Latvia's Minority Groups from the South and East
By Valters Ščerbinskis
The terms "easterners" and
"southerners" here refer to ethnic groups and members of such groups
whose ethnic homeland (the Caucasus, Central Asia or the Volga Region) lies
to the east or south of Latvia.
There are great differences between all of these groups in terms of language
and culture, but they have in common their small numbers and similar
histories in Latvia,
which differ from those of the Latvians and the more numerous minorities.
As foreign diasporas of their peoples, several
ethnic groups living far away and for the Latvians even somewhat exotic, have made their home in this country. In spite of
their small numbers, they have played a role in historical processes and made
their own contribution.
In
Tsarist Russia
The history of eastern and southern peoples in Latvia can be regarded as beginning in the 19th
century, when we have the earliest evidence of the presence of these ethnic
groups in the territory
of Latvia.
One of the largest groups of southern and
eastern peoples in the territory
of Latvia already from
the 19th century were Muslims - mainly
Tartars and Turks. In Russia
it was often difficult even to establish to which ethnic group the Muslims
belonged. In the Russian Empire, the condition of the Muslims was special. In
accordance with the 1773 imperial command on religious tolerance by Tsarina
Catherine II, Islam was not subject to open discrimination, but official and
unofficial restrictions were in force right up to the February Revolution in
1917.
In Latvia, Muslim presence was for a
long time only intermittent. Initially, Muslims arrived in the territory of Latvia against their will, for example
in 1877 a large number of Turkish soldiers were taken prisoner during the
Russo-Turkish War. Around 100 were brought to the town of Cēsis and
the environs. Not being able to cope with the harsh northern climate, 26 of
them died.
A small community of Muslims (mainly Tartars)
lived in Riga
in the late 19th century. In 1890 next to the Catholic cemetery on
Pletenberga iela, a
Muslim cemetery was established following a request from the local mullah Muhamet Shakir Abdul Aparov and community representatives Abdul Myazhitov and Kurm Hamet Ishnyezov. In 1902 a
Muslim congregation was officially established in Riga. Ibragim Davidov was elected imam, and soon a prayer hall was
opened.
In accordance with census data, in 1897 there
were 1135 Muslims in the Provinces of Livland and Courland. Of these, 920 were serving in the Russian
army. It should be noted that there were other Muslims, Bashkirs
and Kirghizians, among the soldiers too. About
three quarters of the Muslims were illiterate and almost all belonged to the
peasantry. After discharge from military service, these people left the
Baltic provinces.
The Muslims in Riga included not only soldiers and
entrepreneurs, but also various itinerants. In 1889 an anonymous informer
complained in the name of several Rigans about
"citizens of Persia"
- Muslims - who were engaged in begging and thieving in the city,
particularly in the Moscow Suburb. According to the informer, the Rigans were enraged by their conspicuously
"preposterous appearance and dress" and their unseemly behaviour.
In the Latgale part
of the Province of Vitebsk too, according to census data, there were
574 Muslims, 564 of whom lived in Daugavpils,
where Russian forces were stationed. Out of 560 Tartars, almost all belonged
to the peasantry, and a large proportion were
illiterate.
It is not known when the first Christians from
the Caucasus appeared in the territory
of Latvia. In 1897
there were 49 Armenians living in the Province
of Vidzeme
(36 of them in Riga), and 15 in the Province of Kurzeme. The
Georgian population was considerably smaller. Most of these, unlike the
Muslims, were not connected with the army. The few Caucasian Christians in
the territory
of Latvia were
well-to-do, educated people, and among the Georgians seven were landowners.
Most of the Armenians had arrived in Latvia
from Transcaucasia - the Provinces of Yelizavetopol
and Kara, while the Georgians came mainly from provinces in the territory of Georgia.
At this time there were a few artists and
cultural figures of Caucasian origin active in Riga. Between 1904 and 1906 the director of
the Riga Russian Theatre was the prominent Georgian K. Marjanov
(Marjanishvili). The long-serving administrator of
the Solomonsky Circus was the Georgian Georgy Shvangeradze. In 1905 he
opened one of the first cinematographs in Riga - the "Royal Bio" and was
the first to introduce sound films. G. Shvangeradze
continued his administrative work at the circus in the 1920s as well.
