. But if the family is well-to-do, they dont work, a male migrant told Crisis Group. In 2010 the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints dedicated its Kyiv Ukraine Temple, and in 2012 claimed a membership more than 11,000 in 57 congregations in Ukraine.[41]. [fn]Protection of Asylum Seekers, op. [1], Among those Ukrainians who declared to believe in Orthodoxy, 42.6% declared to be members of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Kyivan Patriarchate, while 19.0% declared to be members of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscovian Patriarchate. There are more than two billion Muslims worldwide, making Islam the second-largest religion in the world, exceeded only by Christianity. Lowest number of people following Islam is in Krapina-Zagorje County , where are only 200 Muslims, making 0,15 % of the county's population. Meet interesting men and women in the UKraine looking for Muslim matrimony on LoveHabibi. There is a large Muslim population in Crimeahome to the Crimean Tatars and illegally . As of 2016, Protestants make up 2.2% of the population of Ukraine, with a strong concentration in western Ukraine (5.3%). In addition, there are Muslim communities in all major Ukrainian cities representing Soviet-era migrants from Muslim backgrounds. cit., p. 6.Hide Footnote, For those who win favourable rulings, however, the courts judgment may not be enough. Review our privacy policy for more details. *Note: At 99.4% Muslim, the disputed territory Western Sahara would rank at #8but as it has not yet been recognized as a country by the United Nations, it was disqualified. [fn]Salman Sadaev: We want to stay Chechen in Ukraine, Kommersant, 4 May 2012 (Russian).Hide Footnote An Odesa-based migrant told Crisis Group, however, that the community in that city alone was 1,000-families strong. The Ukrainian Orthodox Church has been loyal to the Moscow patriarch since the 17th century. He also noted that he knew Kadyrovs father and shared his views on fighting extremism. Rokada also offers job search assistance, psychologists, medical help and language courses. The groups referred to here include followers of Sheikh Abdul Kostekskii, a Caucasus Emirate leader who runs schools in Turkey. The Ukrainian Migration Service could, for example, amend its practice of refusing protection status multiple times to the same person for the same cause even after courts have ruled against previous such refusals. As of 2016, without Crimea, where Muslims formed 15% of the population in 2013,[6] only Donbas maintains a larger community of Muslims compared to other Ukrainian regions (6%).[3]. Some of these people fought or lived in parts of Syria and Iraq controlled by the Islamic State, or ISIS, and have made their way to Ukraine in part to avoid imprisonment elsewhere. [fn]Crisis Group interviews, members of the Russian-origin Muslim community and other communities throughout Ukraine, 2019-2021.Hide Footnote As noted above, North Caucasus-origin women rarely do. See also Protection of Asylum Seekers, op. Estimates of the Ukrainian Muslim population vary. [fn]Ibid.Hide Footnote Notoriously, Artur Kurmakaev, shot by Ukrainian police after he attempted to kill two prominent Chechen migrants, had obtained Ukrainian national and foreign passports in a similar scheme. Today, locals estimate that the city has more than 50,000 Muslim residents, of whom a sizeable minority (several thousand) are recent migrants from Russia. ), Crimean Repatriates: Deportation, Return and Resettlement (Simferopol, 1998), p. 152 (Russian); Results of the Population Census in the Crimean Federal District, Federal State Statistics Service, 2015 (Russian).Hide Footnote Crimea, which has historically had Ukraines most active and diverse Muslim community, dominated by indigenous Crimean Tatars, has been annexed by Russia. Crisis Group interview, migrant from Dagestan, Kyiv, February 2021. The Nogays, another Muslim group who lived in the steppes of southern Ukraine, emigrated to Ottoman Empire in the 18th19th century. For example, Muslims in Indonesia are approximately 99% Sunni, 0.5% Shia, and 0.3% Ahmadi. [21][22] The Ecumenical Patriarchate declared that it recognized the sacraments performed by the UOC-KP and the UAOC as valid. This is 86.7% of the Indonesian population and nearly 13% of the worlds total population of Muslims. When Russia annexed his home region from Ukraine in 2014, Akayev moved to Kyiv and . After that, they need a professional or personal reason to stay in the country. Lvivs proximity to Poland, like Carpathias to Slovakia and Hungary, also draws migrants, generally from Russia, hoping to travel illegally to the European Union. At least some of the most socially vulnerable, including