"I sang a Crimean Tatar song and was accepted". Ismail Kurt-Umer on Crimean Tatars in Ukrainian army, traditions, Islam

Ismail Kurt-Umer is a professional singer and member of the Song and Dance Ensemble of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. On April 20, 2023, on his initiative and with his participation, the General Staff released a music video in which the Armed Forces of Ukraine congratulated all Muslims on the occasion of Ramazan Bayram. The video provoked a strong reaction in Muslim countries. Ismail was interviewed by Al-Jazeera journalists. Saudi Arabia has since allocated $100 million to the Ukrainian army.

Ismail shares how he ended up in the army, whether there are many Crimean Tatars in the Ukrainian Armed Forces, what Islam means to him, and what makes Crimean Tatar weddings unique. Ismail discussed all this with Serhiy Hnezdilov, a serviceman and host of the "++ podcast" from hromadske.

How Ismail joined the Armed Forces of Ukraine

In 2013-2014, I studied at a conservatory in Kyiv. I was in the preparatory course. And the Maidan started. In the winter, I went home to Crimea for the holidays, and then this annexation began. When it became clear that there would be no hot war in Crimea and that it was occupied, I returned to Kyiv. Thank God, I was not expelled, although I was gone for a long time. Then I decided that I would join the Ukrainian Armed Forces, while continuing with my studies.

I joined the Ukrainian Armed Forces. I was told: you are a singer, a musician, and we have a separate musical unit. There are different orchestras, ensembles – go there. You will be in your specialty, what you know how to do best is also important. So I went and auditioned for the Song and Dance Ensemble of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. By the way, I also sang a Crimean Tatar song when they asked me to do it. And I was accepted right away. I have been in the Armed Forces since 2014.

We were traveling all over Ukraine, giving concerts. We were in the The anti-terrorist operation in eastern Ukraine, which lasted from 2014 to 2018; the beginning of the Russo-Ukrainian war.ATO, then it was the The Joint Forces Operation is a stage of the Russo-Ukrainian war that lasted from 2018 to February 24, 2022; during the JFO, martial law was introduced in some regions of Ukraine.JFO. We were there at least once a quarter. In general, I was engaged in this sort of creative activities.

We have a large ensemble, so when the full-scale war started, we could no longer go to the front line with concerts. It's dangerous because there is a large crowd of people in one place. And then we started making videos congratulating people on Easter, Ukrainian Armed Forces Day, and other holidays. We worked to support the morale of the military and Ukraine in general.

On Ramazan Bayram greetings and communication with the Muslim world

This was my first project. I offered to make a video for the Ramazan holiday. I'm a Muslim, I'm a Crimean Tatar, this is my field. I proposed to make a Muslim greeting song from the Armed Forces of Ukraine, from the ensemble. And we made a video.

In fact, there is a problem here. There are 1.5 million Muslims in Ukraine. This is a lot, it is very many. And when you talk about this in the Middle East, they are shocked because they thought it was a purely Christian country. In addition, we have our own indigenous people in Ukraine who are Muslims, the Crimean Tatars. This is the second point. Again, when you say this in the Middle East, they are also surprised.

When we released this project, we congratulated all Muslims, both in Ukraine and those who are fighting, and Muslims around the world who are helping Ukraine. It really caused a very strong reaction in all Muslim countries. I was interviewed by Al Jazeera, and I told them on live TV that we did not attack anyone, that we were living peacefully, and that Russia attacked us, and that we are now fighting for our independence. That we have 1.5 million Muslims and that they are also in the Ukrainian Armed Forces.

CNN also interviewed us. And people from the Middle East started writing to me personally, in comments, to the General Staff in comments. They wrote that Russia tells them that Ukraine is Nazis, fascists, and you, a Christian country, are making such a gesture to Muslims at the state level, at the level of the army. They could not get their head round it, and they realized that Russia must be lying to them after all.

People wrote that now they would definitely come to visit, because they were curious about what kind of country it is. And Saudi Arabia, for them, it was the final straw after which they allocated $100 million in humanitarian aid to Ukraine.

Saudi Arabia is the birthplace of Islam. And they have a rule that Muslims should be helped. And this video was a signal to them that there are Muslims in Ukraine, that they are in the Ukrainian Armed Forces, and that they are fighting and need help. By the way, Arab journalists told me about this. They also told me about this humanitarian aid, and six months later I learned about it.

On the dialogue between Ukrainians and Crimean Tatars

My personal opinion is that the dialog that exists is not enough. But this is a very complicated issue. First, most Crimean Tatars are in the occupied territory. They have been there for 10 years, and they are being persecuted there. Indeed, a significant number are also in mainland Ukraine. For example, I know that in every fifth battalion there are representatives of Crimean Tatars. But since everyone has someone in Crimea, these people do not show themselves as much as possible. They are not media or public figures. And so it's difficult to talk about any kind of dialog. Because of the circumstances.

