Circassian Americans

Circassians in the United States all share their common ancestry in Circassia. However, there has been different waves of migrations originating from different regions. There are Circassians in the United States who originate from Turkish Circassians, while some originate from Jordanian Circassians or Syrian Circassians. There are also those whose ancestors directly migrated to the U.S. after the Circassian genocide.

Before the end of the Russo-Circassian War in 1864, a mass deportation was launched against the remaining population who survived the Circassian genocide.Kazemzadeh 1974 Calculations including those taking into account the Russian imperial government's own archival figures have estimated a loss of 95–97%{{Cite book|last=Richmond|first=Walter|url=|title=The Circassian Genocide|date=April 9, 2013|publisher=Rutgers University Press|isbn=978-0-8135-6069-4|page=132|quote=If we assume that Berzhe’s middle figure of 50,000 was close to the number who survived to settle in the lowlands, then between 95 percent and 97 percent of all Circassians were killed outright, died during Evdokimov’s campaign, or were deported.}}{{cite thesis|first=Sarah A.S. Isla|last=Rosser-Owen|title=The First 'Circassian Exodus' to the Ottoman Empire (1858–1867), and the Ottoman Response, Based on the Accounts of Contemporary British Observers|page=16|quote=with one estimate showing that the indigenous population of the entire north-western Caucasus was reduced by a massive 94 percent}} Text of citation: "The estimates of Russian historian Narochnitskii, in Richmond, ch. 4, p. 5. Stephen Shenfield notes a similar rate of reduction with less than 10 percent of the Circassians (including the Abkhazians) remaining. (Stephen Shenfield, "The Circassians: A Forgotten Genocide?", in The Massacre in History, p. 154.)"{{cite news|date=May 22, 2009|title=145th Anniversary of the Circassian Genocide and the Sochi Olympics Issue|publisher=Reuters|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/pressRelease/idUS104971+22-May-2009+PRN20090522|url-status=dead|access-date=November 28, 2009|archive-url=https://archive.today/20120908140637/http://www.reuters.com/article/pressRelease/idUS104971+22-May-2009+PRN20090522|archive-date=September 8, 2012}}{{cite news|last=Barry|first=Ellen|date=May 20, 2011|title=Georgia Says Russia Committed Genocide in 19th Century|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/21/world/europe/21georgia.html}} of the Circassian nation in the process. The displaced people were settled primarily to the Ottoman Empire.{{cite book|last=Richmond|first=Walter|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=LHlwZwpA70cC|title=The Circassian Genocide|publisher=Rutgers University Press|year=2013|isbn=978-0-8135-6069-4|page=back cover|no-pp=y}}

Circassians who were exiled to Ottoman lands initially suffered heavy tolls. Ottoman archives show nearly 1 million migrants entering their land from the Caucasus by 1879, with nearly half of them dying on the shores as a result of diseases.Neumann, Karl Friedrich Russland und die Tscherkessen, 1840 If Ottoman archives are correct, it would make it the biggest exile of the 19th century.Leitzinger, Antero. "The Circassian Genocide". The Eurasian Politician, Issue 2 (October 2000), [http://www.circassianworld.com/circassiangenocide.html Available at circassianworld.com] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140409005840/http://www.circassianworld.com/circassiangenocide.html |date=April 9, 2014 }}, retrieved on March 11, 2007 The Circassians were initially housed in schools and mosques or had to live in caves until their resettlement. The Ottoman authorities assigned lands for Circassian settlers close to regular water sources and grain fields. Numerous died in transit to their new homes from disease and poor conditions.{{sfn|Rogan|1999|p=73}} As such, many sought new homes.

Significant waves of Ottoman immigration to the United States began during the period between 1820 and 1920.{{Harvnb|Kaya|2004|loc=296}}. About 300,000 people immigrated from the Ottoman Empire to the United States, and part of them were Circassian. Many Muslim Circassians, who had survived the Circassian genocide perpetrated by the Christian Russian Empire, just like other Muslims, feared that they would not be accepted in a Christian country and would be discriminated against. This resulted in them hiding their Islamic faith (Taqiyya) and pretending to be Christian at the port of entry to gain easy access to the United States;{{Harvnb|Karpat|2004|loc=614}}.{{Harvnb|Akcapar|2009|loc=167}}. moreover, many declared themselves as "Armenians" to avoid discrimination.{{Harvnb|Karpat|2004|loc=615}}.

Other Circassians in the Middle East, like in Syria and Jordan, were motivated to pursue the American Dream of economic success.Samovar & Porter (1994), p. 83 Immigrants returning after making money in the United States inspired further waves of immigrants. Many settlers also sent for their relatives. The Jordanian and Syrian Circassian communities in the U.S. grew even larger after the Six-Day War of 1967.

