Islam and Muslims in Poland and wider Europe

Islam w Europie Wschodniej – historia i dzień. dzisiejszy. Polska, Litwa, Białoruś, Łotwa, Estonia, obwód kaliningradzki [Islam in Eastern Europe – the history and the present]

by Agata S. Nalborczyk

Published in: „Disputatio” X, 2010, pp. 73-95.

Eastern Europe is a very interesting region in terms of the presence of Muslims. They have been living there for more... more Eastern Europe is a very interesting region in terms of the presence of Muslims. They have been living there for more than 600 years.

This mere fact escapes the attention of many researchers and experts in Islam, including European Islam, and above all it escapes the attention of the journalists from Western Europe. Usually, they write about Islam as a new phenomenon for the European societies and underline its alien character, and a difficulty (or impossibility) of integration of Muslims with European societies arising from that. Or, even a difficulty (or impossibility) of becoming loyal citizens of European states. Meanwhile, Muslims in Eastern Europe are integrated with the wide society, they speak the local language well and they feel they belong to the society. In history they gave proofs of their commitment to their new homelands.

These are mainly Polish-Lithuanian Muslims whose ancestors had been settled in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania since the 14th century in exchange for military service. At present they mainly live within the borders of Poland, Lithuania and Belarus, i.e. in the former territories of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. In effect of Russian, later Soviet, domination in Eastern Europe these Muslims can also be found at present in Latvia, Estonia and in the Kaliningrad District. The latter, prior to 1945, belonged to the German East Prussia. Many of them are Tatars but Azeris and Muslims from the Central Asia also form a significant group. The ethnic component of Muslim communities in Eastern Europe is, then, completely different from what is known in Western Europe. The Eastern European Muslims have been included into the sphere of the European culture for ages.

Eastern European states, because of the tradition of Muslim presence within their borders, the tradition of multifaith and multiethnic society, have at their disposal developed legal instruments to form their relationship with Islam, or with non-Christian religions broadly speaking. In most of these states, excluding Belarus, Islam, as an officially recognized religion, enjoys similar privileges as other registered religions. Mosques, often of historical value, are active; there are Muslim cemeteries; there is a possibility of giving the children Muslim religious instruction, quite often in public schools; ritual slaughter is permitted. All these elements mean that essential conditions for leading religious life are present. Something that is often hardly attainable for Muslims in the West, e.g. in France or in Germany.

The article presents the history of the presence of Muslims in Eastern Europe, their present numbers, and legal and religious situation of Muslim minorities in separate states.

Poland

by Agata S. Nalborczyk

co-authored with Stanisław Grodź, published in: "Yearbook of Muslims in Europe," vol. 3, 2011, J. S. Nielsen, S. Akgönül, A. Alibašić, H. Goddard, B. Maréchal (eds) (Leiden: Brill),  pp. 433-445.

Muslim communities and Islamic network institutions in Ukraine: contesting authorities in shaping of Islamic localities

by Oleg Yarosh

Co-authored with Denys Brylov, published in: Muslims in Poland and Eastern Europe: widening the European Discourse on Islam (ed. by Katarzyna Górak-Sosnowska), Warsaw, 2011

The heterogeneous nature and inner diversity of Islam as a religious tradition is reflected in Ukraine in full scale.... more The heterogeneous nature and inner diversity of Islam as a religious tradition is reflected in Ukraine in full scale. Despite a relatively small number of Muslims in the country, different and even contesting Islamic institutions are present, which makes Islamic tradition in Ukraine extremely polarized. Local conditions of Islamic revival (including religious, ethnocultural and political), of constructing and reconstructing Islamic institutions, have shaped the understanding and practice of Islam among Ukrainian Muslims. On the other hand, these conditions are under the influence of international Islamic network institutions, bringing their disputes and feuds into the Ukrainian context.

Польские татары: откуда и куда?

by Agata S. Nalborczyk

"Весь Мир" ("The Whole World" - international newspaper from Kazakhstan), 5 (33), Nov.-Dec. 2011.

Between the east and the west: The penetration of contemporary Islam into Poland

by Daniel Boćkowski

Published in “Limes” 2009, Vol. 2, No. 1, s. 39-46; DOI:10.3846/2029-0187.2009.1.39-47

Islamic religious education in Poland – curricula and textbooks

by Agata S. Nalborczyk

published in: "Islamic textbooks and curricula in Europe" ed. by Ednan Aslan. Peter Lang: Franfurt/M, 181-196.
this text is partially based on the results of the project “Islamic religious education in Poland” conducted in 2009 by the author together with students and Ph.D. students: Miłosława Fijałkowska, Patrycja Przybyłowicz, Martyna Kałka, Nina Mocior and Joanna Mackiewicz

In Poland, pursuant to Article 53, paragraph 4 of the Constitution, every religious organization with a regulated... more In Poland, pursuant to Article 53, paragraph 4 of the Constitution, every religious organization with a regulated legal status has the right to teach its religion in schools. In practice, however, religious education classes can be organized when there are at least seven students of a particular denomination in one school. All religious organizations have the right to organize after-school religious education and to establish denominational schools.
The number of Muslims in Poland is estimated at 25-30 thousand, which amounts to 0.05-0.08 percent of the total population of Poland. Because of this fact, Islam is taught in schools only in Bialystok and Warsaw, places where Muslims are more numerous. These classes are organized by two Muslim religious organizations officially recognized by the state: the Muslim Religious Union (the MZR) and the Muslim League. Both of them have their own curricula and textbooks, the latter are rather outdated (and not numerous. The Ministry of Education approved a school curriculum for Muslim religious instruction in 2004 (prepared by the MZR).
The paper discusses the existing curricula and textbooks used in classes, taking into consideration the legal framework for conducting Muslim religious instruction, methods of curriculum preparation and the lack of suitable textbooks for several stages of education.