But, for example, I am working to somehow raise the issue of Ukrainians and Crimean Tatars through my work, because these peoples have always lived together. Yes, there were different moments, different stories. But generally speaking, we have been living next to each other for 250 years and living together. We have no religious or national conflicts.

All the projects I've done are Muslim, Crimean Tatar, or somehow related to this. The last one, for example, was dedicated to February 26, the 10th anniversary of the resistance of Crimea and the Crimean Tatar people to Russian occupation. As part of this project, eight bands of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in six major cities of Ukraine played Crimean Tatar melodies and dedicated it to Crimea and the Crimean Tatar people. And all these people who did this were mostly Ukrainians.

When I presented this idea to the management, they gave their approval and started helping. And no one said, “This is Crimean Tatar, let's do it later”. Everyone said: “great, let's do it, it's necessary for the Ukrainian Armed Forces in particular”.

So my film maker Stanislav Cherkasov and I traveled all over Ukraine, filming these military units. There were the Ground Forces, the Navy, and the Air Force. Eight bands, each with at least 25-30 people. And they all played Crimean Tatar folk songs. Ukrainians are helping, and this is the most that can be done now.

On Islam

Crimean Tatars are the most democratic Muslims. If you look at it historically, the first Muslim republic was in Crimea. And the first women in the Muslim world to be allowed to vote in, let's say, the Rada were in Crimea, under Crimean Tatar statesman and politician. The first head of the government of the Crimean Democratic Republic proclaimed in 1917.Noman Çelebicihan.

Islam is not radical, it is an integral part of my Crimean Tatar culture. There is a stereotype that a man comes first, then a woman. I did not have this in my family. My father respected my mother and listened to her, and my mother respected my father and listened to him. There were all kinds of situations. For example, my dad realized that he was not very competent in one area, and my mom was competent, so let's do what she says. The only thing was that my father took more responsibility. He took responsibility for the family as a whole. But as a man, I think it was the right thing to do.

We have a holy book, the Quran. To talk about Islam, you have to read it yourself. I know that some people say: don't read it, listen to me, you won't understand anything there, I'm the competent one, I have to tell you. It is because of such people that various radical movements often appear. Because people say not what is written in the Quran, but what is beneficial for them to say. But if you read the Quran yourself, it is written for all people. And the basic rules are written there in black and white – you don't have to be some super smart human to understand it.

What Ukrainians should read and watch to better understand Crimean Tatars

In general, I would advise not to listen, not to watch, but to go to Crimea and communicate with the Crimean Tatars, to live with them for a week. Then a person will really understand what Crimean Tatars are like. But, unfortunately, this is not possible now.

Nariman Aliyev's movie Homeward helps a lot. Also, Haytarma, a movie by Akhtem Seitablayev. It also portrays the Crimean Tatars quite well.

You can also watch the movie A Prayer of Strangers (Her Heart), also directed by Seitablayev. It is about a Crimean Tatar woman who hid Jewish children in Crimea during World War II. She suffered a lot because of this, but she saved about 20 children. And when the deportation began, she asserted that these children were Jews, not Crimean Tatars, that they should not be deported, and she saved them once again. Although she was deported herself.

Music. Jamala – yes, but Jamala is still engaged in more contemporary art. In addition, she is more alternative – she has jazz and popular genre. I would recommend listening to Dzhemil Karikov. He is a composer and cultural figure. He devoted himself to reviving Crimean Tatar music from the time of the Crimean Khanate to the present day. There are many videos on YouTube of him playing with different ensembles. He also shows Crimean Tatar culture and music. But it's more historical.

Well, you can watch my projects too, but I do something more between modern and historical.

On Crimean Tatar weddings

Actually, if you have the opportunity, it's very cool to attend a Crimean Tatar wedding. It will also tell you a lot about may different things. Crimean Tatars consider it their duty to organize a wedding and invite a lot of people. Very often it happens that the bride and groom sit and don't know half of the guests at all, because their parents invited them. But this is the tradition.

In Ukraine, 300 guests is a normal wedding, 200 guests is an average wedding, less than 200 is a small wedding, and 400 is a big wedding. But I know of one wedding in Crimea, which was before 2014, with 1,200 people. I don't know how they did it. There were just two brothers, and one of them organized a wedding for his son for 900 people, so the other brother decided to outdo him. So he invited 1,200 people.

On the future of Crimea

I see Crimea as part of Ukraine, it's not even up for discussion. I see Crimean Tatar autonomy. In one version or another, but I think it is very important and it should be. Ukraine with a touch of the East is what we have in Crimea.