MOLDOVA

Aurelia Felea
1
1 Muslim Populations
Te territory of the present Republic of Moldova, with the exception
of the land to the east of the River Nistru, was historically an integral
part of the Principality of Moldavia, which was constituted in the mid-
fourteenth century. Contacts between the sedentary population of the
region between the Nistru, Prut and Danube rivers and the Black Sea
and the populations originating in Central Asia (the Pechenegs [Patzi-
naks], Cumans, Tatars etc.), who later became Muslims, date back to
the tenth-thirteenth centuries.
2
Te impact of Islam on the history of the country increased par-
ticularly under the infuence of the Ottoman Empire, which annexed
extensive areas in the eastern part of the principality (the fortresses of
Chilia, Akkerman, Tighina [called Bender by the Turks] and Hotin
and the regions surrounding them) in the ffeenth to seventeenth
centuries. Here, Ottoman military, administrative and religious struc-
tures were established and consequently Turkish and Tatar Islamic
populations settled there at various times.
3
Te new authorities built
mosques and other buildings needed for Islamic religious practice,
and their remains were still evident in the frst half of the twentieth
century. Te Dormition Church at Caueni is a Christian monument
1
Aurelia Felea is Associate Professor in the Department of Social Sciences, State
University of Tiraspol, Chisinau, Moldova.
2
Nesterov, Tamara, Monumente de arhitectur musulman la Orheiul Vechi
(Monuments of Muslim architecture in Old Orhei), Sud-Est. Revist de art,
religionur i civilizaie, vol. 2, no. 48 (2002), pp. 118122; Chirtoag, Ion, Orhei,
Destin Romnesc. Revist de istorie i religionur, vol. 1, no. 45 (2006), pp. 122125.
3
Maxim, Mihai, Principatele Romne i Imperiul Otoman (14001878) (Te
Romanian principalities and the Ottoman Empire (14001878)), in Stephen Fischer-
Galai, Dinu C. Giurescu and Ioan-Aurel Pop (eds.), O istorie a romnilor (A His-
tory of the Romanians) (Cluj-Napoca: Fundaia Religionural Romn. Centrul de
Studii Transilvane, 1998), pp. 128147; Chirtoag, Ion, Sud-Estul Moldovei i stnga
Nistrului (14841699). Expansiunea i dominaia turco-ttar (Te South-East of Mol-
dova and the Lef Bank of the Nistru (14841699): Te Turkish-Tatar Expansion and
Domination) (Bucharest: Fundaia Religionural Romn, 1999), pp. 89103.
384 aurelia felea
from those times. Te walls of the church, built in the second half of
the eighteenth century in the region administered by the Tatars, are
half-buried into the ground, in compliance with Ottoman laws, which
forbade the building of Christian churches higher than mosques.
4
As a result of the continuous expansion of the Russian Empire to
the south, in the last quarter of the eighteenth and early nineteenth
centuries, Turkish and Tatar populations from the North Pontic area
fed to the south of the Danube or were resettled in Russia by the
tsarist administration. By the end of World War I, the region situated
between the Nistru and the Prut (called Bessarabia during the period
of tsarist domination) seceded from Russia and united with Romania.
Te census carried out by the Romanian authorities in 1930 registered
148 Muslims in the region, mostly of Turkish or Tatar descent.
5
Te census carried out in the Republic of Moldova on 512 October
2004 recorded 3,383,332 inhabitants.
6
Two-thirds of Moldovans are of
Romanian descent, the languages are virtually identical and the two
countries share a common cultural heritage. With regard to religion,
3,158,015 people (over 93% of the total population) declared them-
selves to be Orthodox Christians and 1,667 people (0.05%) declared
they were Muslims, of whom 1,075 were male and 592 female; 339
were children under 15. Most Muslims (1,353 people) live in urban
areas, the majority in the capital of the country, Chiinu (995) and in
the city of Bli (106); 314 live in rural areas.
7
In addition, there are Muslims who are temporary residents in the
country for educational, business, cultural or personal reasons as well as
students from Muslim countries studying at Moldovan universities.