single mothers and their children, unaccompanied children and victims of torture, are eligible for temporary accommodation at three facilities located, one apiece, in the Kyiv, Odesa and Transcarpathia regions. It uses the Polish, Latin, Ukrainian and Russian as liturgical languages. A further 11.0% declared themselves non-religious or unaffiliated. Various estimates place the current Muslim population in Russia at between 14 million and 20 million people, or between 10 to 14 percent of Russia's total population of 146.8 million in 2018. The Migration Service of Ukraine provided data to Crisis Group which indicates that between January 2014 and December 2019, 570 Russian citizens had applied for protection in Ukraine, with the numbers fairly evenly spread over the years. Crisis Group interviews, migrants from North Caucasus, 2020-2021. Main concentrations of the Ruthenian Catholic Church are in Trans-Carpathia near the Hungarian border. While many faiths operate freely in Ukraine, such as Roman Catholics,. [19], On 11 October 2018, the excommunications of the UAOC and the UOC-KP were lifted by the Ecumenical Patriarchate, the Ecumenical Patriarchate also announced it would grant autocephaly to the Orthodox faithfuls in Ukraine. Ukraine, for its part, at first welcomed people who had fought Russia in the North Caucasus insurgencies. [fn]Madhalism is a branch of the Salafi movement within Sunni Islam. This is 86.7% of the Indonesian population and nearly 13% of the world's total population of Muslims. Improvements could include working with civil society to make better information about Ukrainian law available to migrants and to ensure that those who lack access to legal assistance receive it. [fn]Crisis Group online interview, Hizb ut-Tahrir member, Kyiv, 25 November 2020; Crisis Group interview, Dagestani-origin former owner of Islamic school in Kyiv, Kyiv, April 2021.Hide Footnote Few seem dissatisfied by this situation. This site uses cookies. While it was once possible to simply purchase a Ukrainian passport outright, since 2017, when Schengen zone countries began to admit Ukrainians without the need for a visa, passports have become more expensive and more difficult to find. [fn]Evhen Zakharov, Security Service of Ukraine and Human Rights, Ukrainian Helsinki Human Rights Union, 23 January 2017 (Ukrainian).Hide Footnote Human rights activists complain that the SBU accepts foreign, including Russian, assessments that may be of dubious credibility at face value. cit. Surveys estimate a large majority of Ukraine's population is Orthodox, with a significant minority of Ukrainian Catholics who worship with a Byzantine liturgy similar to that of the Orthodox but are loyal to the pope. [38], Adherents of Oriental Orthodox Christianity in Ukraine are mainly ethnic Armenians. The International Society for Krishna Consciousness managed to propagate the Hindu faith through their missionary activities. But the mosque is officially considered to be Sufi, rather than Dagestani, to avoid association with Russia a result of the Donbas war. The school instead offered distance learning. One such former fighter told Crisis Group that there were several hundred people in Ukraine who, like him, had fought in Syria as affiliates of the Caucasus Emirate and other groups. When you tell them about Russia, they dont [understand] how things are at home. There is also a Sub-Carpathian Reformed Church with about 140,000 members, which is one of the earliest Protestant communities in the country. Muslims make up almost 1 percent of the population in Ukraine, which is predominantly Orthodox Christian. [3], A February 2015 survey by Razumkov Centre, SOCIS, Rating and KIIS gave the following data at oblast level:[18], As of 2018, 87.4% of the population of Ukraine declared to believe in Christianity. [fn]Crisis Group interview, migrant from Dagestan, Kyiv, September 2020.Hide Footnote In early 2021, however, unknown assailants shot at Abakarov in Kyiv and he has now closed the school and left the city. [12]), Fountain of Tears is known as the embodiment of love of one of the last Crimean Khans, Qrm Giray Khan for his young wife a Polish girl in his harem. In practice, these protections are sometimes applied, and sometimes not. European Convention on Extradition, Paris, 13 December 1957; Crisis Group interview, Borys Zakharov, human rights activist, 13 July 2020; . It is estimated than only 3540% of the Jewish population of Ukraine is religious. Ismahilov began working as a military driver for paramedics evacuating the wounded from front lines or besieged towns. Andrew E. Kramer, Islamic battalions, stocked with Chechens, aid Ukraine in war with rebels. On the day after the murder of French