A number of Caucasians, particularly Armenians,
studied at the Riga Polytechnical Institute.
World War I brought major changes in the
composition of the population. Already at the outset of the war, according to
the Latvian press, the Caucasian students at the Riga Polytechnical
Institute expressed a wish to return to their homeland to join the army.
After Turkey
joined the war on the side of Russia's
enemies, an order was issued for Turkish citizens living in the Provinces of Vidzeme and Estonia
who were Muslims (excluding Armenians, Greeks and Slavs) to be arrested and
exiled to inland Russia,
to the Province
of Tambov, as prisoners
of war. The press reported that by 31 October a total of 28 Turks had already
been incarcerated in the Central Prison.
Up to 1917, the population of southerners and
easterners in the territory
of Latvia was growing,
albeit slowly. Nevertheless, apart from a small number of individuals who
belonged to the permanent population, most lived here only for a short time.
In
independent Latvia
The historical conditions changed radically
after World War I. On November 18, 1918 Latvia declared independence.
Many non-Latvians left the Baltic States during the war, but after the
Bolshevik dictatorship had become established in Russia, a large number of
refugees arrived in the countries that had just become independent of the
former empire, fleeing from the Red Terror.
Already during the War of Liberation in 1919 a
large number of the local population were mobilised into the army of the Republic of Latvia. A total of 25 Tartar soldiers
were fighting in the ranks of the Latvian Army in 1920. On the request of Shakir Husnetdinov, imam of Riga and the environs,
in 1920 the commander-in-chief of the Latvian Army even issued an order
regarding the small number of Muslim conscripts, who were to be granted three
days leave during the Kurban Bairam
religious festival.
The few Muslims in Latvia
who had survived the war came together in Riga after the end of the War of
Liberation. In July 1920 a meeting of Riga Muslims elected a local Turkish
café-bakery owner Shakir Husnetdinov
as acting imam. In 1928 the Muslim congregation asked the Department of
Religious Affairs to appoint Husnetdinov, who had
during the whole of this time conscientiously and without remuneration
undertaken the duties of mullah, as the permanent imam of Riga and the environs. This request was
granted and Husnetdinov continued to hold this
office right up to 1940.
In 1994, Minhajdin Kirimov, one of the members of this community, remembered
how the Muslims had marked their festivities and observed traditions and
customs, thus maintaining Islamic culture in Latvia. Children were educated in
Islam in the family (in Arabic). In Latvia the imam was not permitted
to register births, deaths or marriages, although the Muslims of Riga tried
to obtain such permission.
Through the years of independence, the number
of Muslims did not change significantly. Most of them were Turks or Tartars.
In 1920 there were only 115 Tartars and 19 Turks remaining in Latvia.
The total number of Muslims was 130 men (including two Latvians) and 32
women.
The Muslims of Latvia were characterised by
strong religious feeling, regardless of the confusion and ambiguity with
regard to the names of ethnic groups. The passports of members of a single
family might be inscribed "Turk" or "Tartar" - evidently
the state officials often did not make a distinction. In Latvia too, the traditional large
families with six, seven or more family members were characteristic. The
ethnic social activity of Muslims was often limited to participation in the
annual ball for Caucasians, organised at the Opera House by the Caucasus
Society.
The Georgian and Armenian populations in the
1920s and 30s were just as small as those of the traditionally Islamic
peoples. However, their cultural life was incomparably more active. In
January 1929 a Caucasian "Iveria" Society
was founded. The initiators of the society were the Georgians Georgy Shvangeradze and Shalva Maglakelidze. Although
Georgians constituted the overwhelming majority right from the start (13 out
of 20 members were Georgians), soon more and more Caucasians from different
ethnic groups joined the society, and in July it was renamed the Caucasus
Society. One of the main activities of the society was providing aid for
destitute countrymen.