According to the data provided by the Bureau for Migration and Asy-
lum, a part of the Ministry of Interior, a signifcant number of immi-
grants, repatriated persons and visitors coming to Moldova (including
4
Ciobanu, Constantin, Biserica Adormirii Maicii Domnului din Cueni (Te Dor-
mition Church from Cueni) (Chiinu: tiina, 1997).
5
Enciu, Nicolae, Recensmntul populaiei din 29 decembrie 1930 (Te popula-
tion census of 29 December 1930), Destin Romnesc. Revist de istorie i religionur,
vols. 34, no. 4344 (2004), pp. 98115 (105).
6
Tis report contains information only about the territories efectively controlled
by the Government of the Republic of Moldova and does not refer to the situation in
the separatist region of Transnistria, including the city of Bender, unless specifcally
stated.
7
Recensmntul populaiei 2004, vol. I Caracteristici demografce, naionale,
lingvistice, culturale (Population Census. Demographic, National, Linguistic, Cultural
Characteristics) (Chiinu: Tipografa Central, 2006), pp. 476485.
moldova 385
tourists) hail from countries with sizable Muslim populations. For
example, from the total number of 2,008 registered immigrants who
entered Moldova in 2009, 606 persons originated from countries with
an important Muslim population.
Te Law on the Legal Status of Foreign Citizens and of People
Lacking Citizenship in the Republic of Moldova No. 275-XIII of 10
November 1994 (with amendments adopted in 19982008) guarantees
them freedom of conscience, opinion and expression.
Also, in late 1994 the Moldovan parliament granted autonomous
status to the Turkic-language speaking Gagauz region in the southwest
of the republic. It has powers over its own political, economic and
cultural afairs.
2 Islam and the State
Moldova is a secular state with no state religion. Te Constitution
guarantees freedom of conscience and religion. Law No. 125-XVI of
11 May 2007 on religions and their component parts stipulates the
legal equality of religions and their equal status before the public
authorities. However, the law emphasises the special importance and
the primordial role of the Christian-Orthodox religion, and particu-
larly of the Moldovan Orthodox Church in the life, history and culture
of the people of the Republic of Moldova. According to the Bureau of
Democracy, Human Rights, and Labour International Religious Free-
dom Report 2010, the Metropolitan of Chisinau and of All Moldova,
the highest-ranking cleric in the Moldovan Orthodox Church, holds
a diplomatic passport and, before the Alliance for European Integra-
tion government took power in September 2009, was the only religious
leader who regularly participated in national celebrations alongside
state ofcials.
8
Only Moldovan citizens are allowed to establish and lead religious
organisations. Religious activities of foreign citizens in public places
require prior permission from the local public authorities. Te legal-
ity of most collective religious activities is, however, dependent on
the registration of a religious organisation. In the period 19982007,
8
Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labour International Religious Free-
dom Report 2010, http://www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/irf/2010/148963.htm, accessed 18
February 2011.
386 aurelia felea
the registration of religious organisations was the responsibility of the
State Service on Religious Issues, but in October 2007 this function was
transferred to the Ministry of Justice.
9
Te Law on Religions regulates
the registration process. Registration provides confessional groups
with equal status, including permission to: acquire property; open
bank accounts; receive, as legal entities, donations from physical and
legal entities from within the country and from abroad; hire employ-
ees; and obtain authorisations for the building of religious institutions
and places of worship. However, the law does not defne clearly the
right of a religious group to be registered as an ofcial religious entity,
including the possibility of acquiring full legal status and the right to
appeal against the rejection of an application for registration. A state
body, the Bureau for Interethnic Relations (Alexei Mateevici Str.,
109/1, Chiinu MD-2009, tel: 373 22 235040, email: brimoldova@bri
.gov.md, http://www.bri.gov.md), is responsible for the promotion of
state policy in the area of interethnic relations, including the granting
and coordination of state funding.
