Muslim Romani people

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Costume of a Romani woman (most likely Muslim Roma).

Muslim Roma in Bosnia (around 1900)

Muslimansko Roma or Muslimanenge Roma in Balkan Romani language, are Romani people, who adopted Sunni Islam of Hanafi madhab and Ottoman culture. Some of them are Derviş of Sufism belief, and the biggest Tariqa of Jerrahi is located at the largest Muslim Roma settlement in Europe in Šuto Orizari. Muslim Roma practice Religious male circumcision (Sunet Byav),^[1] the boys are circumcised at the age of five, because the number 5 (panč) is a sacred symbol among the romani people. Islam among Roma is historically associated with life of Roma within the Ottoman Empire, because Muslim Roma were preferred in the Ottoman Empire and Roma converted to Islam under Ottoman rule. Muslim Roma was settled in Rumelia (Ottoman Balkans) from Anatolia and Ottoman Cyprus. Evliya Çelebi mentioned in his Seyahatnâme book, that Mehmed the Conqueror, after 1453, brought the Muslim Romani from Balat, Didim and Gümülcine to Istanbul, and that they worked as Musicians there.^[2] Correspondingly, significant cultural minorities of Muslim Roma are found in Turkey (majority live in East Thrace), Bosnia and Herzegovina, Albania, Montenegro, Kosovo, Republic of North Macedonia, Bulgaria, (by mid-1990s estimates, Muslim Roma in Northern Thrace constituted about 40% of Roma in Bulgaria.^[3]), (a very small group of Muslim Roma exists in the Dobruja and Wallachia region of Romania, comprising 1% of the country's Muslim Romani population^[4]), ^[5], Croatia (45% of the country's Romani population^[6]), Southern Russia, Greece (a small part of Muslim Roma concentrated in Western Thrace), Northern Cyprus, Serbia and Crimea. The majority speak Balkan Romani or Kurbetcha in lesser case Rumelian Romani, while many speak only the language from the host country's like Albanian and South Slavic languages, and deny their Romani Background. The majority of Turkish speaking Muslim Roma in Bulgaria and some in Turkey declare themselves to be Turks instead of Roma people. Genetic influence of the Ottoman occupiers on the Balkan-Roma population.^[7] In Ottoman Archives they are mentioned of Turkman Kıptileri (Turkoman (ethnonym) Romani). They spoke only Turkish and no Romani language. The Turkification of this subgroup of Romani was already completed at the time of the Ottoman Empire. Many Turkish-speaking Roma from the Balkans invoke this theory, and consider themselves as descendants of this group, however most have adopted the Turkish language over century and abandoned the Romani language in order to establish a Turkish identity to become more recognized by the non-Romani host population. ^[8]

Because of the relative ease of migration in modern times, Muslim Roma may be found in other parts of the world as well. The Muslim Roma also used the word Gypsy for themselves because they did not perceive it as a derogatory term. Muslim Roma culture is based on the Turkish culture. Under Ottoman Rule, the Christian and Muslim Roma were separated, by the order of Suleiman the Magnificent. Muslim Roma were forbidden to marry Christian Roma.^[9] Significant differences between the Muslim and Christian Roma emerged through the centuries. Christian Roma in the Balkans do not consider Muslim Roma to be part of the Romani society. The Muslim Roma, however, see themselves as the real original Roma, and see the Christian Roma as foreign, and call them Dasikane (servants, slaves).^[10] There is a huge gap between the two religious groups.

After the collapse of the Ottoman Empire, the Muslim Roma have found themselves under double discrimination in regions where Islam was a minority religion, experiencing both Antiziganism and anti-Muslim sentiment.^[11]

At the Greek War of Independence, Russo-Turkish War (1877–1878) and Balkan Wars (1912-1913), Muslim Roma flee together with other different Muslim Groups to Istanbul and East Thrace, as Muhacir.^[12]

At the Population exchange between Greece and Turkey, Muslim Roma from Greece have also been resettled in Turkey. In Turkish, they are called Mübadil Romanlar.^{[13][14][15][16][17]}

Horahane Term[]

Muslim Roma also called Religionym and confessionym as Horahane Roma (also spelled as Khorakhane, Xoraxane, Kharokane, Xoraxai, etc.) and are colloquially referred to as Turkish Roma in the host countries. They are severeal Groups of Horahane Roma, named after their old traditional professional activities, also divived in sedentary and nomadic groups.^[18]

Dress[]

Muslim Roma women wear beautiful silk Dimije also known as Turkish salvar, at weddings, circumcision ceremonies, and other festivals. Even on weekdays, quite a few older women, but also some younger women, wear the şalvar.

Dance and music[]

Belly dance and Romano Hora (dance), Roman Havaları 8/9 tact, Zurna, Davul, Clarinet are performed.

See also[]

• Arlije
• Ashkali and Balkan Egyptians
• Changar
• Garachi
• Gurbeti
• Kakava
• Zargari tribe

References[]

Further reading[]

• Dialect of Xoraxané Roma (in Italian)
• Romá by Leonardo Piasere
• Roma Muslims in the Balkans by Elena Marushiakova and Vesselin Popov