schoolteacher Samuel Paty, who was killed by a man of Chechen ancestry in ostensible response to a classroom viewing of caricatures of the prophet Muhammad, Kostekskii released a video in which he described the killing as permitted by Islam and Paty as responsible for his own death. In Ukraine, there is the Spiritual Administration of the Muslims of Crimea (Crimean Tatars), the Spiritual Administration of the Muslims of Ukraine and the Religious Administration of Muslims of Ukraine "Ummah". Many countries in these regions are more than 90% Muslim, including Egypt, Afghanistan, Syria, Pakistan, Turkey, and Iran. [fn]How I became a Ukrainian Muslim, Nakipelo, 20 September 2018 (Russian); Personal experience: Becoming a Muslim and wearing a hijab in Ukraine, Bzh Life, 18 April 2018 (Russian).Hide Footnote, Youth of the second and third generation in longstanding communities of Russian-origin Muslims may be more integrated into Ukrainian society than newcomers. The Lviv airport, moreover, has become a hub for people arriving from Turkey and elsewhere. Crisis Group interview, attorney for Sheikh Mansur battalion, Kyiv, December 2020. According to the 2012 Freedom Report, there were 500,000 Muslims in Ukraine, including 300,000 Crimean Tatars. While some apply for asylum or refugee status, Ukraine has very low rates of approval for either, with thousands of people from all over the world awaiting adjudication and only some 100 per year receiving it. There is a large Muslim population in Crimea -- home to the Crimean Tatars and . Kyiv should work with international partners to ensure that Russian-origin Muslims and other immigrants are fairly vetted in the asylum system and protected against deportation or extradition based on false claims or into the hands of foreign governments that may subject them to abuse. A 2011 Pew Forum study estimated a Ukrainian Muslim population of 393,000, but the Clerical Board of Ukraine's Muslims claimed there were two million Muslims in Ukraine as of 2009. As of 2016, there are 2,973 Evangelical churches, 2,853 churches of the Baptists, 1,082 Seventh-day Adventist churches, 128 Calvinist churches, 79 Lutheran churches, 1,337 churches of Charismatic Christianity, and 1,347 other organizations belonging to the Protestant spectrum (including 928 Jehovah's Witnesses' halls and 44 Latter-day Saints congregations). Ruslan Meiriev, originally from Ingushetia, claims that Ukrainian authorities told him in 2014 that Russia had put him on a wanted list, but that the enemy of my enemy is my friend. A Chechen-origin imam leads the local Khabashi mosque. A further 0.5% were members of the Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church. In the 17th and 18th centuries, Ukraine was divided between Russia, Poland and the Ottoman Empire. Some who took part in the predominantly Russian-origin Muslim battalion discussed earlier now face extradition and deportation to Russia or third countries under summary procedures and, recently, financial and visa sanctions. Islam in Ukraine is the second largest religion after Christianity. Most of Ukraine's Muslims are Crimean Tatars. I know of one Tatar woman who sells things on the internet. People appealing extradition also remain in prison. Hide Footnote, A substantial number of the immigrants come from Dagestan. cit.Hide Footnote, Most Russian-origin Muslim migrants who work outside the home are men. [fn]Crisis Group interviews, Borys Zakharov, human rights activist, 12 July 2020. [fn]Zakharov, Security Service of Ukraine and Human Rights, op. Chechens are not the only Muslim group assisting Ukrainians. Judaism has existed in the Ukrainian lands for approximately 2000 years: Jewish traders appeared in Greek colonies. [fn]Lutsenkos ex-deputy said that information about participation in the anti-terrorist operation of Timur Tumgoyev, whom Ukraine had given to FSB, is a myth, Novoe Vremia, 13 November 2019 (Ukrainian); Ukraine denied asylum to a native of Chechnya: in Russia he is accused of murder, RFE/RL, 30 September 2020 (Russian).Hide Footnote Like asylum appeals, however, they are always time-consuming. Why does it matter? See also Crisis Groups publication on Russian-origin Muslims in Turkey in this series.Hide Footnote, Migrants from Chechnya and others tied to the Kadyrov government are often in tension with those who came to Ukraine at least in part to flee Kadyrov and his people. India has 966.3 million Hindus, who make up 79.8 per cent . Just as Christianity encompasses multiple denominations (Catholic, Lutheran, Mormon, Baptist, etc. [fn]SBU blocked a large-scale scheme of unlawful legalisation of foreigners in Ukraine for further smuggling/transfer to the EU countries, Interfax, 3 November 2020 (Russian).Hide