Muzułmanie w Bułgarii 1878–1912

Popek, Krzysztof

Muzułmanie w Bułgarii 1878–1912

Abstract

In 1878, the Balkan Peninsula underwent crucial changes, of which the most important ones dealt with the Bulgarian state. Instead of “Greater Bulgaria” proposed after the San Stefano Treaty, two entities came into existence: the Principality of Bulgaria and Eastern Rumelia. Neither of them, however, constituted a truly independent state, the former being a Turkish vassal and a Russian protectorate while the latter an autonomous province of the Ottoman Empire. Like the whole area of the Balkans, they were ethnically and religiously heterogenous. In particular, both were inhabited by many Muslims, 527 thousand in the Principality (26 pct. of the population) and 175 thousand in Eastern Rumelia (21 pct.). Later on, their number systematically declined. After the Unification, in 1887, 676 thousand (21 pct.) Muslims inhabited the whole Bulgarian territory; in 1900, 643 thousand (17 pct.); and in 1905, 603 thousand (15 pct.). Although considered a minority in Bulgaria, Muslims actually constituted a heterogenous group, consisting of Turks, Pomaks (native Bulgarian Muslims), Roma, Tatars, and—before the Russo-Turkish War (1877–1878)—Circassians. Most of them inhabited two Bulgarian regions, its northeastern part and the Rhodope mountains, located in the south; their small communities, however, lived throughout the whole territory. The Bulgarian policy towards the Muslim minority from 1878 to 1912 can be divided into two periods, separated by the year 1885. During the first period, from 1878 to 1885, Sofia’s authorities led a harsh policy towards Muslims, violating minority rights guaranteed by the constitution. Eastern Rumelia showed the opposite attitude: After the Russian occupation, the Islamic community encountered a tolerant attitude there. In 1885, a liberal period started, also in the Principality. It lasted until the krastilka, the forced Christianization of Rhodope Pomaks, which happened in 1912. It is difficult to assess the Muslim minority’s situation in the Bulgarian lands at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries. From a political point of view, their situation was not bad. Postwar repressions quickly ended, a point constantly overlooked by Western and Turkish historians. The only anti-Muslim actions that the Bulgarian state organized were those against armed resistance and banditry. During that time, Eastern Rumelia accepted Muslim separatism, and neither of the Bulgarian governments supported Christianization actions or other forms of assimilation. Despite that, many Muslims emigrated (350 thousand from 1878 to 1912), although not because of governmental actions. They had full civil rights, so they could participate in the political life at the central and local levels. They failed to fully use these rights, but it was their own fault or decision. The states respected religious-educational autonomy, so Muslims had their own religious communes and schools, both playing crucial roles in their social life and education. From an economic point of view, however, the Muslim minority’s situation was far worse than that from the political point of view. The “Agrarian Revolution” strongly affected their lives, as many became victims of confiscations, lost their economic position, disappeared from cities, and moved to rural areas, where they became poor peasants, isolated from accelerating modernization that Bulgarian agriculture and industry encountered. From a cultural point of view, Muslims also diminished their position. Islamic culture lost its dominance in this part of the Balkans. It was particularly visible in cities, which gradually de-Ottomanized and Europeanized. Muslims still had their own schools and press, but they faced various financial and organizational problems. The schools focused mainly on religious education and offered poor education. The press suffered from censorship: not only in the Ottoman Empire, but also in Bulgaria criticizing the Hamidian regime more often than not meant the end of a Muslim newspaper.