Correction: Circassians Were Deportees, Not Refugees
Erased by Occupation: The Deportation That Shattered Circassia
Adel Bashqawi
June 7, 2025
Image: AI-generated via Microsoft Copilot / A depiction of the forced deportation of Circassians, created through AI to visually reinforce historical accuracy
Even when an occupation and all its consequences become a tangible reality, it does not transform into something lawful or legitimate. Therefore, it is an ethical imperative to resist it, undertake legitimate activism, and raise awareness until justice is served and stolen rights are restored. Despite this truth, there are persistent attempts to distort facts and rewrite history, aligning with the interests of occupying states that aim to erase the existence of the peoples and nations they subjugate.
Circassians, like other colonized peoples, have historically resisted such occupation. Social movements have served as a strategic tool to oppose oppression, using symbolic public actions and organizational efforts to bring global attention to their plight. Despite the power of tyrants and colonial empires, they will eventually face moral and historical reckoning.
While the path to justice may be long, colonialism remains illegitimate. People across the world, including Circassians, continue to yearn for freedom, self-determination, and the restoration of their inalienable rights. These aspirations are inevitable, and eventually, the truth will prevail. Anything founded on force and falsehood is destined to collapse.
The Scientific Method in Historical Research
Proper historical research relies on a scientific approach to collecting and analyzing evidence from credible sources, including archival documents, memoirs, testimonies, and physical artifacts. The historical record must be established through rigorous verification and objective analysis. This includes confirming chronology, determining the number of victims, and analyzing the impact of military actions on populations and the environment.
Accurate research must be logical, objective, and supported by evidence. Writers must maintain academic integrity, even if they favor one narrative over another. Competing accounts must be presented, especially when addressing stories manipulated to support colonial or distorted viewpoints.
Promoting War and Occupation Through Propaganda
Historical documents and undeniable facts reveal the brutality of the Russian Empire, whose expansionist agenda led to centuries of invasion, war, and colonization—including the annexation of Circassia. These actions were never peaceful but were fueled by propaganda, terror, and misinformation. Russia’s media and academic institutions continue to manipulate historical narratives, presenting the victor’s version of events and falsifying facts to align with colonial objectives.
Setting the Record Straight
It is essential to maintain moral clarity and historical accuracy when recounting the Circassian tragedy. For 101 years, the Russian Empire deployed immense military power to conquer Circassia, committing atrocities that left an indelible scar on human history. The resulting genocide and forced deportation of 90% of the Circassian population to the Ottoman Empire dispersed the nation across the world, while only 10% were left behind.
Despite this, some modern sources—whether unintentionally or deliberately—present narratives based on unreliable, distorted, or propagandized information. These misleading accounts appear in books, articles, academic studies, conferences, and social media. The goal here is not to target individuals, but to expose historical inaccuracies and emphasize the importance of truthful storytelling.
The misuse of terminology is particularly damaging. Terms like “refugees” are often incorrectly applied to the Circassians. While words such as “deportees,” “occupation,” “invasion,” “genocide” and “ethnic cleansing” better reflect historical realities, some persist in using euphemisms that downplay the violence of the Circassian experience.
Clarifications and Corrections
- The correct term is deportees, not refugees. According to Merriam-Webster:
- Refugee: Someone who flees for safety, especially to another country.
- Deportee: A person who has been forcibly removed or is under an order of deportation.
- The Circassian experience involved invasion, occupation, extermination, ethnic cleansing, and deportation.
- Circassians are indigenous to Circassia, while the Caucasus term is a geographical description for a wider area.
- The Russo-Circassian War lasted 101 years (1763–1864), not the shorter durations claimed by Russian sources.
- The Russian military authorities were directly involved in organizing, scheduling, and financing the ships used to deport Circassians to the Ottoman Empire.
- In some cases, Circassians were exchanged with Armenians and Greeks between the Russian and Ottoman empires.
- Deportation was not a voluntary migration or religious pilgrimage, as falsely portrayed in some accounts.
- Circassians endured months of suffering on the Black Sea coast, exposed to disease, starvation, and harsh weather while waiting for ships.
- The first Circassians arrived in Amman, Jordan, in 1867–1868, not 1878 as some sources claim.
- Le Magasin Pittoresque, a French magazine, confirmed Circassian presence in Amman as early as 1867.
- Researcher Muhammad Shapsough cites Circassian elders who state their arrival occurred a year before the Suez Canal’s opening in 1869.
- In 1878, Circassians were approached to consider relocating to Yajouz, 15 km north of Amman, but chose to remain in Amman despite external pressures. This attempt was reportedly linked to British traveler and intelligence agent Laurence Oliphant.
- These facts are supported by memoirs, documents, and early images, refuting misleading and fabricated narratives.
- Misrepresentation continues when local bloggers, writers, and enthusiasts quote or disseminate unverified or distorted information.
- For example, Circassians are mislabeled as refugees, the terms genocide and occupation are downplayed, and references to “Circassia” are replaced by vague geographical labels like “the Caucasus.”
Conclusion
History must reflect the truth. The Circassian tragedy was not a peaceful migration, but a deliberate, violent deportation designed to erase a nation. Clear and accurate terminology matters. Restoring historical integrity honors the memory of the victims and empowers future generations to continue the pursuit of justice and self-determination. The legacy of the Circassian nation deserves more than distortion—it deserves remembrance, recognition, and restoration.
