A crucial assessment by a homeland Circassian, for the threats to the existence of the Circassian nation.

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Language assimilation:

Circassians are scattered all over the world and are a minority everywhere, even in their historical land. In addition, wherever we live, we live in a foreign state and therefore have to reckon with it. Our first and main language is the language of the country in which we live. Circassians around the world are being assimilated among other peoples, even in their homeland the Circassian language does not develop and stands still, giving way to other languages. Our people forget their language because they do not use it in their life. Whether in kindergartens, schools, universities or at work, we use the language of the country in which we are. In any public activity, we use the language of a foreign country, because, de facto, the only public language is the state language of the country of residence, and also because we are a minority on our lands and in countries where Circassians live. In kindergartens and schools in our historical homeland, educators and teachers speak only Russian to Circassian children. In schools, the teaching of the native language was first reduced by a few hours a week, and then made completely optional.

 

Cultural assimilation:

Due to the predominance among the Circassians, in any country, of people of other nationalities (in Russia - Russians, in Turkey - Turks, etc.) with their own culture, cultural assimilation is also observed. Our own culture is not practiced and becomes forgotten, and foreign culture and traditions are adopted in a natural way. The Circassian traditional religion is tacitly forbidden. For praying near the sacred tree, administrative cases are started, and the Circassians who are trying to preserve and revive their traditions are killed by the Islamists.

 

Self-identification problem:

The Circassian history is poorly studied, both in Russia and abroad, and in Russian schools it is not taught in principle (Ignoring the fact that the quality of education in Russia is in itself very poor), so many Circassians do not know not only their history, but even the fact that genocide was committed against the Circassians. Schoolchildren and students think that the Circassians are such a small ethnic group that cannot have a big history. Circassians dispersing among the Russian nation and eventually cease to consider themselves as Circassians, in Russia they are gradually becoming "Russian". Thus, the Circassian nation disappears imperceptibly.

 

Russian propaganda:

Everything else is added to the propaganda and politics of the country, where they say that the Circassians were barbarians and therefore “had” to fight with them defending themselves, that Russia brought culture to the Circassians, and before that they were allegedly wild robbers without culture and morals, as they often say "descended from the mountains", which means an uneducated, uncultured savage. They suggest that Kabardians, Circassians, Adyghes and Shapsugs are four separate nations, thereby dividing them and it works. They say that Russia never attacked anyone and annexed territories “peacefully”, that there was no genocide, and the Circassians are to blame for their problems. In Russia, there is even a derogatory word “nartei” (meaning the opposite of the proud “Nart”) in relation to the Circassians who speak with an accent, thereby trying to inspire that being a “natsmen” is not prestigious, which means you need to “Russify”, for this, in the Soviet period, Circassians even gave "Russian" names to their children, like Leonid, Alexander, Evgenia, etc., to look more like a Russian.

 

Depopulation of the Circassians:

Circassian population in the homeland becomes less and less. They are forced to leave their homes in an attempt to feed their families and migrate abroad or to the bigger cities like Moscow because of the bad economy in the Caucasus, in a fertile region where there is everything you need for life in every sense, where after the Russian occupation people live in poverty, like in an average northern Russian city. At the same time, there are literally more and more Russians in these territories every day. This leads to the dispersion of the Circasians among the Russian nation and eventually ceases to consider themselves Circassians, in Russia they are gradually becoming "Russian". Including why the Circassian nation disappears imperceptibly.

 

Russia permanently radicalizes society in Caucasus in order to maintain control over it and kill young people from the Caucasus, under the guise of fighting terror, including Circassians. Young people in the Caucasus are regularly destroyed. They involve young people in the radical movement of religion, write them down as Wahhabis and terrorists, and then destroy them under the guise of a "special operation to prevent a terrorist attack." Where a Russian person is imprisoned, a Circassian will be “liquidated” by the FSB during the “Counter-Terrorist Operation”.

 

The influence of Russia on the nature of Circassia and the cultural and historical heritage of the Circassians

Russia does not care about the cultural and historical heritage of the Circassians at all, it destroys everything that our ancestors treated so carefully. Our sacred trees and ancient Circassian gardens are being abandoned and ruthlessly cut down, forests in Circassia are cut down for millions of dollars annually, valuable alpine meadows and protected natural areas are being destroyed by Putin's oligarchs. In 2021, the Russian government, represented by Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin, issued an order to create a biosphere test site in the Caucasus Reserve, within whose boundaries capital construction can now be carried out. This year, ecologists got access to official correspondence of officials and the master plan of the Lago-Naki resort. It follows from the documents that the authorities plan to cut down 62 hectares of forest and valuable alpine meadows on the UNESCO-protected plateau in Adygea. The only obstacle to the implementation of the project is the international conservation status of the sites where the construction is planned to be launched. At the same time, officials tried to “justify” the need for the project by saying that the Lago-Naki plateau allegedly suffers from “uncontrolled tourism”, which means that it is possible to cut down forests and build roads there.

 

Ancient “Adyghe burial mounds” in Circassia are regularly plundered by grave robbers. Circassian dolmens are also not protected and many of them are destroyed due to the disregard for them by the Russians, who, as they themselves claim, "brought culture to Caucasians." The only culture that the Russians brought us to the Caucasus is the culture of destruction.

 

Russian tourist Ivan Bormotov writes in his book "Mountain Adygea":

“Today, from saws, axes and caterpillars of tractors, practically nothing remains of ancient antiquity in the forest. Centuries-old oak forests, Circassian pear trees are being cut down, mounds, fortresses and dolmens that have stood before us for thousands of years are being destroyed.”

 

Conclusion

Russia interrupted the multi-thousand-year history of the development of culture and the state structure of one of the most ancient peoples, which proved its exceptionally creative potential - the Circassians. Russia stopped the development of the Circassian nation in every sense and threw it back several hundred years.

 

Until we get our independence, all our problems will only get worse with each generation. The language will continue to gradually die, the Circassians will continue to assimilate among other peoples, Russia will continue to destroy the Circassians in every sense. Only dances and feasts will remain from our culture, and under cheerful songs, the Circassian people will gradually sink into oblivion. This cannot be allowed!

 

The only possible way to prevent the consequences of all these destructive processes and catch up with the developed world is to restore Circassia in the full sense of the word, which means return Circassia to its statehood and independence!

 

Freedom for Circassia!