According to the 2010 Report on International Religious Freedom,
released by the US State Department, the Muslim communities of the
Republic of Moldova were subject to less pressure and harassment
by the state authorities, in comparison with the previous period. Te
police, security and immigration ofcials and employees did not, as
a rule, check the identity of the Muslim believers gathering for Fri-
day prayers, flm their meetings or require them to report to the local
police authorities in order to write explanatory notes concerning their
religious activities, as was customary in the past. However, some Mus-
lim organisations claim that the authorities continue to reject, as of
2010, their demands for ofcial registration. Te community led by
Talgat Mashaev has been attempting to register at the Ministry of Jus-
tice since 2002, but it still has not succeeded in doing so.
10
In 2009, the
Chisinau Court of Appeal ruled that the organisation should be imme-
diately registered, but in February 2010 the Ministry of Justice con-
tested this decision and appealed to the Supreme Court, which gave a
fnal verdict favourable to the authorities. Talgat Mashaev claims that
the refusal of the Moldovan judiciary and legal system to register the
9
http://rson.justice.md/organisations, accessed 18 February 2011.
10
Corley, Felix, Government should register Muslims, says OSCE, Forum 18 News
Service, 26 July 2005, http://wwrn.org/articles/18043/, accessed 18 February 2011.
moldova 387
Spiritual Gathering of Muslims has no legal grounds or motivation.
However, the Moldovan Ministry of Justice argues that the documents
submitted for the organisations registration procedure do not fulfl the
current legal requirements.
11
Te US Report on International Religious
Freedom indicates a general practice of confusion and avoidance on
the part of the authorities dealing with the registration application.
12
3 Main Muslim Organisations
People of Muslim religious background (Azeris, Tajiks, Tatars, Turks,
Turkmens, Uzbeks) are entitled to express and develop their cultural
and religious identity under the Law on the Rights of People Belonging
to National Minorities and the Legal Status of their Organisations No.
382-XV of 19 July 2001. According to this Law, representatives of eth-
nic/national minorities have the right to create educational, cultural,
religious, and charitable associations and societies which are ofcially
registered by the Ministry of Justice of the Republic of Moldova and
have the status of public organisations. Active organisations include:
the Organisation of the Tatar Community of the Republic of Moldova
Idel, the Tatar Association of the Republic of Moldova Tugan-tel,
the Cultural Centre of the Azeris of the Republic of Moldova Azeri,
the Moldova-Azerbaijan Organisation for Cooperation, and the Uzbek
Community of the Republic of Moldova, the Organisation for the Pro-
tection of the Children of African Origin Fatima, the ASSALAM
Society for Islamic Culture of the Republic of Moldova (Zelinski Str.,
7, P. O. Box 940, Chiinu, MD-2025; email: assalam60@hotmail.com,
tel: +37 322 50 32 66, fax: +37 322 50 32 67; www.assalam.md).
13
11
Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labour International Religious Free-
dom Report 2010, http://www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/irf/2010/148963.htm, accessed 18 Feb-
ruary 2011.
12
http://www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/irf/2009/127325.htm, accessed 15 May 2011.
13
http://www.bri.gov.md/fles/fles/Lista%20liderilor.pdf, accessed 18 February 2011.
Most of these organisations are small and have no websites, but many are traceable via
the Bureau for Interethnic Relations (Alexei Mateevici Str., 109/1, Chiinu MD-2009,
tel. 373 22 235040, email: brimoldova@bri.gov.md, http://www.bri.gov.md).
388 aurelia felea
4 Mosques and Prayer Houses
Tere are at least three premises in the capital where Islamic worship
takes place, attended by both Moldovan citizens and foreign residents,
but, since Muslim groups have not acquired legal status, their activi-
ties are not transparent. Some reports indicate that fnancial support
from abroad contributes towards the rent and maintenance of Muslim
prayer houses, and that students and immigrants from Muslim coun-
tries perform the function of imams.
14
5 Childrens Education
During the Communist period (19441989), the educational system
and the ofcial statements presented a negative image of the many
centuries yoke of the Ottoman enslavers compared with positive pre-
sentations of Russia and the liberating Russian army.
