Contrasting Activities (5)
Adel Bashqawi
8 July, 2021
This is the fifth and final article in a series of articles that have been published on finding a unified Circassian strategy that establishes collective action at the national and diaspora levels alike. It is necessary to set the record straight, and work to familiarize the international and regional communities with the facts and realities related to the Circassian Question. Focus should be on the influences and goals that some Circassian and non-Circassian parties are denying the facts reflected by genocide, ethnic cleansing and forced deportation, who are attempting to introduce to the scene in accordance with the rejected colonial narratives.
What next?
Isn’t it enough to rip the Circassian body apart?
The Circassians cannot concede their legitimate rights for whomever and for any agenda. They will not be deceived and misled anymore.
Publishing facts impartially requires reporting the activities abstractly to give an idea of the course of events, which affect the relationships between the various parties.
— On 27 May, 2021, during a webinar on YouTube, David Dasania, who is interested in the affairs of the Abkhaz alienation and diaspora, spoke and discussed with a group of Abkhaz participants during the event and threatened the Circassians, by saying: “Krasnaya Polyana is not a Circassian land, but an Abkhaz one.” This can be seen for those who are fluent in the Russian language, starting an hour and a quarter after the start of the video, where he says that it is impossible to classify the lands of the Krasnaya Polyana region,[1] as Circassian territory. This is considered ripping the Circassian body apart for whoever is able to find thereto a way. Being aware that he was a candidate for vice president in the 2009 Abkhaz presidential elections.
This gives an explicit warning about the demographic engineering of changing the names of the Circassian families, to be all at a sudden an Abkhazian, according to a document issued in Russian language by the Abkhaz authorities. Most likely, this is based on an Abkhaz book published in Nalchik in Russian language in 2017, in which a long list of Circassian families in pages 441-446 was published and considered as of Abkhaz origin.[2]
— It is worth mentioning that David Dasania, during his visit to the home of the Circassian activist Ruslan Gvashev after his release, had been arrested and fined for his participation – and his colleague – in a memorial prayer ceremony held in the Circassian region of Sochi for the souls of those who perished in defense of their homeland, he met the former President of the Republic of Kabardino-Balkaria, Arsen Kanokov, who presented him with what was described as a project to perform studies, research and communication with the diaspora. One of the attendees said that Mr. Kanokov donated an amount of money to him for this purpose.[3]
— Thus, when he visited Jordan, a program had been prepared for him to meet with some people [4] and to visit some Circassian institutions, including the Prince Hamzah School.[5] He recorded all meetings and events on video.
— However, it was not possible to hold a dialogue with him by some members of the Jordan Association of Circassian Caucasus Friends.
— In the following, are some of the visit dates he made to Jordan, Turkey and Lebanon:
Jordan May 2018
Turkey January 2019
July 2020
Lebanon February 2019 [6]
The Circassian/Adigha Khabza is the moral code and social etiquette that all members of the society, without exception, which everybody should abide by anywhere at any time. It must be the starting point from which everyone proceeds, according to the principles of mutual respect. Everyone who volunteers for public work should work in a way that does not harm others in terms of freedom to work in accordance with local and even regional and international laws and norms, given that the Circassian diaspora lives in more than fifty countries.
Simultaneously, the other peoples of the Caucasus have their own social laws and principles, where as different names and titles have been given to their codes. An example is the Abkhaz title of their own codes of ethics used is {Apsuara}. It means also, “national identity and self-assertion of the Abkhaz people, an unwritten code of traditional knowledge and values, including the whole range of customs, concepts and principles.”[7]
Conclusion
In conclusion, from a logical perspective, the strategy must be developed according to a rational dialogue, away from marginalization, personalization, exclusivity, exclusion and isolation, so that, it does not lead to negative consequences that no one benefits from. Participants in concerted action must respect the privacy and particularity of others. It is not useful to allow any party to be bullied by raising suspicions and sedition, spreading misinformation and malicious rumors, and trying to blur the positions of parties that have their firm national stance, for example. Working under common umbrella should lead to clarification of vision and related matters, which will not to be drawn into what has ominous consequences.
Matters should be flexible, however, they need to be taken seriously. Even when saying metaphorically that everyone is in one boat in the general sense, community awareness does not preclude the necessity of determining the location of the boat. So as to know the heading to steer, based on the selected path and potential obstacles, and accordingly, the destination to sail to. Therefore, as top priority, there should be no conflict of interest and/or confusion of information. This will assist those in the boat who share similar interests, because conflicting interests in this case will be very harmful and disastrous to everyone.
References
[1] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kW0Ou4wNz88
[2] https://abkhazworld.com/aw/Pdf/Abaza_v_Kabarde_2017.pdf
[4] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6j9Z3_2z6VE&t=1s
[5] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GkYqvzLr8Gk&t=68s
[6] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VwvmF-Nbq-4&t=124s
[7] http://mfaapsny.org/en/helpful-information/culture/