Footnote, Other schemes involve pasting photographs of migrants into old Ukrainian passports. Ukraines ministry of foreign affairs should consider developing its own, independent analysis of the human rights situation in Russia, including as concerns the risk of abuse facing individuals in vulnerable groups and those extradited there to face prosecution. Some advocates blame bias, corruption and informal ties between Russian and Ukrainian security services. The institute of legalised lovers: Why polygamy is becoming the norm in Northern Caucasus, op. Some, however, are on Russias lists erroneously or for apparently political reasons. Muslims make up only approximately 0.9% of the Ukrainian population, but as much as 12% in Crimea. They are committing sins and they have come as murderers and occupiers, on a territory that is the home of Ukrainians and Ukrainian Muslims, without any justification. And at the same time, the traditional muftiate was also trying to work there to lead people away from extremes and radical things. [fn]Crimean Tatars were violently repressed in the 1940s and forced into exile, mainly in Central Asia. Ancient Column with Persian inscription, at the Livadiya Palace in Yalta, Crimea, Ukraine. He also noted that he knew Kadyrovs father and shared his views on fighting extremism. Those extradited included Magomed Dukuzov of Chechnya, suspected of killing Russian Forbes editor-in-chief Paul Khlebnikov in Moscow in 2004. Referencing a series of arrests of Crimean Tartars in the wake of the 2014 annexation, Ismahilov said Muslims in occupied territories do not feel safe. Muslims make up almost 1 percent of the population in Ukraine, which is predominantly Orthodox Christian. Ukrainian prosecutors and courts generally keep people in prison for the full 40 days (even if they have not received all documents) and then on the basis of the extradition request extend imprisonment for up to a year. His defenders say the accusation comes from Russian intelligence. Here are the 10 countries with the highest percentage of Muslims: Religious Composition by Country, 2010-2050 - Pew Research Center, The Future of World Religions: Population Growth Projections, 2010-2050 - Pew Research Center, Muslim Population by Country - World Atlas, Percentage Muslim: Countries Compared - NationMaster 2004, Worlds Muslim population more widespread than you might think. [fn]Crisis Group interview, Borys Zakharov, human rights activist, 12 July 2020.Hide Footnote Moreover, although its legislation is fully in line with international standards, few receive these protections in Ukraine. The Prophet was himself a warrior, Ismahilov says. There is a large Muslim population in Crimea - home to the Crimean Tatars and. It pairs insights from these interviews with data gleaned from academic literature, media reporting and NGO accounts. [fn]Crisis Group interview, migrant from Dagestan, Dnipro, August 2019.Hide Footnote. [fn]Crisis Group interview, migrant from North Caucasus, Kyiv, September 2020.Hide Footnote, Ismagilov, the aforementioned mufti of the Religious Administration of Muslims of Ukraine, described pre-annexation Crimea in particular as a cauldron of different Muslim perspectives. 10. According to a 2011 Pew Forum study estimate, the Ukrainian Muslim population is about 3,93,000, but the Clerical Board of Ukraine's Muslims claim that there are two million Muslims living in Ukraine. Khabashism is a strand of Sufism founded in the mid-1980s by Ethiopian preacher Abdullah al-Harari.Hide Footnote Prior to the start of the Donbas war in 2014, Sheikh Akhmad Tamim, a mufti of the DUMU, also maintained some links to the Kadyrov government in Grozny, although if such ties continue they are now kept comparatively quiet. Crisis Group interview, Afghan migrant, Odesa, September 2019. Muslim Marriage in the UKraine. Suspected in the murder of Amina Okueva are detained in Ukraine, Deutsche Welle, 12 June 2020 (Russian); By the nickname of Dingo: The killer who attacked Osmayev and Okuyev is connected to Kadyrov and carried a passport of a murdered Odesa citizen, Dumskaya, 2 June 2017 (Russian).Hide Footnote Migrants report that Kadyrovs networks in Ukraine have become more influential recently and more closely tied to national and local authorities. One Ukrainian official estimated that approximately six of ten marriages between Ukrainians and foreigners are motivated accordingly. [fn]Two volunteer battalions comprising predominantly Russian-origin Muslims fought for Ukraine: the Djokhar Dudaev Battalion and the Sheikh Mansur Battalion. Ukraines international partners should support its efforts to improve in both areas. The population includes smaller percentages of Protestants, Jews and