15
Today, the
Moldovan educational system and mass media are attempting to revise
these descriptions of relations with the Ottoman Empire and evalua-
tions of the Romanian-Turkish military confrontations are more bal-
anced. History textbooks cover religious, cultural issues and everyday
life in the Islamic world.
16
Under the Law on Education No. 547 of 21 July 1995, state educa-
tion is secular. Te Law also makes moral-spiritual education compul-
sory in state primary schools and optional at secondary and university
levels. During the frst half of 2010, the leadership of the Moldovan
Orthodox Church actively lobbied for the introduction, within the sys-
tem of elementary and secondary education, of a mandatory course
tentatively called Te Bases of Orthodoxy. It also organised parish-
ioners and believers meetings in order to exercise pressure upon the
14
Jurnal de Chiinu, no. 147, 12 September, 2002.
15
Russev, E., Jugul otoman n Moldova (Te Ottoman yoke in Moldova), in Enci-
clopedia Sovietic Moldoveneasc (Chiinu: Academia de tiine a Republicii Soviet-
ice Socialiste Moldoveneti, 1971), vol. 2, pp. 520521; Dragnev, D. and P. Sovetov,
Istoria RSS Moldoveneti, manual pentru elevii claselor a VIIVIII-a (History of the
Moldavian SSR. Textbook for 7th8th grades) (Chiinu: Lumina, 1983), pp. 38144.
16
Parasca, Pavel et al., Istoria romnilor. Epoca antic i medieval, manual pentru
clasa a X-a, ciclul liceal (History of Romanians. Te Ancient and Medieval Epochs.
Textbook for 10th grade, lyce level) (Chiinu: Asociaia Istoricilor din Republica
Moldova, 2002), pp. 95113.
moldova 389
government on this controversial issue.
17
Te government rejected
this initiative, arguing, inter alia, that such an innovation and policy
change could lead to the straining of relationships between Moldovas
religious communities. It would also have required important amend-
ments to the existing legislation, which could not be introduced hastily
or at short notice.
18
On June 15, 2010, the Chisinau Court of Appeal
ruled in favour of the 17 NGOs who had earlier contested the consti-
tutionality of a referendum on the subject, supported and actively pro-
moted by the Moldovan Orthodox Church. During the rather heated
public debate that followed, several experts in the feld of childrens
rights also emphasized that the opinion of the children had not been
taken into account either. Finally, the Government issued a Decision
(Decision Nr. 596 of July 2, 2010), according to which the subject
of religion would be included in the curriculum of the primary and
high school educational establishments, starting from the 20102011
academic year. Te new course would be optional (non-compulsory).
Religious education in schools only takes place with the agreement of
parents and depends on the availability of the necessary funds. Te
textbooks and the materials used for this subject are mostly based on
the Christian religion, though there are references to other religious
systems, including Islam.
19
Te children of Muslim families can acquire
basic knowledge of Islam at special meetings organised every Saturday
and Sunday, on the premises of certain Muslim public organisations.
6 Islam in Higher and Professional Education
Tere are no Islamic theological institutes in Moldova. Te Moldova
State University, Ion Creang Pedagogical State University and the
Free International University of Moldova ofer courses that deal with
the Muslim countries in their history departments. Te civilization of
the Arab world is currently studied within the Department of Modern
Languages at the State University of Moldova.
17
Moldova Suveran, no. 91 (920), 23 June 2010.
18
http://www.edu.md/?lng=ro&MenuItem=8&Article=1025, http://www.edu.md/?
lng=ro&MenuItem=8&Article=1137, accessed 24 February 2011.
19
Cara, Angela and Tatiana Niculcea, Educaia moral-spiritual, manual pentru
clasa a IV-a (Moral-Spiritual Education, textbook for the 4th grade) (Chiinu: Univ-
ers Pedagogic, 2005), p. 60.
