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Formally, Islam is the religion that these communities align themselves with, and the people are recognized for their staunch preservation of the Romani language and identity. [54] Most Eastern European Roma are Roman Catholic , Eastern Orthodox , or Muslim . [57]
- Who are Roma? The word “Roma” means “man” and refers to lots of different sub-groups, including Kalderash in south-eastern Europe; Romanichals in England; Sinti in Germany, Italy, and France; Kalé in Wales, Finland, Spain and Portugal; and Gitano from Spain, as well as many others.
- Where do Roma come from? Historians think the Roma’s ancestors first arrived in Europe from northern India, through what is now Iran, Armenia and Turkey.
- What did Roma do? Traditionally, they travelled from place to place, although the majority of Roma are now “sedentary” (settled in one place). They included artisans (for example, wood and copper craft workers), farm workers, blacksmiths, musicians, fortune-tellers and entertainers.
- How were they treated? In many regions, Roma were forced into slavery, a practice which continued into the 19th century in Romania and elsewhere. Roma were also sentenced to death throughout the medieval era in England, Switzerland and Denmark.
While the Hitler regime’s targeting of Roma in several European countries during World War II coincided and intersected with the Holocaust, the former derived from a form of racism distinct from genocidal anti-Semitism.
- Malloryk
Roma tradition was to adopt the religion and language of the majority ethnic group in the region where they lived while remaining close to their own ethnic traditions within the Roma family and clan. In Bulgaria, for example, Turkish census and tax records indicate that many Roma converted to Islam because it meant they would be taxed at a ...
This began to change in 1959, when Ionel Rotaru, a Romanian Romani living in France established the World Romani Community. His endeavors gained support from as far afield as Poland and Canada; he drew up elaborate, nationalistic plans for the Romanies, including the creation of an autonomous territory within France, and a homeland in Somalia.
Nov 20, 2014 · Roma is an ethnic minority group without a country or a land to claim as their own, but with a population of about 12 to 14 million Roma living all across the world. The majority of Roma live in Europe, but there are also Roma in the US, Australia, Latin America, Middle East.
Dec 6, 2012 · Today, some 11 million Romani, with a variety of cultures, languages and lifestyles, live in Europe—and beyond. But where did they come from?