Muslims. . Crisis Group interview, migrant from North Caucasus, Kyiv, September 2020. Salman Sadaev, who headed the Chechen Peoples Diaspora Foundation, told the Russian newspaper Kommersant in 2012 that there were perhaps 3,000-5,000 Chechens total in all of Ukraine. Judaism was the religion of 0.4%; while Buddhism, Paganism and Hinduism were each the religions of 0.1% of the population. [2] The religion has a long history in Ukraine dating back to Berke Khan of the Ulug Ulus (Golden Horde) in the 13th century and the establishment of the Crimean Khanate in the 15th century. One told Crisis Group his conversations with interior ministry officials indicate that they fear Kyiv would be overwhelmed if legal status was easier to obtain: There would be such a flow of refugees that we wouldnt be able to deal with them. Crisis Group interview, migrant from North Caucasus, Odesa, April 2019. [fn]Crisis Group interview, volunteer battalion representative, Kyiv, December 2020; Extradition of soldiers at the request of the Russian Federation undermines the defense capability of Ukraine Golos, Interfax Ukraine, 4 December 2020. Moreover, even if an extradition is successfully contested or otherwise cancelled, there is of course no guarantee that the person in question will be able to legally remain in Ukraine. For example, migrants told Crisis Group that Arslan Guseinov, murdered in Kyiv in October 2019, was targeted in a [criminal] fight over a Moscow restaurant. The country with the largest number of Muslims overall is Indonesia, which is home to an estimated 231 million Muslims. Ukraine. [fn]Ibid.Hide Footnote In one court hearing, a Migration Service staff member referred to the Russian constitution in saying: There is no torture or inhuman treatment in Russia it is not officially enshrined anywhere. An elderly Volga Tatar, who has been living in Ukraine since a young age, told Crisis Group that he did not understand and did not like how new migrants from Tatarstan, members of Hizb ut-Tahrir, treat their wives and women in general: Husband and wife [should be] one stock, roughly speaking, they have united to live in peace and friendship, and not to put pressure on each other, to keep the wife at a distance in order to serve or cook food, because he is a man and everything is allowed to him, he said. On the small number of Russian-origin Muslims who fought the government of Ukraine and settled down in the self-proclaimed Donetsk and Luhansk Peoples Republics, see . The war continues and we have no idea what is happening in the occupied territories and what situation Muslims are in there he said. They drive taxis, work as security guards, labour on construction sites, lead prayers at mosques, farm and sell products at Ukraines markets. Far-right Ukrainian nationalist groups such as Freedom have assaulted members of the Moscow Patriarchate and otherwise harassed them. Of its 47 cases between 2017 and 2018, the Kharkiv Human Rights Group won fourteen outright and obtained some leniency from the courts in twelve. A further 11.0% declared themselves non-religious or unaffiliated. Strictly prescribed gender roles are also common among fundamentalist Muslims from all parts of Russia (and elsewhere). [fn]Crisis Group interview, migrant from North Caucasus, Dnipro, August 2019.Hide Footnote, When it comes to place of worship, Odesa Muslims seem to divide themselves by place of origin: two mosques serve the Afghan community, with a third planned. [fn]Crisis Group interview, Borys Zakharov, human rights activist, 12 July 2020.Hide Footnote Some activists also say authorities may be biased against Muslims and/or prone to dismiss fears of persecution in Russia. From mid-2010 to mid-2016 alone, the share of Muslims in Europe rose more than 1 percentage point, from 3.8% to 4.9% (from 19.5 million to 25.8 million). There is a large Muslim population in Crimea home to the Crimean Tatars and illegally annexed by Russian in 2014. 35-36.Hide Footnote. The . On Saturday, few local residents were present, having journeyed west with their families. . [fn]Ataev, Islam in Ukraine, pp. Muslim clerics in Russia have backed Vladimir Putin's offensive and tried to rally the support of Russia's estimated 20 million or more Muslims (at least 14 percent of the country's . [51], In territories not controlled by the government of Ukraine, Jehovah's Witnesses have faced persecution by Russian and separatist authorities. [fn]Andrew E. Kramer, Islamic battalions, stocked with Chechens, aid Ukraine in war with rebels, The New York Times, 7 July 2015. [44][45][46], The most famous temple is located in Khortytsia in Zaporizhzhia. We'll assist you in finding a partner who shares your values and religious principles, and with