390 aurelia felea
7 Burial and Cemeteries
According to the Law on Religions and their Component Parts, only
the ofcially registered faiths have the right to their own spaces in
public cemeteries. Te procedures for creating, maintaining and dis-
continuing cemeteries are stipulated in the government Regulations
on Cemeteries. Tere are no separate Islamic cemeteries in the Repub-
lic of Moldova. Te Muslim dead are usually buried in Orthodox
Christian cemeteries. Difculties arise in relation to the positioning
of graves. According to the 2010 Report on International Religious
Freedom, released by the US State Department, practising Muslim
believers are not currently complaining about the authorities refusal
to provide Muslims with separate Islamic sections within existing
cemeteries. Also, they do not have to pay the double tax for a single
burial space reservation within the cemeteries of other religions (as
they were required to do in the past).
8 Chaplaincy in State Institutions
Te Law on Religions, in force since 2007, includes the right of religions
to conduct worship in orphanages, homes for the elderly and disabled,
in prisons, in medical and educational institutions, in police stations
and other types of institutions, at the request of the people residing or
detained there, and with the agreement of the administration of the
respective institutions. So long as no Muslim religious organisations
have been registered, Muslims do not have access to these rights.
9 Religious Festivals
Te list of Moldovan ofcial holidays, celebrated at the state level
does not include any Muslim festival. Islamic religious celebrations
are organised in private. Muslims and non-Muslims who are close
to the hosts are invited to participate. Muslim students can petition
the universities for temporary changes or adjustments in the course
schedule, on the occasion of the most important Islamic religious
holidays. In most cases, these requests are accepted by the university
administration.
20
Staf in educational institutions that have Muslim
20
Personal interviews conducted by the author.
moldova 391
students from abroad report that they take account of the fasting prac-
tices of Muslim students during Ramadan and reduce homework in
this period.
21
10 Halal Food
In the main cities there are numerous establishments, including famous
luxury restaurants, which serve traditional Turkish and Arab halal
food. In a number of small shops, mostly situated on the premises of
the Chisinau Central Market (the largest of its kind in the city), halal
meat is available. Recently, the Chisinau supermarkets started ofering
imported halal products. Muslim believers sometimes request that ani-
mals be sacrifced according to Islamic tradition. In these cases, they
ofen directly negotiate with the local small producers in the Moldo-
van countryside. Such orders are especially frequent during the main
Islamic religious festivals.
22
11 Dress Codes
Women wearing the hijab can sometimes be observed in public places.
Tese are ofen Moldovan women married to foreign Muslims or
women who have come to Moldova from Islamic countries with their
husbands. Te authorities do not allow the Muslim women to be pho-
tographed wearing a head scarf for ofcial documents.
12 Publication and Media
Under the Law on Religions and their Component Parts, only religious
institutions have the right to publish materials for their members, and
to purchase, import, export and spread religious literature. Publishing
and printing houses, radio and TV stations and publications can be
owned by religious bodies. Te situation for Muslims is ambiguous.
On the one hand, because the Islamic religion is not recognised by the
state, the believers cannot enjoy the same rights as religions registered
as legal entities. On the other hand, Islamic literature brought from
abroad (for example, published by Muslim organisations in Ukraine
21
Personal interviews conducted by the author.
22
Personal interviews conducted by the author.
392 aurelia felea
(Odessa, Kiev) and in Romania) circulates freely and the authorities
do not control or hinder this process.
13 Family Law
Te Family Code, adopted by Parliament on 26 October 2000, includes
monogamy in the range of principles on which family relations are
based. To be legal, a marriage has to be performed according to the
civil regulations. Religious weddings have no legal standing. Men from
Muslim countries frequently marry local women. Foreign citizens and
people without citizenship enjoy the same rights and responsibilities
in family relations as Moldovan citizens.
14 Interreligious Relations
Te Embassy of the United States of America in Moldova traditionally
organises an annual meeting with the representatives of the countrys
major religions. Te 2010 Report on International Religious Freedom
from the US State Department mentions that, even afer the recent
change in government, the authorities do not send their representative
to this meeting.
