The Influence of assimilation and secularization on religiousness of the Polish Tatars

Abstract

The article focuses on discussing the meaning of the influence of assimilation and secularization processes in respect to Islam, which concerns one of the smallest ethnic groups in Poland. The model of religiousness of the Polish Tatars took the form of worship, which showed little connection with the Arab culture, but distinct localism and strong ethnicization instead. Until 1939, the main threat to the stability of the Tatar community had been posed by the increasing assimilation, whereas the World War II and the creation of the new order in the period of the PRL (The Polish Peoples’ Republic) resulted in the breakdown of the traditional compact settlements of Tatars and was accompanied by the strong pressure on secularization. The weakening of Islam among the Polish Tatars was intensified through the loss of the intergenerational transmission of the tradition, which took place as a result of mixed marriages. Although there was a revival of ethnicity after 1989, the process of secularization is ongoing. This state of affairs is also influenced by the continuous worsening of the image of Islam in Poland, which results in the stigmatization of Muslims and does not favor cultivating their own traditions.