• Mehmet Öz – television personality, cardiothoracic surgeon, Columbia University professor, and author{{Cite web|title=İşte Dr. Öz'ün Çerkez Güzeli {{!}} GAZETE VATAN|url=http://www.gazetevatan.com/iste-dr--oz-un-cerkez-guzeli-636111-dunya/|access-date=2021-04-27|website=www.gazetevatan.com|date=May 9, 2014 }}{{Cite web|title=Mehmet C. Oz, MD, FACS|url=http://columbiasurgery.org/mehmet-c-oz-md-facs|access-date=2019-04-06|website=Columbia University Department of Surgery|archive-date=March 5, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160305082315/http://columbiasurgery.org/mehmet-c-oz-md-facs|url-status=dead}}
• Caner Dagli – Islamic scholar and associate professor of Religious Studies at the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, Massachusetts{{cite web|last=Afsaruddin|first=Asma|date=2015|title=Is Islam incompatible with modernity?|url=https://theconversation.com/amp/is-islam-incompatible-with-modernity-48727|access-date=2021-02-15|website=The Conversation}}{{cite web|date=2020|title=The Sufi Science of Time|url=https://ibnarabisociety.org/time-of-science-and-sufi-science-of-time-caner-dagli/|access-date=2021-02-15|website=Muhyiddin Ibn Arabi Society}}
• Daphne Öz – New York Times Bestselling nutrition author, chef,{{cite web|last1=Juneau|first1=Jen|title=Daphne Oz Shares Her Hearty 'Go-To Breakfast' — and the 'Only Rule at Mealtime' for Her Kids|url=https://people.com/food/daphne-oz-go-to-breakfast-getting-her-kids-involved-in-kitchen-diet-balance-exclusive/|access-date=February 23, 2021|website=People}} and Emmy Award Winning television host
• Nadine Jolie Courtney – lifestyle writer, novelist, and former media personality{{Cite web|title=The insidious Islamophobia I experience as a white, blond Muslim — and how I combat it|website=NBC News |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/think/amp/ncna1092871}}
• Emanne Beasha – singer. She is the winner of the fifth season of the program Arabs Got Talent{{cite news|author=JT|date=May 21, 2017|title=8-year-old Jordanian Emanne Beasha wins Arabs Got Talent|newspaper=The Jordan Times|url=http://www.jordantimes.com/news/local/8-year-old-jordanian-emanne-beasha-wins-arabs-got-talent}} and finished in 9th place on fourteenth Season of America's Got Talent{{cite web |url=https://www.goldderby.com/article/2019/emanne-beasha-americas-got-talent-bryan-adams-cover-agt-video/ |title=Angelic Emanne Beasha just gave 'America's Got Talent' viewers the Bryan Adams cover we didn't know we needed [WATCH] |last=Dixon |first=Marcus James |date=September 10, 2019 |website=Gold Derby}}{{cite web |url=https://www.classicfm.com/music-news/emanne-beasha-agt-opera-singer-finals/ |title=10-year-old Emanne Beasha makes the America's Got Talent finals after Simon Cowell casts the deciding vote |last=Hamer |first=Sian |date=September 12, 2019 |website=Classic FM}}
• Derya Arbaş – actress

• {{citation |last=Akcapar |first=Sebnem Koser |year=2009 |title=Turkish Associations in the United States: Towards Building a Transnational Identity |journal=Turkish Studies |publisher=Routledge |volume=10 |issue=2 |pages=165–193 |doi=10.1080/14683840902863996 |s2cid=145499920 }}
• {{Cite book |last=Karpat|first=Kemal H. |year=2004 |chapter=The Turks in America: Historical Background: From Ottoman to Turkish Immigration |title=Studies on Turkish Politics and Society: Selected Articles and Essays |publisher=BRILL |isbn=90-04-13322-4 }}.
• {{citation |last=Kaya |first=Ilhan |year=2004 |title=Turkish-American immigration history and identity formations |journal=Journal of Muslim Minority Affairs |publisher=Routledge |volume=24 |issue=2 |pages=295–308 |doi=10.1080/1360200042000296672 |s2cid=144202307 }}
• {{cite book |last1=Rogan |first1=Eugene L. |title=Frontiers of the State in the Late Ottoman Empire: Transjordan, 1850–1921 |date=1999 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |location=Cambridge |isbn=0-521-66312-1 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=AMAbXGQDmDYC }}

{{Circassian diaspora}}

Category:Circassian diaspora

Category:Ethnic groups in the United States

Category:Immigration to the United States

Category:American people of Circassian descent