Being an ethnic minority in Russia is quite different from being an immigrant in the United States according to Fanis Sultanbikov, who has the unique experience of being both.
“When you are in Russia, most Tatars will say they are Tatar, but when you are here some of them will say they are Russian.”
Sultanbikov and his family have been living in the DC metro area since 2009 and for much of that time they have struggled to explain their Tatar roots to Americans, most of whom have never even heard of Tatars.
“We are the largest ethnic minority in Russia.” Sultanbikov said. “Tatars are a Turkic people but Russians are Slavic, Tatars are mostly Muslim, while Russians are mostly Christian, those are the main differences.”
A devout Muslim, Sultanbikov can talk at length about the long and distinguished history of the Tatars, which dates back to the 10th century, but he is careful not to confuse Tatar and Islam as one in the same. “Most Tatars believe in God, but many view Islam more as part of the culture and they may not follow all of its rules.”
On May 28th, more than 250 Tatars from DC and the surrounding areas, met at Algonkian Regional Park, in Sterling, Virginia to celebrate the Tatar holiday Sabantuy. Shakir Muradymov, president of the Facebook group TatarDC, organized the event. “We have games, we have a chef preparing our ethnic food, we have a concert and we’ve been doing this for about 6 years now,” Muradymov said. “Hopefully it will give you a little taste of what Tatar means.”
Both Sultanbikov and his wife Aygul are concerned that their two sons will grow up in the US without truly knowing what it means to be Tatar. “We definitely have to speak Tatar to save our language.”