Difficult times are ahead: Tatars against Tatars

Difficult times are ahead: Tatars against Tatars

Tatars are not a monolithic mass. The main “watershed line” that will matter in the near future is the confrontation between the imperials and the regionalists. Lenar Miftakhnyky, the Tatar publicist,  describes it in such a way.

The Tatar people have formed two positions regarding the future of Russia, Tatarstan and the Tatar people. They are not brightly expressed, but nevertheless their contours are traced, and they divide the politically active Tatars into two uneven groups.

The first group is mainly Tatars living outside Tatarstan: the notorious 75% of the Tatar people. It also includes part of the Tatars of Tatarstan. They do not have a common idea of ​​the future of Russia, but they have a common view of the past. Russia, in their view, is the heir to the Golden Horde, in which the influence of the Tatars, in their opinion, is undeservedly diminished. Tatars in their understanding should, if not rule Russia, then at least be in power and have a higher political status. They have no attachment to Tatarstan, but the successes of the republic certainly cause a feeling of pride. They are satisfied with the autonomous status of the republic, but without separatism. It is important for them that the Russians, among whom they live, do not see the Tatars as a threat to the existence of the Russian Empire and the Russian people.

The second part lives mainly in Tatarstan. They have different attitude towards the Golden Horde heritage, but they still gravitate more towards the history of Volga Bulgaria and the Kazan Khanate. They are not indifferent about the fate of the Tatars outside the republic, but they are for raising the status of Tatarstan. Some of them stand for the independence of the republic, while others see sovereign Tatarstan as part of a confederation, such as the European Union, or as part of the genuine federation.

Over time, these ideological contradictions will grow. This is due to the fact that the first group of Tatars will be used by Moscow to destroy the republic and suppress the bearers of the ideas that are promoted by the representatives of the second group. Therefore, there will be no unity among the Tatars, however, it should not be,there are many Tatars, there are many opinions. Difficult times lie ahead of us.

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