March 21, 2014

Ukraine, which can be translated as “borderland” or “on the edge” (due to the geographical location of the country), has been on edge for the past few weeks over the Russian invasion of the Crimean peninsula. The people of Crimea include a Russian majority (58%), and a Ukrainian (24%) and Tatar (12%, majority Muslim) minority.

WATCH (see below): “This Week” segment on Crisis in Ukraine (ABC News)

After a Russian invasion to “liberate” Crimea from Ukraine, Crimea’s regional assembly voted last week to join the Russian Federation. While the referendum has largely been cast as a farce in the eyes of the international community and even illegal according to the Ukrainian constitution, Russian President Vladimir Putin continues on his path to officially annex the peninsula.

Russia’s history of treatment toward ethnic and religious minorities is not a pretty one. In fact, in May 1944, Joseph Stalin ordered police to mark Crimean Tatars’ residences with an ‘X’ to identify those who would be evicted, loaded on to trains and sent to Central Asia and labor camps under the accusation that they collaborated with the Nazis. Within a matter of days, almost 200,000 native Muslim residents of the peninsula were forcibly evicted from their homeland. Nearly half are believed to have died. Crimean Tatars have had their lands confiscated by Russians, they’ve been marginalized as an indigenous minority community and now they are being placed under Russian rule once more.

Fast forward to March 2014 and those same ‘X’s were found on the front doors of Crimea's Tatars, presumably by Russian forces identifying Tatars who stand with the new government in Kiev against Russian aggression. Such actions have left many wondering whether the wheels have been set in motion to repeat the heinous injustices 70 years ago.

The eyes of the American Muslim and international communities are watching as events unfold in Ukraine. President Obama this week announced economic sanctions will be imposed on key Russian individuals and segments of the Russian economy in order to put pressure on Putin to respect the international boundaries of nations.

The Crimean Tatar community cannot be overlooked in this conflict. The North Caucuses are already an unstable region vulnerable to politically-based violence. Next week, Obama is set to travel to Europe. We hope he reiterates his strong commitment and enforcement of respect to the basic principles that govern nations in Europe and around the world in the 21^st century. Further, it is imperative Obama stress that part of the basic governing principles of leadership is ensuring religious freedom for all.

The treatment of religious minorities within Russia is abysmal. In a dark throwback to Soviet rule, lower-level courts have attempted to ban materials ranging from various translations of the Quran to targeting Jehovah’s Witnesses as extremists. Sadly, it seems we are witnessing history repeat itself once again. For the international community to allow Russia’s disregard of basic human rights to spill over to Ukraine’s minorities would be a shame; for humanity’s sake, the adage must be proven false.