whom you can build a happy life together. In an . Muslim journalist Dilly Hussain shares implicit messages from the political and media establishment on the status and worth of Muslims in the West . [4], Sunni Islam of the Hanafi school is the largest non-Christian religion in Ukraine, and the majority of Ukrainian Muslims are Crimean Tatars. Whats new? "Religious Composition by Country, 2010-2050", "To the 71st Anniversary of Crimean Tatars deportation - Publications - Embassy of Ukraine in the Kingdom of Thailand", "Spiritual Administration of Muslims of Ukraine", "About number and composition population of Ukraine by data: All-Ukrainian population census 2001 data", "2012 Report on International Religious Freedom - Ukraine", "The Future of the Global Muslim Population", https://web.archive.org/web/20090131210406/http://islamyat.org/ Clerical Board of Ukraine's Muslims, Ukrainian translations of the Meanings of the Glorious Qur'an: Problems and Prospects. The European Convention on Extradition allows for eighteen days of provisional arrest absent receipt of extradition and supporting documents, and 40 days total. Among the remaining Orthodox Ukrainians, 34.7% declared to be "just Orthodox", without affiliation to any patriarchate, while a further 2.8% declared that they "did not know" which patriarchate or Orthodox church they belonged to. The number of migrants from Russia is significantly larger, as only some migrants apply for asylum. [32][33][34] The church uses Ukrainian language as its liturgical language.[35]. Islam under occupation: How the religious life of the Crimean Tatars changed after the annexation, Krymsos, 23 June 2015 (Russian).Hide Footnote. Instead the congregation was made up of soldiers or combat medics from different units: Crimean Tatars and Ukrainian converts from Kharkiv, Kyiv and western Ukraine. The last wave [of migrants includes] people who were inspired by the slogans of the Revolution of Dignity, and they reasoned that if Russia and Ukraine are at war, then Ukraine will shelter us, said Anvar Derkach, a Ukrainian activist. [fn]Crisis Group interviews, migrants from throughout the North Caucasus, Odesa, 2019-2020.Hide Footnote In addition to new immigrants from Russia, notably Dagestan, Odesa also has a substantial international Muslim population, including some 6,000 people from Afghanistan and many from Turkey. While they lack a formal mosque, as of 2019, Dnipros 150 or so Salafis attended prayers in a building owned by a Ukrainian citizen of Azerbaijani origin, and another hundred or so attended a prayer house tied to Al-Raid/Ummah. Some, particularly those who have been in Ukraine for many years, have become affluent. Turkish authorities allege that his followers infiltrated state institutions and orchestrated a 2016 coup attempt.Hide Footnote He clarified: I mean radical not in the sense of violence; in Ukraine this does not exist at all. Ukrainian authorities do not record applicants religion or home region. The governor of the Luhansk region said on Saturday that Russian forces are now pressing toward the border with the neighboring Donetsk region. Those who run afoul of the law risk deportation or, if wanted by Russian authorities, extradition to Russia, even as both human rights organisations and Ukrainian nationalists decry cooperation with Russian security services, the latter protesting any engagement with Ukraines antagonist in the Donbas war. Crisis Group interview, Borys Zakharov, human rights activist, 12 July 2020. In December 1996, the All-Ukrainian Council of Churches and Religious Organizations was formed with the objective of uniting around 9095% of religious communities of Ukraine. Crisis Group interview, Tatar diaspora representative, Ukraine, 24 November 2020. As of 2016, Islam was the religion of 1.1% of the population of Ukraine. So I follow his example and I also will not run, or hide. Russian media has also frequently denounced Jehovah's Witnesses and the Kyiv Patriarchate as being "pro-fascist". It is also highly rare among people of the Soviet generation (that is, over the age of 50). People appealing extradition also remain in prison. [fn]Illegal immigrants entered Ukraine disguised as volunteers, Korrespondent, 23 August 2019 (Russian).Hide Footnote, A small industry has emerged to offer forged documents. Ukraine Muslims pray for victory, end of occupation. Any country in which Muslims make up 50% or more of the population is considered a Muslim majority country. cit., pp. Hizb ut-Tahrir had about 1,500 adherents in Crimea prior to annexation. There is a large Muslim population in Crimea - home to the Crimean Tatars and illegally annexed by Russian in 2014. [fn]How the SBU and the GPU are claiming refugees to