In 1933, because of internal strife, all the
Georgians left the Caucasus Society, and in November established the Georgian
Society of Latvia. Neither was this society mononational:
some Armenians and Russians also joined.
Although the Armenian diaspora
in Riga was
small, these people also took an interest in the political and social life of
their nation. The most active figures among both the Armenians and Georgians
had good contacts with the centres of emigration in Paris. Shalva Maglakelidze and his wife were members of the Riga Branch
of the Latvian Social Democratic Workers' Party.
Evidently one of the most prominent easterners
in 1920s society was the Komi (or Zirjan, as they were known at that time) Kallistrat Zhakov. He had
graduated from five faculties at three universities and prior to emigrating
had held the post of professor at the St Petersburg Psycho-Neurological
Institute. As a scientist he put forward a synthesis of religion, science and
philosophy, and developed his own theory of the fusion of these spheres,
called "Limitism". Three works authored
by him were published in Russian in Latvia in the 1920s.
The numbers of people belonging to the
traditional Muslim groups, like the numbers of Armenians and Georgians in Latvia, were very small, and fluctuated,
depending on the political developments in the multinational neighbouring
state of Russia.
Most of them arrived in Latvia
as refugees from Communist terror in their homeland. Some were returning
refugees, having lived here already before the war. Many of these people,
particularly those who lived permanently in Latvia, had completely integrated
into the Russian community. Characteristically, it was mainly the Armenians
who became russified. This was a consequence of the
traditional russophilia of this people, which had
developed under conditions of permanent ethnic conflict with the neighbouring
Muslim peoples. On the other hand, Tartars evidently tended to be latvianised - Riga
in the 1930s had become quite a Latvian city. A certain number immigrated as
the spouses of citizens of Latvia.
Those who so wished, became completely integrated into the life of the
country, though without losing their ethnic identity. However, the small size
of the communities was a serious obstacle to maintaining the national
culture. Another factor was material hardship, which forced people to emigrate to countries with larger numbers of their
compatriots and greater opportunities for attaining material welfare.
The
Karaites
In addition to the minorities of Latvia
already mentioned, Karaites have also lived in the
territory of the country for a considerable length of time. Although this people is little known in the world, certain
individuals were once influential and well-known figures in Latvian society.
The ethnic roots of the Karaites
are to be sought in the Turkic tribes of the Khazar
Kaganate, but in religious terms the Karaites are a Jewish sect that had separated in the
course of centuries. Initially the sect had a considerable following, but
later lost most of its importance. Their dogmatic teaching and strict
adherence to the Old Testament prevented mixing with other religious groups,
and over the centuries they came to form a separate ethnic group.
It is estimated that in 1895 there was a world
population of about 12 000 Karaites, about 10 000
of whom lived in Russia
(in Crimea and the Province
of Kaunas). Later the Karaites were often confused with Jews, and many
officials applied the restrictions against Jews to the Karaites
as well.
The earliest evidence of Karaites
in the territory
of Latvia is from the
19th century. On the request of M. Kazas,
representative of the Riga Karaite Community, in
1892 Riga City Council permitted the establishment of a Karaite
cemetery. According to census data, in 1897 there were 58 Karaites
living in the Province of Livland (mainly in Riga), and two in the Province of Courland.
Twenty-seven of them recognised Russian as their native language, 21 speaking
Karaite (Kipchak), five
Latvian and one Hebrew. Around the turn of the century the Karaite population increased further.
It should be mentioned that the prominent owner
of the Bluhm School of Drawing in Riga
was a Karaite from Odessa, Veniamin Bluhm, who had converted to the Russian Orthodox faith.
Many later prominent Latvian painters attended his school. A large proportion
of the permanent Karaite population of Riga had immigrated from the provinces of Moscow, Crimea (Simferopol),
Kharkov and Kherson. Those born in the late 19th
and early 20th century were native Rigans.
It should be noted that migration in search of better social and economic
conditions was a widespread characteristic of the Karaites.
