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US Offers Citizenship To 7000 Ahiska Muslims
Islam Online ^ | 7/25/04 | Damir Ahmed

Posted on 07/25/2004 11:24:09 AM PDT by freedom44

KRASNODAR, Russia, July 24, (IslamOnline.net) - The United States has agreed to grant citizenship to 7,000 Ahiska Muslims who will be settled in Pennsylvania, reported a Russian newspaper on Friday, July 23.

The first 11-strong batch of the Ahiska Muslims, living in the Russian province of Krasnodar, left for Geneva on Thursday, July 22, before flying to Philadelphia, reported Novie Izvestia.

It added that the Muslims would be housed near the grand mosque in Philadelphia.

The paper recalled that Krasnodar governor Alexander Tkachev was notified of the American decision on February 15.

Izvestia said the Russian government does not treat Ahiska Muslims as citizens and has not therefore given them passports or IDs.

An official in Krasnodar administration had told Interfax on Tuesday, July 20, that of the 11,999 Ahiska Muslims living in the region, 4,943 have received Russian citizenship and 744 have embarked on Russian naturalization procedures.

He added that more than 5,000 others have expressed a desire to emigrate to the United States.

Earlier, Chingiz Neiman-zade, chairman of Vatan, a Meskheti Turks association based in Georgia, said the United States had offered to accept the Ahiska Muslims living in Krasnodar as immigrants.

"On February 16, the International Migration Organization began an information program in Krasnodar to explain the terms for the resettlement of the Ahiska Muslims in the U.S.," he told Chicago Tribune on Thursday, July 22.

"The immigrants will be provided with housing and furniture, they will be helped to learn the English language and to complete formalities needed for residence in the US, which is especially important, and have been promised life-long welfare allowances for pensioners and the disabled."

Happiness

Ahiska Muslims were happy with the American offer.

"This decision marks a great change in our life", said Tepeshon Swanidze, leader of the Ahiska Muslim community in Russia.

"We thank the US administration for its humanitarian decision", he added.

Ahiska Muslims , originally hailing from Anatolia, were exiled from their homeland after Russia seized the region of Ahiska following its 1828-1829 war with the Ottoman Empire.

Many Ahiska Muslims were forced to seek refugee in Erzurum in eastern Turkey after being persecuted by the Russian Cesar for supporting the Ottoman Empire.

Facing a similar fate under the notorious Soviet leader Joseph Stalin, Ahiska Muslims fled to Uzbekistan in 1944.

One year later, they went to Azerbaijan where they currently reside.

Turkish and Azeri parliamentarians had recently appealed for an international intervention to pressure the Georgian government into allowing the return of Ahiska Muslims.

Ahiska became part of Georgia in 1918.


TOPICS: Culture/Society; News/Current Events; Russia; US: Pennsylvania
KEYWORDS: ahiskamuslims; aliens; charliefoxtrot; muslims
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1 posted on 07/25/2004 11:24:12 AM PDT by freedom44
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To: freedom44

This is a joke,right?

Right?


2 posted on 07/25/2004 11:26:15 AM PDT by Mears
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To: freedom44
"We thank the US administration for its humanitarian decision", he added.

"Compassionate conservatism" in action.

3 posted on 07/25/2004 11:26:37 AM PDT by Mr. Mojo
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To: freedom44

The invasion continues...


4 posted on 07/25/2004 11:28:26 AM PDT by SpaceBar
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Comment #5 Removed by Moderator

Comment #6 Removed by Moderator

To: Mears

I sure hope so!

bookmark


7 posted on 07/25/2004 11:29:45 AM PDT by lonevoice (Some things have to be believed to be seen)
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To: freedom44

We're screwed.


8 posted on 07/25/2004 11:30:54 AM PDT by OK
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To: freedom44

I DO NOT understand this drive to balkanize the United States.

We used to be a mealting pot. Today our policies seem to be directed at creating an oil and water strategy.

Moslems will NEVER melt into a mainly Christian culture. You'd think a Christian would understand that.


9 posted on 07/25/2004 11:31:49 AM PDT by DoughtyOne (Fox News is Fair and Balanced. Move-on.org is Bare and Imbalanced.)
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To: OK

This has to be a joke. What is IslamOnline.net? I don't believe it.


10 posted on 07/25/2004 11:32:45 AM PDT by Merry
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To: freedom44

Oh no way.


11 posted on 07/25/2004 11:32:53 AM PDT by TheSpottedOwl ("In the Kingdom of the Deluded, the Most Outrageous Liar is King".)
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To: freedom44

Duplicate...you did not even search did you?


12 posted on 07/25/2004 11:33:30 AM PDT by VaBthang4 ("He Who Watches Over Israel Will Neither Slumber Nor Sleep")
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To: freedom44

I emailed Drudge, he'll find out, that is if hes not scared of the fifth column!!


13 posted on 07/25/2004 11:35:54 AM PDT by Coroner
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To: freedom44
SURE! Bring em' all in! /sarcasm

Anyone get the idea that some of our lawmakers are working for the "other side?!"

14 posted on 07/25/2004 11:36:12 AM PDT by SheLion (Please register to vote! We can't afford to remain silent!!)
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To: freedom44
The following is a hypothetical response from an imaginary Freeper:

"At least their not gay!"

15 posted on 07/25/2004 11:36:38 AM PDT by zarf
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To: Mears
"The immigrants will be provided with housing and furniture, they will be helped to learn the English language and to complete formalities needed for residence in the US, which is especially important, and have been promised life-long welfare allowances for pensioners and the disabled."

Meanwhile, we lowly natives have been promised that social security will be broke by the time most of us currently paying into it are old enough to collect it.

All of which begs answere to this question: What in the sam hell have the Ahiska Muslims done for the United States to merit this special treatment? Couldn't the oil-rich sparsely settled fellow Muslim country of Saudi Arabia give them visas? Couldn't President Bush with all his oil connections pressure them to take these people and employ them in just a few of the hundreds of thousands of jobs for which Saudi Arabia is currently importing non-Muslim foreign workers?

16 posted on 07/25/2004 11:37:26 AM PDT by Vigilanteman (crime would drop like a sprung trapdoor if we brought back good old-fashioned hangings)
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To: SheLion
Anyone get the idea that some of our lawmakers are working for the "other side?!"

The Kennedy boys promoted the current insane immigration laws back in the mid 1960s.

I could never understand why the quota for Sri-Lankans was 15,000 and that for Irish was 1500.

17 posted on 07/25/2004 11:41:33 AM PDT by CROSSHIGHWAYMAN (I don't believe anything a Democrat says. Bill Clinton set the standard!)
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To: SheLion
#1 you posted a graphic showing groups in the US linked to Terrorism.

#2 These people have no links to terrorism.

Stop being a dumb-ass and think before you post stupid stuff like that. They have just as much right to come here as anyone else. They aren't criminals and they are not breaking any laws.
18 posted on 07/25/2004 11:42:19 AM PDT by VaBthang4 ("He Who Watches Over Israel Will Neither Slumber Nor Sleep")
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To: freedom44

If they are turkic, they are cousins to the Azeris and the Turks. The article doesn't explain what is the pressing problem that requires them to be evacuated from Azerbaijan.

But if they can't stay there, wouldn't it make more sense for them to be resettled in Turkey?


19 posted on 07/25/2004 11:42:37 AM PDT by marron
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Comment #20 Removed by Moderator


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