Description
Summary : Muslims from Russia have been migrating to Turkey since the 19 th century. In recent years, Russian fighters who joined ISIS in Syria have attracted media attention. Many more Muslims, however, have migrated to Turkey and Europe in the past fifteen years, largely in response to political pressure and persecution based on their religious beliefs and identities. These migrants come primarily from the North Caucasus (where repression is directed at Salafi communities) and Chechnya (where wars and a violent, autocratic regime have driven many from their homeland), but also from elsewhere in Russia, as religious Muslims have been arrested throughout the country. In Europe today there are an estimated 150,000 Muslims of Russian origin, in Turkey tens of thousands, and there is a growing community in Ukraine.
The International Crisis Group (ICG) proposes to examine the political, social and security implications of these migrations. The absence of attention to these movements has led to some dangerous policy trends, contends Olga Oliker, director of ICG’s Europe and Central Asia Program, especially when the Russian Muslim diaspora is conflated with jihadist violence. To provide a better understanding of the diaspora, the project will focus on communities (demography, regions of origin, reasons for migration); pathways (religious education, asylum claims, economic migration routes); experiences in host countries; host government policies; and relationships between Russian authorities and diaspora communities.
The project will be led by Oliker and two other specialists, working with regional teams to carry out field research in France, Belgium, Ukraine, Georgia, and Turkey. The team will produce a report that provides a more nuanced and contextualized understanding of these migrations and the diaspora, and policy recommendations designed to contribute to security, prosperity and the prevention of violence. Several additional publications will be produced to bring attention to this work. This will be Crisis Group’s first project with a focus on assessing the implications of transnational migration not directly caused by conflict.
ICG is an independent, non-partisan source of analysis and advice to policymakers on the prevention and resolution of deadly conflict. It publishes and disseminates nearly 100 reports and briefing papers annually, assessing conditions in conflict-affected countries. The combination of field research, policy prescriptions, and advocacy distinguishes ICG’s approach. More than 100 full-time staff representing over 30 nationalities are based in more than 20 countries, either in regional offices or as local field representatives. The organization also actively promotes its policy recommendations through offices in Brussels (the global headquarters), Washington, DC and New York, and has liaison presences in London, Beijing and Moscow.
Since 2011 the HRLI has made four grants to ICG to support in-depth field research in countries where religion plays a significant role in conflict and instability, especially in the Middle East, Asia and Africa. The research generated detailed reports, policy briefings in the U.S., and the publication of opinion pieces in the media.
The target audiences include decision-makers who determine conflict prevention and resolution strategies, as well as those who contribute to public policy debate. In Washington, DC, this includes senior public officials in the administration; in New York, the UN, diplomats, foreign ministers, and others. Efforts also focus on academic experts, journalists, NGOs and think tanks; activities include policy seminars, roundtables, briefings, and the preparation of reports.
Robert Malley, formerly the ICG’s Middle East and North Africa Program Director, became President in January 2018. Malley previously served as a Special Assistant to President Barack Obama and White House Coordinator for the Middle East, North Africa and the Gulf region . The Trustees include former heads of state and other leaders from diplomacy, business and the media.
