Finnish Tatars

It is believed that the first Turkic peoples who migrated to Finland during the early modern period were mostly Volga Tatars and Bashkirs, some of whom were also deployed in Cossack units during the Great Northern War, First Russo-Swedish War, and Second Russo-Swedish War.Halén 1999, pp. 1–2.Leitzinger 1996, p. 104. There were also mullahs staying on Finnish soil in the 1800s; for example, Izzätulla Timergali, who was the mullah in Sveaborg from 1866 to 1906.Leitzinger 1996, pp. 103, 104

File:Tataareja Helsingissä 1920.jpg, year 1920.]]

The migration of Tatars to Finland happened in the late 1800s and early 1900s. Tradition tells that the first Tatar merchant in Finland was the grandfather of Hasan Hamidulla, who arrived from Saint Petersburg to Vyborg in 1868. Other Tatar merchants named as the first ones on Finnish soil are Alautdin Salavat and Samaletdin Yusuf. The last Tatar migration wave happened in the 1920s, when the merchants who had settled in the country brought their family members in.Suikkanen 2012, p. 21.Leitzinger 1996, pp. 105, 107

These merchants were mostly Mishar Tatars, who originated from neighboring villages in Nizhny Novgorod Governorate, Sergachsky District, Russia. Many of them were from Aktuk.Bedretdin 2011, p. Esipuhe (preface).Leitzinger 1996, p. 43. A few other Turkic peoples came as well, such as Bashkirs and Kazakhs, but they blended in quickly.Halén 1999, pp. 4, 5, 10. At their home villages, Mishars worked as farmers, but eventually they became merchants, due to lack of income. They usually sold fabrics, furs, clothes and soap.Halén 1999, p. 3. Their trips reached Saint Petersburg at first, and eventually, Finland.

File:Ymär Abdrahimin kangas- ja lyhyttavarakauppa, Iso Roobertinkatu 28.jpg, 1920s.]]

Finland (until 1917, Grand Duchy of Finland) therefore in the beginning was just a new territory to do business in. Already in the early 1880s, Tatar merchants were seen in the country, many dozens at once. Their trips had become regular especially after the Riihimäki-Saint Petersburg railway completing years before. In 1891, the railroads already reached for example to Oulu and Kemi. At first, they returned to their homes after earning enough, but after it became evident that the business conditions were better on Finnish soil, they started to settle in the country permanently. The relatively good reception of the Finns also helped. Many Tatars settled in Vyborg at first, but after it was lost to Soviet Union, they moved mainly to Helsinki, Turku and Tampere, where some fellow Tatars had already settled.{{Cite book|last=Halikov|first=A.H.|title=Tataarit, keitä te olette?|publisher=Abdulla Tukain kulttuuriseura|year=1991|isbn=952-9031149}}

Soon, many of them transitioned into selling in halls. For example, in Vyborg halls, they sold cotton products, silk fabrics, carpets and furs. Terijoki was also an important place for business before it too was lost to Soviet Union. In Tampere, fabric was often the main product being sold. Many of them also set up their own shops.Malmberg 2011, p. 216.

Many Tatars who had settled into Finland started to arrange their family members to the country after the 1917 Russian revolution. This however, was mostly possible only after 1921, because the border of Russia and Finland was closed until the Treaty of Tartu. The relatives of these Tatar merchants had to plead for a visa from the delegations of Moscow or Saint Petersburg. They also got help for example from professor Yrjö Jahnsson, who had connections that assisted them in the migration.Halén 1999, p. 6. The migration was mainly possible until 1929. After that, some who came, came illegally or for big ransom.Leitzinger 1996, pp. 106–107.

While Tatars in Finland started to apply for a Finnish citizenship soon after the country's independence in 1917, still in 1939, as many as half of the community stayed in the country with Nansen passports. One reason for this was that the Finnish government demanded them to prove that they had been in the country for at least five years without leaving, and that they can provide for themselves and their families. These things got easier to prove after the second world war. The first citizenship was granted to a Tatar named Sadik Ainetdin in 1919.Asikainen 2017, pp. 29–32.

After the Winter War in 1940, there were 367 Russian prisoners in Turku central prison. These included Tatars. Some of them; Ibrahim Rahman, Halidulla Utarbai, Zekeriye Abdulla and Salih Zahidulla joined the Tatar congregation after being freed but by the end of the decade they had left Finland. The Finnish State Police made a search warrant for many Muslim soldiers who had not gone back to the Soviet Union.Leitzinger 2006, pp. 137-139.

File:Tampere Tatars.jpg and Bilaletdin Kaader.]]

