Book launch: “Islam in the Baltic: Europe's Early Muslim Community” by Prof Harry Norris
7 April, 2009. The British-Lithuanian Society introduces Professor Harry Norris' new book just published by I.B. Tauris. The dedication of the book is in homage to the unique achievements of Grand Dukes Gediminas and Vytautas. Whilst the book deals with other Muslim (principally Tatar) communities in Poland, Belarus, Latvia and Estonia, Lithuania is the pivot of his work. It is the first historical study in English of the Qipchaq community of Tatars and non-Tatar Muslims in the Baltic States (especially Lithuania and Poland) and in Belarus and Kaliningrad. The entire history of the community and the heart of the Muslim World from early medieval times and up to the present is surveyed.
Publisher‘s Note: "Arriving in Europe in the 14th century, the Qipchq Tatars are the longest surviving Muslim people in Europe. They form the historical core of the Muslim community in the Baltic States, Belarus and Poland where Muslims are few in number compared with those in other parts of the European Union and in Russia. In the first historical study of this important community, Harry Norris investigates the earliest contacts between the Baltic peoples and the world of Islam. He examines the trade routes of the Vikings and the early Slavs and Balts who had commercial relations with Arab merchants, trading in amber, furs, Middle Eastern silks and other luxury goods. Norris surveys the Qipchq Tatars' history, their Muslim faith, their culture, their literature and their life as indigenous Europeans in New Europe today. He draws contrasts and similarities between other Muslim communities in Europe, including the diverse immigrant Muslim groups in the Nordic countries that border the Baltic Sea: Finland, Sweden and Denmark. This book is of importance to those studying the rich cultural heritage of minority groups of European Muslims and their position in Europe today, as well as those interested in the study of migration."
Harry Norris is Professor Emeritus of Arabic and Islamic Studies at the University of London. He was previously Professor of Middle Eastern Studies at the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), and an Associate Fellow of the School of Slavonic and Eastern European Studies (SSEES). He is a member of the British-Lithuanian Society.
7 April, 2009. 6.30 pm for 7.00 pm. Lithuanian Embassy, 84 Gloucester Place, London W1U 6AU.
The guests can register by e-mail to blssecretary@hotmail.com and pay at the door. Entrance £ 8.
