A backward religion steeped in extremism and hatred? Before World War II, such opinions about Islam came out at every turn. But not in Poland. Our great-grandparents had a real fascination for the Prophet's people. And they didn't hesitate to talk about it out loud.
April 29, 1928, the Royal Castle in Warsaw. There are only excellent guests around the table. Polish dignitaries include Primate Aleksander Kakowski, Deputy Prime Minister Kazimierz Bartel, Marshal Aleksandra Piłsudska. Everyone tastes over the exquisite dessert, with a string orchestra playing in the background. Suddenly there is silence. And no wonder:the host, President Ignacy Mościcki, rose immediately.
With a glass raised in his hand, he begins to give a toast. As always:long, flowery and full of digressions. This time, however, quite exceptionally, the point of the statement is completely clear. " For centuries, Poland has been linked with Muslim nations by sincere and cordial feelings of friendship and mutual trust "- acknowledges the first official of the Republic of Poland. - "The name of an Afghan man in Poland opens all hearts!".
Amanullah Chan in traditional Afghan attire…
Hearts open to Islam
There is applause, even the papal nuncio in Warsaw claps. The orchestra plays the anthem of Afghanistan. It is the king of this country, Amanullah Khan, who is the guest of honor of the wonderful dinner. He responds with exuberant assurances that also Afghans do not cling to any nation as strongly as to Poles.
After the feast, there will be a banquet, followed by a tour of the capital. One could say:this is a typical propaganda spectacle performed by the Polish diplomatic services. Yet Amanullah's visit was anything but typical.
She betrayed emotions that nobody expected. Today, it can also serve as a sobering counterpoint to the almost daily warnings of Syrian immigrants, Iraqi terrorists and dark-skinned kebab sellers. 90 years ago, Poles were not only not afraid of Islam, but even ... they were crazy about everything related to this religion.
... and in uniform, together with his wife. Two photos from "L'Illustration" (1928).
Eternal bonds of friendship
Orientalist from the Jagiellonian University, dr hab. Kinga Paraskiewicz described the events of the spring of 1928 directly as "Amanullahiada". Crowds poured out onto the streets. Thousands of Polish women and Poles cheered in honor of the ruler of the East and his wife. Newspaper headlines shouted:"Friendship between Poland and Afghanistan!", "Eternal bonds of friendship between Poland and the Mohammedan peoples." In long journalistic tirades, Poland was presented as the closest ally of Islam and a state ready to present the interests of Muslims to the Western world. And nobody wrote about it with fear.
On the contrary - both politicians and media people dreamed that the Republic of Poland would become the gateway to Europe for Islam. On the other hand, Afghanistan began to be perceived as ... a kind of Poland Bish. The editors of Kurier Wileński (and not the only ones) emphasized that Amanullah Khan was leading a knightly nation oppressed for over a century, which had barely escaped from the yoke of great empires ... including tsarist Russia. The analogies were obvious.
Afghans in a caricature of "The Barber of Warsaw".
Allah's Favorite Country
The atmosphere was also fueled by Polish Muslims. The day after lunch at the Castle, a special lecture was held at the Warsaw City Hall. The great mufti of the Republic of Poland, Jakub Szynkiewicz, performed before the most important politicians, as well as the king and queen of Afghanistan. . He said that in Poland "on the part of the authorities", Islam never "suffered any oppression". From the times of the Jagiellonians, it was allowed to "build mosques, put on miziaras and raise our children in the faith of our ancestors." Even more importantly, this tradition continued.
The Mufti emphasized that after the dramatic period of partitions, which forced them to fight to preserve their own identity, Muslims could breathe deeply again. "Here is the creation of Free Poland and Islam immediately felt the favor of the Polish government, collecting the sums for the reconstruction of mosques destroyed by the world war and receiving grants for the clergy ”- emphasized Szynkiewicz.
He had hard numbers to prove his words. 19 active parishes, 16 functioning mosques. For him it was obvious that the Muslims on the Vistula were really Poles. That regardless of where they come from, they should learn the rules of their faith in Polish and pray to Allah "for the good of the Republic of Poland". After all, the only God must stand on the side of the nation that has always been ready to support Muslims in need. By respecting differences and containing prejudices.
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The above column also appeared in the latest issue of the "Focus Historia" magazine (3/2016).