be Islamic terrorists, Hromadske.ua, 28 October 2016 (Russian).Hide Footnote In 2016, however, Ukraine arrested him on charges of membership in a terrorist organisation. But many have nowhere to go. The UN High Commissioner for Refugees works with four local partner NGOs to support asylum seekers. Ukraine might also take steps to offer people who are on Interpol wanted lists some alternatives, in cases that warrant it, to lengthy detentions without recourse to bail. It also benefits from Crisis Groups years of fieldwork in many of the countries concerned, including Russia, Ukraine, Georgia and Turkey. [fn]While denying ties with Ramzan Kadyrov, Mufti Akhmad Tamim has praised the Chechen president for combating Wahhabism. Crisis Group interview, Said Ismagilov, Kyiv, September 2019. According to the UN High Commissioner for Refugees representative in Ukraine, some 6,500 asylum seekers were awaiting Ukrainian adjudication as of mid-2019. [fn]Crisis Group interview, migrant from the North Caucasus, Odesa, April 2019.Hide Footnote A 2013 media report cited estimates for the citys total Muslim population as ranging from 30,000 to 50,000 people. Over the last 30 years, the country has been an appealing destination for people fleeing war in the North Caucasus, seeking opportunity or escaping circumscribed lives in Russia. By Nursi-ists, Ismagilov meant followers of the teachings of the late Kurdish Sunni Islamic scholar from Turkey, Said i-Nursi, who was active in the early and mid-2oth century. The title of its primate is "His Beatitude (name), Metropolitan of Kyiv and all Ukraine". The citys only official mosque, he told Crisis Group, was founded by Dagestanis who came to Dnipro in their student days. The incoming artillery shook the ground. As of 2014, according to Kamil Zakarev, who held a formal role representing the Russian region in Ukraine at the time, there were some 27,000 people of Dagestani origin in Ukraine. Others arrange for fraudulent proof of employer sponsorship or of a volunteer relationship with a local NGO. Lev Sylenko founded the Church of the Native Ukrainian National Faith (RUNVira) in 1966 in Chicago, United States, and only opened their first temple in the mother country of Ukraine after the breakup of the Soviet Union in 1991. [51], There are ongoing disputes of jurisdiction between the Ukrainian Orthodox Church Kyiv Patriarchate and the Ukrainian Orthodox Church Moscow Patriarchate, which split as a consequence of the Russian military intervention. [fn]Evgen Zakharov (ed. Crisis Group online interview, Hizb ut-Tahrir member, Kyiv, 25 November 2020. [29], On 27 May 2022, the Ukrainian Orthodox Church formally cut ties and declared independence from the Russian Orthodox Church. [43], Hinduism is a minority faith in Ukraine. The largest Muslim community in Ukraine outside of Crimea is in Kyiv. In November 2020, Ukrainian counter-intelligence reported that they had subverted a large-scale illegal scheme that led to confiscation of nearly 150 fake passports and revocation of citizenship for 50 people. Hide Footnote, When authorities formally investigate migrants from Russia, whether in asylum or criminal cases, they may rely on information supplied by the Russian Federation. Including Greek Catholics (9.4%) and Latin Catholics (0.8%). The Muslim community of the town of Kostiantynivka in eastern Ukraine is still hopeful for "peace and goodness" amid the recent escalation of tensions in the region. They are prominent in local competitions and as coaches and trainers. [1][3], As of 2018, Christianity was particularly strong in westernmost Ukrainian regions, where most Greek Catholics lived. In Crimea, there were whole villages of Salafis or Madhalites. Crisis Group interview, migrant from Dagestan, Kyiv, September 2020. Pure Russian speech, with an Odesa accent. As of 2016, there is only one officially registered church belonging to Armenian Catholics.[38]. Muslims are mostly concentrated in Donbas, where they make up 6.0% of the population. Islam in Ukraine is a minority religious affiliation with Muslims representing around 0.9% of the total population as of 2016. [11] According to Said Ismagilov, the mufti of Ummah, in February 2016 one million Muslims lived in Ukraine. Domination of Little Russia by Great Russia (from 1721) eventually led to the decline of Uniate Catholicism (officially founded in 1596) in the Ukrainian lands under Tsarist control. Other Turkic peoples indigenous to Ukraine, predominantly found in South and south-east Ukraine, practice other forms of Islam. It spends a substantial amount of its effort on raising awareness, including through the media, of the problems Muslim migrants face in Ukraine. Iran has cancelled its dreaded "morality