By Vestnik Kavkaza
Last week the deputy Secretary of State of the USA for political affairs Wendy Sherman met the former head of the parliament of the Crimean Tatars Mustafa Jemilev. Sherman stated about protection of human rights in Ukraine, including the Crimean Tatars, stressing that the USA “would never recognize the annexation of Crimea by Russia.” Jemilev expressed gratitude to Washington for the support of the Crimean Tatars “who appeared to be in a difficult situation in Crimea,” “many of them are forced to choose between Russian citizenship and being dismissed, expelled from universities or even deprived of the right to vote.” Earlier, Jemilev said that Russian troops won’t let him enter Crimea.
Moscow counts on other leaders of the Crimean Tatars. Recently, the chairman of the Council of Muftis of Russia, Ravil Gainutdin, visited Crimea.
“When the Crimean residents expressed their desire to join Russia, various social, political activists, including religious activists, visited Crimea. However, we see no certain results. The Crimean Tatars were not enthusiastic and they didn’t understand why the activists came to Crimea. We were invited to Crimea by the chairman of the Spiritual Department of the Muslims of Crimea, Mufti Emirali haji Ablayev, to conduct negotiations with the Spiritual Department of the Muslims of Crimea and society – the creative intelligentsia, business elite, students, ordinary people. We had many meetings for two days in Simferopol.”
Gainutdin explains the positive results of his trip were due to diplomacy: “We told them immediately: “We haven’t come to teach you, urge you or persuade you. We have come to listen to you. What are your fears? What are your concerns? Why do the Crimean Tatars have ideas about emigration? Why? What concerns you? Be sincere with us and we will listen to you and we will try to support you and help you. Be sincere with us. The 20-million Muslim Ummah is concerned about you, praying for you and for the future of your children and grandchildren to be cloudless, peaceful, for we could develop, build our future after the return to the historic motherland.” When we began to talk like brothers, they felt our sincerity. They saw that we were their brothers.”
According to Gainutdin, the Crimean Tatars demand to adopt a law on rehabilitation and register lands which belong to the Crimean Tatar population, as well as return of mosques, madrasah and other buildings which used to belong to the Islamic community. Moreover, the Crimean Tatars are concerned about the development of schooling and higher education in their native language.
