Ethnic Group: Cherkess - an indigenous people of the North Caucasus.
Location: southwestern Russia, near Georgia.
Map from Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Chechnya_and_Caucasus.png)
Languages: Circassian and Russian
Religion: Cherkess are predominantly Sunni Muslim.
Independence Movement: Circassians have long been seeking independence from Russia, having a unique culture and religion from most of the nation.
Reason for Refugees from this Region: From what I understand so far, the fighting in Chechnya and Ossetia has spilled over into the Cherkessk region. An article referenced below states that the North Caucasus region has criminal gangs and Islamic militants. Al Qaeda (allegedly?) has cells in this region. I'll update this information once I know more.
Current Tensions: "The country’s North Caucasus region (e.g. Cherkessk) has been hit by an increasing wave of violence, much of it blamed on criminal gangs and Islamic militants, but also on fighting spilling over from Chechnya."
-Fatima Tlisova, December 26, 2006, St. Petersburg Times
http://www.sptimes.ru/index.php?action_id=2&story_id=19890
http://www.sptimes.ru/index.php?action_id=2&story_id=19890
History of Genocide: There was a Circassian Genocide in the mid-1800s by Czarist Russia. Only 10% of the Cherkess population remained in Cherkessk afterwards. Many of the exiles went to Turkey and, I've heard, Kazakhstan (where many died of starvation).
"The genocide committed against the Circassian nation by Czarist Russia in the 1800s was the biggest genocide of
the nineteenth century."
http://www.circassianworld.com/new/war-and-genocide/1121-circassian-genocide-leitzinger.html
Useful Links:
Circassian World
An award-winning Circassian journalist, Fatima Tlisova, recommended this website to learn more about Circassian history, culture and current events.