In January 1945, most of the Muslims who had stayed on Finnish soil after the war returned to the Soviet Union "voluntarily but reluctantly". Some of the few who were able to stay for longer included an Avar named Halid Hamido, who during the war had married a Finnish woman and converted to Christianity. In Finland, the prisoners of war were employed by the Samaletdin and Ainetdin families, Ymär Sali, Zuhur Tahir, Ibrahim Hamidulla, Ibrahim Arifulla and also the two Muslims who themselves had recently emigrated to Finland; a Kazakh Ömmet Kenschahmet and a Lezgin Velibek Alibek. Thirty or so "war migrants" had been in under charge at the Helsinki Tatar congregation from February 1942. A Kazan Tatar, teacher Mahmut Rahim delivered prayers at the Tampere Tatar Congregation during 1942–1944.

At the turn of the century, five Tatar families lived in Estonia. In the 1920s, more of them had settled in Tallinn, Narva, Jõhvi and Rakvere, after which the number of Tatars was around 200–300. At the end of 1943, many came to Finland on motorboat rides. They registered as political refugees and applied to the Finnish military forces, where three Estonian Tatars, Ibrahim Zarip, Ahmed Haerdinov and Rafik Moks were admitted. Accepted as a sailor at the Turku naval station, Zarip did not return from his evening leave and was later found in New York. Haerdinov, after his service moved to Sweden; Moks on the other hand to Canada. Six Estonian Tatars and their families received residence permit and later on, two families acquired a citizenship. Their recommenders were the Samaletdin family, imam Weli-Ahmed Hakim and merchant Ymär Abdrahim.Leitzinger 1996, pp. 128–129.Leitzinger 2006, pp. 140, 142

Due to the fear of deportation and the uncertain conditions in Finland, many Estonian Tatars who came to Finland continued their journey to Sweden, and especially to the Greater Stockholm area. Before their arrival, only one Tatar, a tanner named Ibrahim Umarkajeff is known to have lived in Sweden. In 1949, the Tatars who had settled in Sweden founded an association that was initially called Turk-Islam Föreningen i Sverige för Religion och Kultur ('Swedish Turkish-Islamic Religious and Cultural Association'), later shortened to Islam Församlingen i Sverige ('Swedish Islamic Congregation'). The association maintained a cemetery in the southern part of Stockholm. The Tatars lost their majority in the Islamic association in the 1960s and 1970s. In the 1980s, it was estimated that there were about 50 so-called full-blooded and 30 half-blooded Tatars in the country. Didar Samaletdin, a Tatar woman founded a restaurant called Djingis Khan in Södermalm with her husband in 1983.

By the beginning of the 20th century, Leningrad (Saint Petersburg) had its own Tatar community, largely formed by Mishars from Nizhny Novgorod region. Some of them continued their trip to Finland, others stayed in the city. The Tatars in Finland kept their connections with the Tatar relatives in Leningrad and elsewhere up until the 1930s, traveling across the border illegally through 1920's. Their ties were cut after tightened border control. Before this, they had also helped the Tatars in Leningrad by sending them money. They also personally helped theologian Musa Bigiev. When he got arrested in Moscow in 1923, the Finnish Tatar community sent a letter to the Turkish government, asking for help in releasing him. In 1930, the community also tried to bring Bigiev in the country.{{Cite journal |last=Bekkin |first=Renat |date=2020 |title=Connections between Tatars in Petrograd-Leningrad and Finland during the 1920s and 1930s |journal=Studia Orientalia Electronica |volume=8 |issue=2 |pages=56–69 |doi=10.23993/store.82935 |s2cid=219423273 |doi-access=free }}

As correspondence and travel to the Soviet Union opened in the mid-1950s, it was possible for them to re-establish their broken connections. It wasn't until the turn of the 1960s and 1970s however that contacts with Kazan, the capital of Tatarstan began to strengthen as they received Tatar guests from across the border. They had Bashkir artists as their guests in 1967, a little before the Kazan Tatars. They were able to visit their home villages at the end of the 20th century.Leitzinger 2006, p. 240

Berlin served as a kind of meeting place for many Tatars and other Turkic exiles in the early 20th century. The Soviet intelligence agency Joint State Political Directorate was also aware of this; "The Muslims of Kazan, St. Petersburg and Finland maintain very active contacts with Berlin, where the head of the foreign Tatar counter-revolution currently gathers". Finnish professor Yrjö Jahnsson went to Berlin to meet the Bashkir activist Zeki Velidi Togan in 1925. According to him, Jahnsson's aim was to "unite the Finns and the Asian nations captured by the Russians against the Russian colonial interests". A year earlier, Finnish Tatars Zinnetullah Ahsen and Imad Samaletdin had traveled to meet Togan and Tatar activist Ayaz İshaki in the city to discuss their attempts to produce a Finnish translation of the Quran.Elmgren 2021, pp. 85-87 (Vähemmistöt muuttajina)