In 1887 the Maikapar
Tobacco Factory, belonging to the prominent Karaite
family of the same name, went into operation in Riga. At the death of its founder, Abraham Maikapar, the factory became a joint-stock company. With
time, the factory became one of the leading enterprises in this branch, until
in 1940 it was nationalised and became the Riga Tobacco Factory. One of the
sons of A. Maikapar, Theodor, had once been a
medical officer with the Imperial Russian navy. In 1906, following the death
of his father, he became the director of the company. In the 1920s and 30s T.
Maikapar continued to practice as a doctor and was
a recognised specialist in social hygiene. A socially active figure and
philanthropist well known in Russian society in Riga was Sarah Maikapar.
She was a great fan of the Russian Drama Theatre and an advocate of female
equality. The newspaper "Segodna",
marking her birthday, described an occasion where the Russian Tsarina visited
Riga, and S. Maikapar was the only one in the delegation of ladies who
dared not to kiss the hand of the tsarina.
It is thought that a number of countrymen of
the company owner were employed at the unofficial Karaite
"centre", the Maikapar company. For
example, in the early years of the twentieth century the Chairman of the Karaite Cemetery Board, Moisei Uvanak worked at the Maikapar
factory, and the company board included not only members of the great Maikapar family, but also the Karaite
Samuil Penerdzhi.
Interestingly, another Karaite family, the merchant
Berah and his son Yon Pandulo,
owned a tobacco shop on Kaļķu iela in Old Riga.
During World War II, in 1943, there were still
19 Karaites living in the territory of Latvia.
The prominent T. Maikapar was also still living in Riga. The head of the
Conserve Branch of the L. W. Goegginger Conserve
Factory was Semyon Sultan, one of the founders of
the only local Karaite society.
The German occupation regime had a special
policy towards the Karaites. According to a
directive from Berlin
addressed to the Reichskommissar of Ostland "The Karaites are
to be distinguished from the Jews in terms of faith and ethnic affiliation.
They are not of Jewish origin, but rather are to be regarded as a group
within the Turkic-Tartar peoples and are quite closely related to the Crimean
Tartars. They are essentially members of the Near Eastern and Oriental Race
with a Mongol admixture and are to be regarded as racially alien to the
German people. The Karaites should not be treated
like the Jews, but rather should be treated the same as other Turkic-Tartar
peoples. Undue harshness against them should be avoided."
Even before this, part of the great Maikapar family had been arrested and deported to the USSR
during the first Soviet occupation. The rest fled as refugees to the West
together with hundreds of thousands of Latvians at the end of World War II.
Up to 1949, Mikhail (Miķelis) Maikapar and his family lived in the Latvian refugee camp
at Lübeck, while Ludmila
and Margarita Maikapar, together with four
children, lived in Würzburg refugee camp until
1947. They and other Karaites from Latvia later lived dispersed in France, Germany,
Canada and the USA.
The
German and Soviet occupations
After Latvia
was occupied, the repressive apparatus of the Soviet
Union began merciless persecution of the country's population.
Although it was the Latvians who were most affected, there were also people among
the small population of southerners and easterners who suffered repression.
For a short time, the Soviet invasion was
interrupted by German occupation. From the very first days, repression by the
Nazi regime was also directed against many residents of Latvia. For example, in 1941 the Kuldīga doctor, the Georgian Alexandr
Shvangeradze, was killed by German soldiers for
having treated Red Army soldiers. Later, a memorial was set up in Kuldīga. However, in spite of the power changes,
many of the families of easterners and southerners stayed in Latvia.
According to the Board of Statistics, in 1943
there were several tens of Caucasians, 40 Tartars, 35 Turks, nine Assyrians,
five Uzbeks and individual members of other ethnic groups distributed quite
evenly throughout Latvia. Some of these southerners and easterners registered
in Latvia
at this time were former Red Army soldiers taken prisoner by the Germans.
There were also Muslims among the civil prisoners sent into the country.
