ABSTRACT

Estonia, a relatively small country with approximately 1.3 million residents, is situated north of Latvia, west of the Russian Federation and south of Finland. The history of Estonia is plagued by foreign rule, and its first period of independence lasted from 1918 until 1940 when the three Baltic States, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, were incorporated into the Soviet Union. In 1991 Estonia gained its independence and is thus a so-called post-Soviet country. The fact that Estonia has a number of Muslims with deep historical roots is unknown to many. Being a “young” nation with a recent history of Soviet rule, Estonia has many interesting aspects to study, not least in the study of religion.1 This chapter begins with a historical background of the Muslim presence in Estonia and thereafter a presentation of the religious scene is given. In this section, questions of the regulations between state and religion are discussed. The following section deals specifically with the Muslims of present-day Estonia, both the ethnic Muslims such as the Tatars and the Azeris and recently converted Muslims. There is also a brief presentation of the cultural organizations of the Tatars and Azeris. The Estonian Muslim Congregation and its activities are also presented here. Finally, the chapter explores what it is like to be a Muslim in Estonia today; is it possible, for example, to wear a hijab in public and can halal meat be found? Questions of discrimination are also discussed.