Sanctions... Blathering on about this and that..

The real wildcard in this saga of the "autonomous sovereign entity" choosing Russia.. is... Will the Tatars sit quietly in the corner and allow the rule of Moscow once again threaten their way of life?

Time will tell... But if they choose an armed insurgency with the support of the global sunni terrorist apparatus.. I wouldn't want to be one of those Russian supporters living in Crimea..

This is far from settled..



(Reuters) - Crimea's indigenous Tatars are considering their own referendum on whether to be part of Ukraine or Russia, the leader of the Muslim minority said on Tuesday, in a challenge to Moscow that could further destabilize the region.

Crimean Tatars are deeply suspicious of Russian rule following the mass deportation of their ancestors to Central Asia by Soviet authorities in 1944.

Sunni Muslims of Turkic origin, the Tatars began returning to Crimea some two decades ago and now make up less than 15 percent of the peninsula's roughly 2 million people, pledging loyalty to Ukraine.

The new Moscow-backed authorities of Crimea, which has a narrow ethnic Russian majority, are unlikely to look favourably on any challenge from within to the peninsula's vote this month to join Russia.

Chubarov dismissed the hastily organised March 16 referendum, largely boycotted by Tatars, saying it was held at gunpoint under the gaze of Russian soldiers.

In annexing Crimea, Moscow cited the right of its people to self-determination. Chubarov, a historian by education, said the same should apply to the Tatars.

Seated next to the light blue flag of the Crimean Tatars, a yellow emblem depicting scales as the symbol of justice, Chubarov, 57, repeatedly referred to Ukraine as "our country".

http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/03/25/us-ukraine-crisis-crimea-tatars-idUSBREA2O1F320140325


As of 2012, it was estimated Ukraine has around 500,000 Muslims and about 300,000, or approximately 60%, identify themselves as Crimean Tatars.

Mustafa Jemilev, a Tartar member of Ukrainian Parliament, told a Russian publication in late February the Crimean Tartars have organized themselves into self-defense units and may be soon provided with weapons.

The Tartars say they have fallen victim to a number of violent attacks, including the firebombing of businesses, mosques, and the desecration of Tartar graves and monuments. According to local and national human-rights organizations, the attacks are organized openly by a nationalist party called Russia Unity, The Wall Street Journal reported on March 11.

Although the Tartar Muslim leadership in Crimea has taken a non-violent approach to the return of Crimea to Russia, a fatwa issued against Russia in response to continued abuse may serve as a rallying call for thousands of Islamists, including a number of Muslim Crimeans currently in Syria fighting the government of Bashar al-Assad.

“The Tatar jihadists in Syria are joined by Chechen and North Caucasian Islamists affiliated with Jaish al-Muhajireen wal-Ansar,” writes John Price. “These extremists have extensive combat experience, and could return to undertake attacks against the Russians in Crimea. Peace in the region may be short lived.”

http://www.infowars.com/russia-may-face-islamic-terrorism-in-crimea/


Tatar Sunni Muslims pose a threat to Russia's occupation of Crimea
Pro-Ukrainian Islamic minority could mount a more organised resistance against Russian forces in Crimea peninsula.


There are 266,000 Crimean Tatars in Crimea, over 13% of the local population. They are Sunni Muslim, traditionally pro-Ukrainian, and much better organised than the local Ukrainians, who make up 23% of the population.

A quick look at history tells you why: Stalin deported the Crimean Tatars en masse to Central Asia in 1944, and half of them died during or after the journey. They were only able to return after 1989; by which time their homes had gone and their culture had been erased.

The Crimean Tatars are still economically marginalised, with constant tensions over land-squatting and 'irregular constructions' (shanty towns).

But Crimea is their only home. Turkey hosts a large diaspora; but the peninsula was home to the Crimean Tatar Khanate from 1441 to 1783. The roots of Christianity in Crimea go back more than a thousand years; but the idea of Crimea as an ancient outpost of Orthodox Christianity is really only 160 years old, dating back to a programme of church-building to replace local mosques after the Crimean war of 1853-56.

The Crimea that a young Leo Tolstoy saw during his army service was still Muslim in many parts.

At rallies last month, the Crimean Tatars were chanting both "Allahu Akbar" in Arabic and "Glory to Ukraine" in Ukrainian. At the time, there was an outside chance of a Crimean regional government supported by the Crimean Tatars, some Ukrainians and local elites who resented the rule of Viktor Yanukovych's clique., which is why Russia then intervened to put its supporters in power instead.

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/mar/05/tartar-ukraine-sunni-muslims-threat-russian-rule-crimea

Russia is plagued with too many muslims. Big problem for Putin now and in the future..

You're forgetting another thing here which you probably may also not be up on.

Eastern Orthodox Christians (The world's 2nd largest church which most of the population of Eastern Europe - Russia are a part of) and Muslims don't get along too well due to former Muslim Empires coming in, conquering and cutting down Orthodox Christians for conversion. True, each empire had it's own deal with conversion specifically but you got old bad blood all thru Eastern Europe and the Middle East (Orthodox Christianity is the predominant form of Christianity in the Middle East too) due to it.

So you have that floating through things as well.

Sounds like our own liberal demoncrap Obozo devotees..... wouldn't know the reality of a situation until it actually affected them....then they wouldn't believe it

Over 2000 years of war and rivalry in the ME and eastern block countries..... speaks volumes!