Muslim Women in Poland and Lithuania. Tatar tradition, religious practice, hijab and marriage

by Agata S. Nalborczyk

published in:  "Gender and Religion in Central and Eastern Europe" (2009), ed. by: E. Adamiak, M. Chrząstowska, Ch. Methuen, S. Sobkowiak.  Faculty of Theology Adam Mickiewicz University: Poznań, p. 58-69.

Muslims have been living in the territories of present-day Poland and Lithuania for over 600 years. Their history is... more Muslims have been living in the territories of present-day Poland and Lithuania for over 600 years. Their history is described in numerous works, which, however, concentrate on Muslim participation in armed fighting and their legal and political situation. It can be concluded, based on the very sparse mentions of Tatar women and their legal, political, or religious situation in historical works, that since the nineteenth century they have been functioning in society in the same way as their Christian contemporaries, and in the twentieth century their situation also looked similar.

Contemporary Tatar women present a relatively high level of religious knowledge. They are able to justify why they do not wear hijab; they take part in religious practices, sometimes even in greater numbers than men; and some of them hold the function of Muslim community leaders. They are, therefore, a specific group of Muslim women when contrasted with all other female Muslims. Tatar women integrate with the local, Polish and Lithuanian, community, but, at the same time, preserve their Muslim identity and religious practices.

At the end of the twentieth century, a new group of Muslim women appeared in Poland and Lithuania. These Muslim women exist in the immigrant Islamic communities. They represent a different attitude towards women and their place in the community, one characterized by Arab Islam. They are as religious as Tatar women, but probably on average less educated in religious matters.

It will be interesting to see what the future of the Muslim community in Poland and Lithuania will be and particularly how the Tatar experience will influence other Muslim women and their religious practice in future generations.

Islam In Poland the Past and the Present

by Agata S. Nalborczyk

published in "ISLAMOCHRISTIANA" 32/2006, p. 225-238.

The co-existence of Christians and Muslims in Poland has a long history and is indeed intertwined with that of the... more The co-existence of Christians and Muslims in Poland has a long history and is indeed intertwined with that of the Polish nation itself. The Muslim presence in the territory actually started in the 14th century and increased in number in the following centuries. These Muslims were mainly of the Tatar origin and they have maintained, down the centuries, their Sunnite faith of the Hanafite School. They were progressively recognized by the Nation and in 1936 by the Polish State. After the Communist period, new problems appeared. In addition to the historical presence of Tatars there was Muslim immigration - coming mostly from the Arab countries - which surpassed those of Tatar origin. This phenomenon has led on the one hand to an internal difficulty for the Muslims themselves and on the other hand to difficulties in relations with the State. It poses the problem of identity and representation. There is a need to revisit and update the Act of Parliament of 1936 in keeping with the new situation. Although the global percentage estimated by Muslims in Poland may be less that 1% of the national population, the relationships of Muslim-Christian dialogue  are good. In 1997, the Common Council of Catholics and Muslims was established and the Polish Episcopal Conference agreed on an annual "Day of Islam" set for 26th January.

Relations between Islam and the state in Poland: the legal position of Polish Muslims

by Agata S. Nalborczyk

co-authored with Paweł Borecki (Department of Confessional Law,, University of Warsaw),
published in "Islam and Christian-Muslim Relations", 22:3, 2011, 343-359.

Relations between the Polish state and Muslims living in its territory have a long history dating back to the... more Relations between the Polish state and Muslims living in its territory have a long history dating back to the fourteenth century, when a Muslim presence was first established in the area. The first Muslims to arrive in Poland were Tatars from the Golden Horde. Their influx continued for a few centuries and they were granted land in exchange for military service. The nature of mutual relations changed with time, along with changes in the structure of the state. Initially, there was a Polish-Lithuanian monarchy, but after 1795 the area inhabited by the Tatars fell under the rule of the Russian Empire. In 1918–1939, the reborn Polish state granted its inhabitants religious freedom and, even though Catholicism was privileged, Islam was officially recognized in 1936. The socialist state, in existence between 1944 and 1989, took an ideological stance against all religions. Since 1989, Poland has been a democratic state under the rule of law characterized by separation of state and religion. Thanks to the centuries-long presence of Tatars in Poland, Islam is an officially recognized denomination and the position of Muslims is much better than that of other religious minorities. This article details the historical development of relations between the Polish state and Muslims. The section on the twentieth century provides an analysis of relations between the state and religion and a description of Islam-related legislation in the Constitution and religious law, focusing on regulations concerning religious practices including marriage, dress code, ritual slaughter and religious instruction in school.