Islam in Hungary
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
According to the last census, there are 3200 Muslims living in Hungary. [1] The Muslims have a long history in Hungary ever since the Magyar arrival to Europe and with especial focus on Ottoman Hungary.
Contents |
[edit] History
Islam in Hungary predates Ottoman Empire. Islam was first brought to Hungary by the Böszörmény ethnic group. These were parts of the Turkish Folk of Chevalison and of the Volga Bulgarians who had emigrated during the 11th, 12th, 13th and 14th centuries and formed an important political, military, financial and commercial factor. The first Islamic author to speak of this Muslim community was Yaqut al-Hamawi (575-626 AH/1179-1229 CE)." [2]
Yaqut writes in his famous geographical dictionary, "Mu'ajam al-Buldan," [3] about his meeting with Ismaili youth in Syria who were studying Islam there and brought some details of the history and life of their people in Hungary.
In 16th century, during the time of Ottoman occupation of Hungary, numerous Muslim personalities were born in Hungary. Among them, most important were the Ottoman Grand Vizier came from Hungary, Kanijeli Siyavuş Pasha (from Nagykanizsa) who occupied the function three times between 1582 and 1593, and the famous Mevlevian dervish Pecsevi Árifi Ahmed Dede, a Turk native of Pécs.
In 19th century, after the collapse of the revolution 1849, more than 6.000 emigrated Poles and Hungarians followed General Josef Bem in Turkish exile, for example the Hungarian officers Richard Guyon (Kurshid Pasha), György Kmety (Ismail Pasha) and Maximilian Stein (Ferhad Pasha) who became Turkish generals. Guyon is described in the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography as "the first Christian to obtain the rank of pasha and a Turkish military command without being obliged to change his religion", a sign of modernizing meritocracy under the 19th-century Ottomans.
[edit] References
- ^ http://www.nepszamlalas.hu/hun/kotetek/18/tables/prnt2_38_1.html
- ^ (cf. "The Islamic Review", London, Feb., 1950, 38th vol., No.2).
- ^ (comp. 625/1228, vide also Wustenfeld's edition, Leipzig, 1866, 1st vol., p. 469)
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
Albania · Andorra · Armenia2 · Austria · Azerbaijan4 · Belarus · Belgium · Bosnia and Herzegovina · Bulgaria · Croatia · Cyprus2 · Czech Republic · Denmark · Estonia · Finland · France · Georgia4 · Germany · Greece · Hungary · Iceland · Ireland · Italy · Kazakhstan1 · Latvia · Liechtenstein · Lithuania · Luxembourg · Republic of Macedonia · Malta · Moldova · Monaco · Montenegro · Netherlands · Norway · Poland · Portugal · Romania · Russia1 · San Marino · Serbia · Slovakia · Slovenia · Spain · Sweden · Switzerland · Turkey1 · Ukraine · United Kingdom
Dependencies, autonomies and other territories
Abkhazia4 · Adjara2 · Åland · Azores · Akrotiri and Dhekelia · Crimea · Faroe Islands · Gibraltar · Guernsey · Isle of Man · Jersey · Kosovo · Madeira · Nagorno-Karabakh2 · Nakhichevan2 · Transnistria · Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus2, 3
1 Has significant territory in Asia. 2 Entirely in West Asia, but considered European for cultural, political and historical reasons. 3 Only recognised by Turkey. 4 Partially or entirely in Asia, depending on the definition of the border between Europe and Asia.