Tatars in Poland: Adopted Homeland

8. Last Words

Almost two years after the roadtrip, when the podcast is finished after much work, Ewa and Maurits meet online to evaluate their findings. Was it what they expected? And what had they expected in the first place? At the same time, the world had changed radically with a continued war in Ukraine and an Israeli onslaught in Gaza turning in a genocide. How does that reflect on this Tatar community in the far eastern corner of Europe?

7. The Next Generation

Ewa and Maurits are heading back to Gdansk. During the long ride from Podlachia, they discuss everything they heard and Ewa makes a confession. Halfway the trip, they stop along the road to listen back to a few interviews. They realize that the Tatars are a vibrant community, but also insecure about their future: what will the next generation do? Will they continue the work of the people we have been talking to? They speak about this with the custodian of the mosque in Gdansk, who comes from a prominent Tatar family.

6. The Imam and the Mufti

Ewa and Maurits meet some of the leaders of the Tatar community, including the mufti. They learn how the Polish state structure works, and how the communist times still play a role in the manner that the Tatars organize themselves. They visit one of the few Polish imams who studied abroad, and who now works as a bus driver. Gradually a picture emerges of a community that is still in the process of finding its identity—are they a cultural or a religious community?—and organizing itself in the Polish state that recently has undergone enormous changes.

5. The Headscarf

Ewa and Maurits travel to Białystok, the symbolic heart of Tatar Islam in Poland. They begin at a strikingly modern mosque surrounded by grey communist-era apartment blocks—an architectural contrast that mirrors the conflicting impressions they have about the Tatars' Islam. Their walk through its empty corridors prompts the question: why to cover one’s hair in an empty mosque? Then they visit Dagmara, one of the few Tatar Muslim women they meet who wears a headscarf and teaches Islam. It's Ramadan, and they’re welcomed into her home during a time of fasting. Dagmara shares her story of faith, gender, and identity that is quite unlike what Ewa and Maurits have heard so far. Visit the website for more details, maps and photos: tatarpodcast.eu/episodes/episode-5-the-headscarf [https://tatarpodcast.eu/episodes/episode-5-the-headscarf/]

4. Religion or Culture

What does it really mean to be a Tatar in Poland today? In this episode, Ewa and Maurits explore the blurred lines between religion, culture, and identity among the oldest native Muslim community in Europe. They speak with theatre director Róża Chazbijewicz and members of a local Tatar association, unearthing contrasting views on whether being Tatar is a matter of faith, blood, or heritage. Along the way, they examine centuries-old prayer books written in Arabic script but in Polish and Ukrainian languages—and meet a sociologist whose research reveals how funding, nationalism, and Islamophobia shape modern Tatar identity. As they move between museum archives, family stories, and academic insight, they discover that Tatarness is both proudly preserved and constantly reinvented. Visit the website for more details, maps and photos: ⁠tatarpodcast.eu/episodes/episode-4-religion-or-culture/ [tatarpodcast.eu/episodes/episode-4-religion-or-culture/]