Adygeya Ice Boils In Baghdad's Hell

The following is a translation for a letter in Arabic Language, dated 16, June, 2006, with the title of "Adygeya Ice Boils In Baghdad's Hell", that was posted to NAFEN PRESSE/Circassian Forum, by Hassan Sheroukh:

Our distiny is for wars to follow us wherever we go.  In motherland Tsarist Russia committed genocide against hundreds of thousands of us and expelled thousands more, then the Soviet Union finished up the ones who stayed alive, and when our world population reached two million, Federal Russia blackmailed our identity in return for the "right to go home" to motherland, while our host homelands got the maximum benefits out of us until the last drop of our blood. We fight in the front lines and some of us die as shaheeds and deceased. We are awarded republican and royal medals, and if we returned alive and solicit for our basic rights, many whisper and others shout: You are strangers and guests with us... Don't forget that you are Circassians...!?

With 19000 Iraqis of Circassian origin, the Circassians evolved as a tiny minority, that got no voice  and confined within itself, that increases hold to the heritage, habits, customs and language that were inherited for thousands of years -according to it's opinion- and the ethnic volcano that is coming from hell in Iraq, would enrich the clinging to the rules of the game that Circassians had to pay dearly to learn, and the beheaded wolf's head was a hard lesson for any action or reaction that Circassians would follow whether in motherland or in the host homeland!

(Adiga Habza) Public Behavior dictates the Circassian social conduct in Iraq.

Like all other Circassians in the world, the Circassians in Iraq adhere to old Circassian public behaviors which are called the "Adiga Habza", which were severely effected by the surrounding environment, which ended to be a mix of behaviors that mostly differ from the original "Adiga Habza" that Circassians in Jordan, Syria and Diaspora had generally maintained while the Circassian Language in Iraq was effected by Arabic, Kurdish, and Persian slogans. Also the Circassian gender mixed with other genders to the extent that the skin changed to the dark color and even though there is a peculiar insistence of maintaining the Circassian identity.

Fadil Sharkas says -Iraqi Circassian- No power on earth can cancel the fact that I am Circassian. Look at my face, enter my house, to notice how my children speak the Circassian Language fluently, and ask my neighbors about my reputation and manners. I am a real Adiga with the precise meaning of the word; but Mr. Fadil got extremely embarrassed when he was asked what would he do if his oldest daughter had eloped with another Iraqi Circassian in accordance with the "Adiga Habza"?? He replied that this act will be considered shame and will not be wiped out except by gun bullets.

The embarrassment was not different by Abdul-Karim Farouq, a mathematics' teacher in Baghdad secondary schools: There is no way that "Adiga Habza" will be implemented as in the Caucasus or other Diaspora countries, because we have to abide by the general behavior of the Iraqi society, then he continues: May be if I lived in Adygeya or another country, it would have been different... The problem does not stop at marriage tradition, but on social relationship even among the Circassians themselves, so the woman does not see her husband's friends even if they were Circassians, and the cousin is considered a stranger and he is not allowed to set with girls at home. It's opposite to other Circassians, a marriage between cousins is preferred and it got priority over other types. Mey says: I am engaged to my cousin Hussam since I was 16 years old, even though my feeling towards him as if as he is my brother; but that is my fortune! What traditions you are talking about? Do I practice elopement? Do you want to bring me shame, even though I am Circassian, but I don't get shame to my family, and I would rather stay single forever, than to put my self in such a situation? My culture and being a Circassian do not mean in any way, stupidity.

Marriage and High Dowry

Despite what was mentioned above, Circassians prefer getting married to Circassians, even with the high dowery in comparison with other Circassians (an average of 1500 U.S. Dollars), this sum might vary depending on how close relatives the bride and groom are, or whether a Circassian or not, and when a Circassian man gets married to non Circassian lady he will be treated the way the bride's traditions, and the same would apply on the Circassian lady when she gets married, then the traditions of the groom's family will apply in regard to dowry, celebration, and other expenses. In case of elopment, which is a rare event to take place, and most of them lead to a bloody end, then Circassian traditions will be followed if the bride's family accepted and it will be very costly and expensive.

The Circassian celebration with playing Accordion as the usual practice, then comes the Arabic or Kurdish dancing in a noticeable mixing, and Circassian dances will be the core line of the activities which is different than what is practiced in Adegea or other Diaspora countries, mostly the wedding party starts with "Qafa Dance" and ends up with "Arabic Foliclore Dance" or the fast "Chechen Dance". The youth learn Circassian dancing from the old with no dancing schools available or Circassian clubs to teach Circassian music, and many youths do not master the Circassian dance, but all of them master the Arabic or Kurdish folklore dancing or both. Certainly all marraige ceremonies are Hanafi School of the Sunni Faith, which is the general religious Islamic faith for Circassian Muslims.

The Language Is Lasting

Even with the integration with the Iraqi society, the language and even with it's mixing with other languages, it managed to survive until now regardless the conditions of unavailablity of schools or institutes. and for resisting the successive Iraqi regimes against any Circassian distinguish against others and inherit learning the Circassian Language from the old to the young and through generations which helped to preserve the Circassian identity and sense of belonging to motherland. Circassian names are used to name the newly borne in adition to the Islamic names; and with the rise of the national feeling of all the minorities in Iraq, the new generation started to look for motherland and accordingly developed to sending applications to the Circassian Republics for returning home and restoring their Circassian nationalities.

Returning Home, Running Away From Hell

Like all other Iraqis, the Iraqi Circassians suffered of the former regime and hundreds died (became Shaheeds) while on the fighting fronts, during the former regime's adventures against Iran and Kuwait, and because they were not interfering in the political life, and they got no ambitions in the government, Circassians were considered a trust worthy element by all of the regimes that ruled Iraq in which some of them reached high ranking positions. Because of that some consideedr that Iraqi Circassians were from the authorities supporters, and because the well known loyailty and "worthy of confidence" that Circassians had practiced were transformed and interpreted by others as allegiance and trustworthy to the regime, and that is why the Iraqi frontage is marking violent attacks describing Circassians as supporters for the tyrant authorities, which made them subject to many annoyances that made some of them furious and to think about returning to their original home land while some of them refuse this solution and they cry that they are Iraqis and "we are staying in our home land, Iraq regardlrss of who ever accepted or who ever rejected so".