Their religious needs were served by the Riga mullah S. Husnetdinov,
who brought together local Muslims and new arrivals at joint services: the
religious activity of the community continued even under German occupation.
The Tartar Zaituna Ganayeva,
brought from Russia as
labour, remembers that the Riga
mullah and the other local Muslims were strongly integrated into local
Latvian society. Many were married to Latvians, but religious rites were
nevertheless observed.
Most of the easterners and southerners who had
lived in Latvia
in the years of independence left the country along with the end of the
German occupation and now their descendants live in various Western
countries. For example, after the war, the merchant Alimzhan
Husnetdin and his wife Milda
lived in the Latvian refugee camp at Eutin awaiting
further re-emigration to the West. Mullah S. Husnetdin
died in Germany.
Most of the people belonging to the small minorities were quite prosperous
and anti-communist in their outlook, and as such would have been under threat
of repression when the Communist regime became established.
After World War II the Soviet occupation regime
became firmly established in the Baltic. After the end of the war, among the
many hundreds of thousands of Slavs from various republics of the USSR, citizens of the occupying country
belonging to other ethnic groups also immigrated to Latvia. The first wave of
immigrants arrived in Latvia
in the early post-war years, when officers returning from the front settled
in the country with their families, as did Soviet officials.
There was a second wave of immigration later
on, in the 1950s. Already by the 1950s there were around 20 Crimean Tartars
living in Latvia.
The settlement restrictions imposed on them as a repressive measure under the
Soviets were lifted and the relatives of officers who had settled in Latvia
flowed into the country.
In the 1970s and 80s, Crimean Tartars in search
of a better life joined those already living in Latvia, as did people who had
established mixed families. This applies in large measure to other easterners
and southerners who were arriving in Latvia in ever increasing
numbers. As a result, by 1959 several thousands of easterners and southerners
were living in Latvia, and
by 1979 the number of Tartars in Latvia, for example (3764), exceeded
even the number of neighbouring Estonians. In the 1970s there was large-scale
immigration of non-Latvians into Latvia, reaching a maximum in the
1980s. The populations of members of particular eastern and southern peoples
increased severalfold.
Most of the immigrants lived in the capital Riga and other cities.
Immigration into Latvia was both by means of state
assistance, and by private means. The gigantic enterprises built for the
needs of the Communist empire were in need of labour, so individual
easterners arrived as factory workers. Immigrants also settled in Latvia
privately after serving in the army of occupation, after university studies
or if they married local people. An important factor promoting immigration to
the Baltic was the comparatively high standard of living and the possibility
of improving one's material welfare. A proportion of the immigrants were
military personnel of the occupying forces, who settled here after discharge
from service. As a result, quite a large population of eastern and southern
peoples developed in Latvia.
The immigrants cannot be regarded simply as a homogeneous mass of
Russian-speakers. The names of many of these people were well known in
society at large in Latvia.
Many of them were doctors. The founder and
first director of the Traumatology and Orthopaedics
Scientific Research Institute was the Georgian doctor Archil Machabeli. Other well-known doctors included the
Armenians Georgy Stepanian
and Natalia Bagramian, the Georgians Timuri Machgaladze (chief surgeon
of Ludza Hospital) and Murman
Ratiani (a surgeon in Daugavpils), and the Tartar Ravil Kalinkin (a surgeon at Jūrmala).
There was a string of prominent names also
among the intellectuals and technical specialists of the time. In 1968 the
well-known piano duet, Nora Novika and Rafi Haradzanian was formed,
whose repertoire included works by Armenian composers. The archivist the
Crimean Tartar Refat Chubarov
was for long years the Director of the State Archives of Latvia. Also quite
well known were the journalists Faig Safarov (Azeri) and Karen Markarian
(Armenian). The Georgian architect Endri Sharashidze took part in restoration projects in Old
Riga.
