Introduction

The present document aims to provide a nuanced description of the dynamics and context of religious conflict in the village Buknari (Chokhatauri Municipality), analyze the causes of such conflicts in our political system, and share recommendations with relevant authorities.

The assessments presented in the document are based on our observation of the events of January 14 and 15 in the village Buknar and our recorded interviews with representatives of the Muslim and Christian communities. The research team planned additional field trips to the village of Buknari in early March and late June this year. The team sought to explore post-conflict experiences, attitudes, and existing realities with the local Christian and Muslim communities.

Village Buknari – Description of General Social Context

The village of Buknari is 12 km away from the Chokhatauri municipal center. According to the 2014 census, there are 775 inhabitants in the village. Locals state that the village has a population of 500, where the ratio of Muslim to Christian community is almost equal.  The main livelihood of the residents is related to agriculture and animal husbandry. Part of them has to go abroad for work, mostly to Turkey. Muslim community first settled in Buknari 70-50 years ago. Majority of the Muslim community resettled from the nearby village, Zoti. The key reasons for their resettlement were large families and a shortage of land resources in their village. Muslim and Christian communities are mixed in the village and their geographical location is not sharply separated or segregated. However, the Christian community mentions various districts of the village as “Adjarians side”.

The Christian and Muslim population of the village notes that there were conspicuous practices of coexistence and sharing in the village before the conflict. Indeed, the population cannot recall the examples of mixed families, however, they remark that before the conflict there were frequent cases of collective celebration of holidays and feasts. Furthermore, village residents also talk about social support practices, which broke religious lines and created a sense of commonness.[1] Muslim and Christian communities state that several years ago when construction of the church commenced, a significant part of the Muslim community physically and materially assisted the Christian parish in construction work, during Ramadan.

At one sight, there are no sharp differences between the economic and material conditions of Muslim and Christian communities. However, both groups consider one another as more privileged, or financially strong. According to the Muslim population’s feelings, Christians have larger lands and more opportunities, while Christians think that the Muslim community is stronger economically, due to their work ethic and practice.

Although Christians and Muslims assert that they lived together in the village with mutual respect and peace before the conflict, some local Muslims recall that even before the conflict, "the prestige of Christians in the village was greater than that of Muslims." The Christian community also indirectly discusses the feelings of alienation. One Christian woman notes that Muslims in our village do not mourn their dead and do not want to arrange a cemetery in the village.

According to one local Muslim, both previous friendships and coexistence were built on acknowledging the superiority of Christians and the silence of Muslims. "If I was not your enemy before, why am I your enemy now?" He asks, claiming that he helped to build a village church and that Christians, at least should not interfere if they do not help the Muslims to build their place of worship.

In our conversations, members of the Muslim community express concern that they are almost not represented at the local government level. "Even a cleaning personnel is not a Muslim in Chokhatauri City Hall," said one Muslim woman. The general political context and the experience of conflicts with a religious context in other regions and the protracted process of the construction of a new mosque in Batumi also influence the attitude of Muslims.

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