Document #1107849
IRB – Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada (Author)
In a telephone interview on 5 December
1994, a representative of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL)
in Munich provided the following information. The majority of
Moslems in Romania are Turks and Tartars who live in the Dobrudja
region near the Black Sea. There is a smaller number of recently
arrived Moslems from Turkey and the Middle East who tend to live in
the larger cities. There is no state repression of Moslems, but
they may be treated differently simply because they are different
from the majority population. For additional information on the
situation of Moslems and Turks in Romania, please consult Response
to Information Request ROM19138.E of 15 December 1994.
In a telephone interview on 7 December
1994, a member of the Romanian Helsinki Committee in Bucharest
stated that he had not heard of any particular problem facing
Moslems in Romania, and he did not believe they were victims of
state repression.
In a telephone interview on 7 December
1994, a professor emeritus of the School of Slavonic and European
Studies of the University of London, provided the following
information. The source stated that Moslems are not the victims of
repression, although they are not popular in a land that is
inhabited primarily by Christians. Small, isolated communities such
as the Moslem one in Romania are always potentially at risk. An
unknown number of Gypsies are also Moslem, although they are
probably classified as Gypsies. The majority of the Arab Moslems in
Bucharest are Christian Arabs.
For additional information on the situation
of Turks and Moslems in Romania, please see the attachments.
This response was prepared after
researching publicly accessible information currently available to
the DIRB within time constraints. This response is not, and does
not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular
claim to refugee status or asylum.
Professor Emeritus, School of Slavonic
and European Studies, University of London. 7 December 1994.
Telephone interview.
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty
(RFE/RL), Munich. 5 December 1994. Telephone interview with
representative.
Romanian Helsinki Committee, Bucharest.
7 December 1994. Telephone interview with representative.
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL)
Research Institute. 24 June 1994. RFE/RL Research Report
[Munich]. Vol. 3, No. 25. Michael Shafir. "Immigrants in
Romania," pp. 41, 46.
Romanian Institute of International
Studies. February 1993. Romania: National, Ethnic, Linguistic
and Religious Minorities, pp. 1-2.