police" in the wake of continuing protests following the September death in police custody of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini, the country's chief prosecutor has said. They take care of children. A small but steady flow of Russian-origin Muslims to Ukraine is drawn by an existing migrant population and familiar languages and cultures. In Kyiv, a Hizb ut-Tahrir member from Tatarstan said his daughters classmates are at most curious about the hijab she wears, adding that his family has faced no derision or discrimination. Interestingly, while the countries listed above have the most Muslims overall, many smaller countries have a higher concentration of Muslim citizens. [fn]Is Odesa a sanatorium for radical Islamists?, Ritm Evrazii, 29 October 2019 (Russian).Hide Footnote, In 2020, Abakarov shifted his attention to Kyiv, where he launched the Eagles Sport School. Click Manage settings for more information and to manage your choices. Announcements The Ecumenical Patriarchate", ": ", ". ; A girl from a family of Crimean Tatars became a winner of the Ukrainian language Olympiad, Westnews, 12 February 2019 (Ukrainian). Crisis Group consultants interview in previous capacity, representative of Caucasus Emirate, Istanbul, 2016; and Crisis Group interview, representative of Caucasus Emirate, Istanbul, 2019. Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Decree of the President of Ukraine, No 203/2021, 21 May 2021.Hide Footnote, While perhaps overlooking some of the security and other considerations behind the governments actions, both supporters of these fighters and other migrants expressed concern that if Kyiv behaves this way toward Russian-origin Muslims whom it expressly welcomed to take up arms on its behalf, then it cannot be relied upon to continue welcoming others, either. Moreover, they should develop better protections to guard against the extradition of those who might face abuse in Russia, including by being prepared to try and incarcerate those who may be subject to prosecution in Ukraine. (2013) // ", "Religious Belief and National Belonging in Central and Eastern Europe", " : , , - - ( )", "Religious preferences of the population of Ukraine". cit., pp. The Armenian Catholic Church has a very small presence. [fn]Crisis Group interviews, Caucasus Emirate and Takfir-wal-Hijra representatives, Kyiv, September 2020. [fn]Teymur Ataev, Islam in Ukraine: Past, Present, Future (Kyiv, 2018), pp. In the 19th century, it was divided between Russia and Austria-Hungary. The Ozbek Han Mosque in Staryi Krym, the . [fn]PGO: In 2018-2019, thirteen people were extradited to Russia, RFE/RL Ukraine, 2 October 2019 (Ukrainian); Protection of Asylum Seekers, op. Family relationships vary in part according to these same divisions. By Nursi-ists, Ismagilov meant followers of the teachings of the late Kurdish Sunni Islamic scholar from Turkey, Said i-Nursi, who was active in the early and mid-2oth century. Muslims are followers of the religion Islam, who believe in and live by the teachings of the prophet Muhammad. Since before the outbreak of the war in Donbas in 2014, but even more violently so from that year onwards, there has been unrest between pro-Ukrainian and pro-Russian religious groups in the country. At that time, Kyiv was approving some 100 claims per year and rejecting most, including from Syrian war refugees. An article by Mykhaylo Yakubovych, Reception of Islam in Early Modern Europe, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Islam_in_Ukraine&oldid=1122922809, Articles with dead external links from November 2022, Short description is different from Wikidata, Articles with unsourced statements from January 2017, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0. The current headquarters of RUNVira is in Spring Glen, New York, United States. Ukrainian women who married our men are more likely to work they sew in shops or cut hair in salons. Others shrugged it off and continued to drink their tea and eat dates. Standing amid the charred remains of a roadside hotel on a major highway near Kyiv, Isa Akayev explained what drove him to build his Muslim volunteer unit and fight for Ukraine. cit.Hide Footnote, In some cases, as discussed below, migrant men seek Ukrainian wives to establish legal residency and eventually citizenship. People who seek polygamous marriages are more likely to go outside their family and close community networks, in part because they do not want people in those networks to find out. Ukrainian population, but as much as 12 % in Crimea -- home to the Moscow patriarch since the and! Any country in which Muslims make up 50 % or more of the countries concerned including. 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