Although at this time no ethnic events could be
organised, a circle of immigrants, mainly from the Caucasus,
nevertheless did maintain contacts among themselves. Throughout the Soviet
occupation, from 1945 onwards, Muslims in Latvia were informally united in
a small community, the leadership of which was assumed by a spiritual leader
who fulfilled the functions of a mullah. Prayers and other religious rituals
were held in private apartments. The tending of Muslim graves was also
ensured on a voluntary basis.
The Soviet regime tried to extinguish national
pride among non-Russians. Non-Russian immigrants could send their children
only to Russian or Latvian schools. However, many Georgians, Armenians and Azeris were very resistant to russification
and for a long time retained their culture, language and elements of their
way of life in Latvia,
so far from their homeland.
After
the restoration of independence
At the time when the Soviet Union collapsed,
there was a comparatively large population of immigrants from the east and
south in Latvia,
but continued immigration was interrupted by measures to limit such movement
and establish borders.
The late 1980s and early 90s saw a reduction in
the numbers of easterners and southerners. There were various reasons why
people returned to their own country, and the new states tried to promote the
repatriation of their citizens. It should be noted that emigration has meant
not only repatriation, but also further emigration to Western countries.
At the time of the National Awakening, about
5000 Tartars were living in Latvia.
In 1993 about 1500 fewer were registered, but each following year the number
of Tartars continued to grow again by about a hundred. The pattern is similar
for the other ethnic groups.
It should be noted that in the early 90s a
contingent of Armenians arrived in Latvia, refugees from the
earthquake and the war, some of whom remain in the country.
The easterners and southerners of the present
day in Latvia
include people from all the different social strata. In the post-Soviet era,
conditions have changed enormously. The requirement of Latvian language knowledge
prevents a section of the non-Latvians from entering state service, and with
the reduction of industry the industrial workforce has also been
significantly reduced. Former officers of the army of occupation have also
had to find a new profession. However, the people from the minor ethnic
groups represent a diverse spectrum, and their fates are also quite diverse.
There is still an important circle of Caucasian intellectuals. Journalists
working for the Russian-language press include Armenians Anzhela
Gasparian, Alexandr Geronian and Karen Markarian.
Mention should be made of the large number of
Armenian artists. The best-known are painters Babken
Stepanian and Susanna Mirza-Avakian,
ceramist Levon Agadzanian,
his brother metalsmith Lendrik
and now deceased sculptor Karush Akopian. Creation of a group of sculptures for Aglona Catholic Church was entrusted to Grairam Avetian. The Georgians
also have several painters: Sandro Chaidze, Nugzar Paksadze, Gocha Huskivadze and Avtandil Ashvetiya. Musician and musicologist Rafi
Harajanian has been active in popularising
classical music among his compatriots.
When Latvia regained its independence
and the Soviet regime collapsed, minority groups obtained the possibility of
maintaining their culture and traditions in accordance with their own wishes
and needs. Right from the beginning, cultural societies brought together the
most nationally conscious representatives of the different peoples.
In 1988 a string of cultural societies formed:
on November 20 the Latvian and Armenian Society was formed, on November 25
the Crimean Tartar Cultural Education Society (21 members), on November 26
the Azeri Cultural Society "Friendship" (later "Kobustan", "Azeri", 27 members), and on
November 27 the Tartar Society "Idel"
("Volga" in the Tartar language,
182 members). Slightly later a Georgian society was established, named after
the Soviet dissident Merab Kostava,
later renamed "Samshoblo"
("Homeland"). From 1993 there exists a Yakut Cultural Society
"Choron" (the name in Yakut meaning a cup
for drinking kumis).
From the very beginning all of these societies
declared the main directions of their activity: to maintain the national
culture, teach their language and popularise their people and country in Latvia.
The attitude of the societies towards Latvian independence was decidedly
positive. The National Awakening was a time of great euphoria, with interest
in society concerning ethnic issues and a surge of national pride. The
societies were even joined by people who had, during the Soviet era, not only
lost their links with their people, but had also lost their native language.
For example, the first leader of the Armenian society Suren
Gasparian not only did not know Latvian, he had
also forgotten his native Armenian.