15 Public Opinion and Debate
Local magazines and newspapers occasionally debate topics con-
nected with the Muslim presence in Moldova, and issues related to
the situation of foreign students and intellectuals from majority Mus-
lim countries temporarily resident in the country. Prestigious cultural
journals (Contrafort, Sud-Est) have published numerous articles and
even whole issues dedicated to Islamic teachings, literature and art.
Events and topics debated by political analysts and local journalists
in connection with international Islam provoke serious discussions.
Information provided by various news portals, newspapers, radio and
TV channels mostly deal with the following subjects: the relationships
between Muslims and members of other confessional groups in difer-
ent countries and regions of the world; wearing of the hijab in pub-
lic (exemplifed by the recent debates in France and elsewhere); the
discussions concerning photos for ofcial papers in cases when the
moldova 393
concerned persons, including women, were required to uncover their
head.
23
Moldovan mass-media are gradually becoming more interested
in the concrete ways in which confessional and religious freedom is
exercised in other European countries, including with regard to prac-
tice and attitudes towards Islam. For example, the news portals and
the private TV channels, proliferating afer the July 2009 parliamen-
tary elections, have broadcast much more substantial and ample infor-
mation on subjects related to Muslim religious practices than was the
case previously.
24
Tus, they have included an extended coverage of
the annual pilgrimage of the Muslim believers to Mecca and of the
Festival of the Sacrifce during the fall of 2010.
25
16 Major Cultural Events
Te foreign students mark the national holidays of their countries on
the premises of the universities where they study. Te 10th Festival of
Ethnicities of Moldova took place on 19 September 2010 in Chisinau
and representatives of all the signifcant ethnic/national minorities in
the country took part. Te festival is organised by the ethno-cultural
communities with the support of the local public administration, the
Ministry of Culture and the Department of Interethnic Relations and
features exhibitions of handicrafs, national cuisine and folk music
and dance.
26
During the annual celebration of the symbolic date of
Chisinaus founding, organised on October 14, on the occasion of a
major Christian Orthodox festival, various art, graphics and handi-
crafs exhibitions, as well as book fairs and other similar events are
23
http://www.jurnal.md/ro/news/cu-val-in-pasaport-189049/; http://unimedia.md/?
mod=news&id=27409; http://www.protv.md/sport/international/ciocniri-violente-
intre-crestini-si-musulmani-in-nigeria.html; http://www.jurnal.md/ro/news/talibanii-
au-revendicat-atacul-esuat-de-la-new-york-185753/; http://www.jurnal.md/ro/news/
peste-35-de-morti-in-urma-unor-explozii-la-o-moschee-somaleza-185732/; http://www
.jurnal.md/ro/news/o-noua-incercare-de-a-opri-al-qaeda-149220/, accessed 24 February
2011.
24
http://unimedia.md/?mod=news&id=16282; http://www.jurnal.md/ro/news/merkel-
cere-demisia-unui-bancher-german-care-a-facut-remarci-rasiste-191971/; http://www
.jurnal.md/ro/news/spania-politia-a-arestat-doi-musulmani-in-timpul-rugaciunii-183909/;
http://www.jurnal.md/ro/news/germania-banci-cu-specifc-oriental-in-occident-152971/,
accessed 24 February 2011.
25
http://www.publika.md/tag/mecca_90531, http://unimedia.md/?mod=news&id=
26021, accessed 24 February 2011.
26
Timpul, no. 169 (1373), 20 September 2010.
394 aurelia felea
held.
27
All these events are organised by the ethno-cultural societies
of the Republic of Moldova. On June 1, 2010, a childrens festival,
including representatives of diferent ethnic communities, took place
in Chisinau.
28
Te ethno-cultural associations of the Azeris, Uzbeks,
Tajiks, Turkmens, etc. organise impressive annual spring festivals.
Tese initiatives are ofen supported by diplomatic missions.
27
Timpul, no. 188 (1392), 15 October 2010.
28
Moldova Suveran, no. 79 (908), 2 June 2010.