gürcistan

• gürcistan nüfusunun takriben %15'i müslümandır. bu müslüman azınlık, ülkenin iki farklı yöresinde yoğunlaşmıştır ve iki farklı etnik kimliğe sahiptir.
  
  birinci grup müslüman azınlık, gürcistan'ın ermenistan sınırına yakın bölgelerde yaşar. bu müslümanlar azeridir ve şiidir.
  
  ikinci grup müslüman azınlık ise, gürcistan'ın güneybatısındaki acaristan otonom bölgesinde yaşar. bu müslümanlar etnik olarak gürcüdür ve sünnidir. 1700'lü yılların sonlarında, osmanlı devleti'nin etkisiyle müslüman olmuşlardır. türkiye'deki gürcüler, bu ikinci gruptan olup, 1877-1878 osmanlı-rus savaşından sonra türkiye'ye göç etmiş olan müslümanlardandır.
  
  aşağıdaki metin, acaristan bölgesindeki hıristiyan gürcülerin müslümanlaşma sürecini ve ardından osmanlı devleti'nin onları gürcü kimliklerinden (ve spesifik olarak da gürcüce lisanından) uzaklaştırarak türkleştirme çabalarını özetliyor:
  
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  the region of ajaria was islamized quite late. until the 1770s, most ajarians were christian. islamicization began after ajaria was incorporated into the ottoman empire in the early seventeenth century and accelerated especially after the 1820s. when the ottomans ceded ajaria to russia in 1878, some 6,000 muslim ajarians fled the region in search of refuge in turkey. orthodox christian missionaries also began actively proselytizing in the region in the late nineteenth century. the long-standing christian presence in the region remains as such today.
  
  the muslims of ajaria are, virtually without exception, sunnis. sufism, however, is rare, despite its widespread presence in turkey to the west and among other muslims of georgia. moreover, in general islamicization in ajaria was rather superficial, as islamic practices in the region intermingled with non-islamic traditions often linked to georgian christianity.
  
  for the most part, ajarians have traditionally thought of themselves as "georgians" (their native language was georgian). ethno-linguistic ties have prevailed over religious bonds in political affairs. however, during the period of ottoman rule, turkish authorities had some success in changing political identification. they did so in part through economic incentives and in part by promoting the use of turkish in the region, particularly after the 1860s. ottoman officials speculated at the time that it would take some 30 years for ajarians to abandon georgian completely. the effort ultimately proved unsuccessful, however, and turkish remained a foreign language for most.
  
  kaynak: sanikidze, george; and edward w. walker. 2004. islam and islamic practices in georgia. berkeley program in soviet and post-soviet studies, working paper series. university of california, berkeley.
  
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  tema:
  (bkz: siyaset bilimi /@derinsular)