Active in the societies was not only the older
generation, but also the young people - students studying at Latvian
universities. Never officially registered, there were at various times
Chechen-Ingush "Vainah"
("Countryman" in Chechen), Afghan and Yakut "Choron" societies. Together with other ethnic
cultural societies, they united to form an association now led by Rafi Harajanian.
In remembrance of genocide against the Armenian
people in 1915, a stone cross, or hachkar stands on
Basteja
Boulevard in the centre of Riga, unveiled on 24 April 1990. The
monument, by sculptor Samuel Muradian, is at the
same time a token of thanks to the Latvian people for the help given to
victims of the 1988 earthquake, and a shrine for the local Armenian
population.
Latvian Radio has regular half-hour broadcasts
in Azeri, Armenian, Georgian and Tartar.
In the late 1980s, the societies, as
representatives of the diasporas, began to establish contacts with the
communities of compatriots in other countries.
Latvia's
Chechens maintain close contacts with their homeland. The Georgian "Samshoblo" Society also maintains contacts with the
Latvian Society in Georgia.
The Yakut society maintains connections with its umbrella organisation "Jakutskij dom"
("Yakut House") in Moscow and with
the Saha
Republic.
The establishment of religious institutions has
also played a role in maintaining national identity. In the early 90s the
formation of a Muslim community began. Initially it was formed by the most
numerous and active group, the Tartars. Later, members of the other
traditionally Muslim minorities who had not lost their ethnic and religious
identity also joined. At the present day, there are two Sunni Muslim
congregations in Latvia -
in Riga and Daugavpils.
Initially, the first Muslim congregation in Riga (registered October
26, 1993) was led by Rufi Sheviryov.
It was comparatively small, with 64 members (1997 figure). In Daugavpils the original
Muslim congregation has obtained its own permanent premises and has changed
its name to the Daugavpils Islamic Centre. Muslims also live in Ventspils, Jelgava and Jēkabpils, with a smaller number in Valmiera.
The Riga
community provides Muslim wedding and funeral rites and marks traditional
festivities in accordance with the Koran. The head imam (imam-muhtasib) at present is Midhat Satdanov, and for three years there have been Muslim
Sunday courses in Islam, the Koran and the Arabic language.
On June 16, 1993 the Riga Congregation of the Armenian Apostolic Church
was established. The Armenian community is considering the idea of obtaining
funds to build a church. In 1994, the patriarch and Catholicos
of all the Armenians Vazgen I also promised to help
build a Church
of Gregory the
Enlightener. The spiritual needs of Riga Armenians are provided for by a
priest residing in Tallinn,
appointed by the Echmiadzin, the spiritual centre
of the church, but services are at present held in the Russian Orthodox
Cathedral of the Birth of Christ.
Concomitantly with the strivings to retain
national distinctiveness and the establishment of communities, another very
important question is that of integration of ethnic minorities into Latvia
as a nation state. Seemingly, the main barrier to this would seem to be the
minute proportion of Latvian citizens among the eastern and southern peoples.
For example only 155 Tartars and about 165 Azeris
are Latvian citizens. This is because almost all of these people have arrived
during the time of the occupation. Apart from such legal barriers, many are
not ready to become part of a society of Latvian citizens on account of their
lack of Latvian language knowledge. It should be noted that in general the
level of Latvian language knowledge in this group is quite low, but there is
a good reason for this: during the occupation Latvia has been russified to such a degree that Latvian language
knowledge is not needed in many walks of life. A certain
section were sceptical and unsympathetic towards restoration of
independence right from the beginning. However, as repeatedly emphasised by
people from different ethnic groups, it is the non-Russians who best
appreciate the Latvian concern for retaining the language and the country's
national identity.
Leo Dribins, a
well-known historian in Latvia,
claims that most of the post-war immigrants have taken the road towards
integration. This is very clear in the eastern and southern ethnic groups
too. Integration, at various rates, is taking place throughout the whole of
society at a national level, and within ethnic groups, so that ethnic
communities with more or less clearly expressed national characteristics are
slowly consolidating.
Originally published by: 
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