Muslims in Ukraine

 

Ukraine is a state in Eastern Europe. It is the second largest country in Europe after Russia. Ukraine is bordered by Poland, Slovakia and Hungary to the west, Romania and Moldova to the southwest, the Black Sea and the Azov Sea to the south. Kievan has been part of Russia since the ninth century. Kievan Russia was the first important East Slavic state. It collapsed during the Mongol invasion in the 13th century. For centuries after that, Ukraine was under the sway of various foreign powers. These include Poland and the Russian Empire. In 1917 a Bolshevik communist government was established in Ukraine. In 1922, Ukraine became one of the four founding members of the Soviet Union. Ukraine declared independence in 1991 and was supported by the Ukrainian people in a referendum on 1 December. This declaration of Ukraine played a major role in the collapse of the Soviet Union.

The population of the country is about 43 million. Most of these people are Christians. According to the 2020 census, there are 246,193 Crimean Tatars, 63,304 Volga Tatars, 45,16 Azeri, 12,353 Uzbeks, 8,844 Turks, 8,575 Arabs and 5,526 Kazakhs living in Ukraine. The 2012 Freedom Report estimates that Ukraine has a Muslim population of 500,000, including 300,000 Crimean Tatars. The Clerical Board claims that as of 2009, there were 2 million Muslims in Ukraine. According to Ummah Mufti Saeed Ismagilov, 1 million Muslims lived in Ukraine in February 2016. In Ukraine, the Sunni Hanafi sect of Islam is predominant, and the majority of Ukrainian Muslims are Crimean Tatars. Indigenous peoples of Ukraine, other Turks, Living mainly in southern and southeastern Ukraine, they practice other forms of Islam. These include the Volga Tatars, the Azeris, the North Caucasian ethnic group, and the Uzbeks. Most Muslims in the region live along the Crimean border. In addition, there are some Lipka, Tatar people living in the Valhania and Podolia areas, who are Muslims. Most of the Muslims in the area are mainly Crimean Tatars.

The history of the arrival of Islam in Ukraine is related to the Crimean Tatars. Islam has existed in Ukraine since before the establishment of the Crimean dynasty in the 15th century. Their descendants established the Crimean Khanate in southern Ukraine in the 15th century. Later, however, it became part of Russia. At that time, there were 18 mosques and many madrasas in the Crimean town of Bakhchisarai, but about 160,000 Muslims were forced to leave Crimea by Russian persecution.

Since then, millions of Muslims have been expelled from the region on various false charges. Later, in 1979, the Crimean Tatars began to repatriate to their homeland. Since then the number of Muslims has been increasing little by little. There are currently 160 mosques, which are growing more and more over time. The first mosque in the region is Masjid Ar Rahman. From 1998 to 2000, the first mosque for Muslims was built in the city of Tatarka in Kiev, Ukraine.

There are currently hundreds of Muslim communities in Ukraine. These communities usually have prayer rooms, conference halls, internet clubs, sports training halls, playgrounds and a large library of Islamic books. At their initiative, various steps were taken for the Islamic education of Muslims of all ages. In addition, seminars are organized at different times of the year to give Islamic guidance to the new Muslims. During the Corona, food distribution programs, blood donation programs, etc. were carried out among the poor and helpless at the initiative of Muslim communities.In the meantime, they have been able to open a separate radio station for Muslims called 'Assalamu Alaikum'. They also have a weekly and fortnightly magazine in Russian and Arabic called 'R Rayed'. There is a separate cultural organization called 'Ansar'. The work of Tabligh Jamaat is also going on in Ukraine.

The Muslims of Ukraine are spreading the message of peace throughout Ukraine by engaging in various social activities besides Islam. Last year, one million trees were planted in 24 hours across Ukraine at the initiative of the Muslims there. A few years ago, when political unrest broke out in Ukraine, Muslims set up various signboards on the streets of the capital, Kiev, to promote Islam. As a result, anti-Islamic activities in the country have come down a lot. The verses and hadiths of the Holy Quran are written on 16 signboards on the main roads of the capital.