Young Muslim emigrants also went to study in Berlin. In 1918, under the leadership of theologian Alimcan Idris, the "Assistance Society for Russian Muslim Students" was founded there, the purpose of which was to help students maintain connections with their homeland and bring new students to the city. In a 1972 interview with a Finnish sociologist Pertti Rautio, the Tatar couple Semiulla and Mahruse Wafin, who themselves had studied in Berlin described Tatar students in Germany as follows: "Many of them became scientists, teachers at the universities of Istanbul and Ankara. Most of them were Turkologists. Others were doctors, chemists, those who had attended the University of Economics and Business and these received employment in their field in Turkey and usually they were professors there."

The first registered Tatar and at the same time the first Islamic formation in Finland was founded in 1915. It was called "Helsingin musulmaanien hyväntekeväisyysseura" ("The Charity Club of Helsinki Moslem's"). During that time, terms like Moslem and Mohammedan were used, rather than Muslim or Islamic. An actual congregation they founded in 1925, after the Finnish laws had approved of given practices in 1922. Finland therefore became the first western country that gave Muslims official recognition. The congregation was at first named "Suomen muhamettilainen seurakunta" ("The Finnish Mohammedan Congregation") and later, from 1963 forwards, The Finnish-Islamic Congregation. They didn't get the right to wed their community members until 1932 however, because the authorities believed that it would lead to polygamy, even though it was not practiced among the Tatars.Leitzinger 1996, pp. 159–162.

Elsewhere in Finland there were also religious formations, such as The Tampere Islamic Congregation, founded in 1942. During the same year, a wooden mosque was built in Järvenpää by the community members.Leitzinger 1999, s. 49.

The first pilgrimage to Mecca done by the community happened in the 1920s.Leitzinger 1999, p. 32.

In order to conserve and develop their culture in Finland, Tatars have established their own cultural associations. For example, in 1935, they established the Helsinki-based {{Lang|fi|Suomen turkkilaisten seura}} (Association of Finnish Turks) and {{Lang|fi|Tampereen Turkkilainen Yhdistys}} (Tampere Turkish Society), and two years later, the {{Lang|fi|Turun Turkkilais-Tataarilainen Yhdistys}} (Turku Turko-Tatar Association).Halén 1999, p. 24. These formations have mainly focused on organizing their own cultural events and publishing.Halén 1996, p. 341. They and their religious congregation have also arranged language instruction for their children. In Helsinki, they had their own school, {{Lang|fi|Turkkilainen kansakoulu}} (Turkish Volksschule), which was shut down in 1969 after lack of students.Marjamäki ja Kolehmainen 1980, p. 358.

{{See also|Tatars|Volga Tatars}}

The Tatar diaspora in Finland has always been very connected with each other, their roots leading mostly to the same areas. Yet, there has been conflict among them when it comes to their identity. These disagreements have mostly focused on their ethnonym, Tatars.

Under the Russian Empire, Volga Tatars generally did not identify as Tatars, but rather as Muslims ({{Lang|tt-Latn|möselman}}) or by their own group names ({{Lang|tt-Latn|qazanlı}}, {{Lang|tt-Latn|mişär}} / {{Lang|ru-Latn|meshcheryaki}}). The name Bolgar also appeared, which refers to the theory of them being at least partially the descendants of Bolgars. The second, main theory for their formation is them being descendants of "Tatars" of the Golden Horde, as in, mostly Kipchaks. Originally it was indeed the feudal nobility of Golden Horde that used the term to denote its citizens, and eventually, Russian feudals and the Tsarist government started to use it as well. In addition to possibly wanting to stick to their different group identities rather than be all lumped in together as Tatars (even until 1926 census), it is speculated that they avoided accepting the ethnonym because it created a negative reference to the "old enemies of the Russian state", the Mongols, and especially to the soldiers of Genghis Khan, who were known as "Tatars" during the 1200s.Leitzinger 1996, p. 194–206.Halikov, A. H. 1991{{Cite web |last=Rorlich |first=Azade-Ayshe |date=1986 |title=Excerpts from "The Volga Tatars, a Profile in National Resilience" |url=https://groznijat.tripod.com/fadlan/rorlich1.html}}{{Cite web |title=Volga Tatars |url=https://www.encyclopedia.com/humanities/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/volga-tatars}}Leitzinger 1996, p. 30Leitzinger 1999, pp. 29, 44–45, 194–206, 263; Halén 1999, p. 10.{{Cite web |date=2002 |title="Татарская проблема" во всероссийской переписи населения (взгляд из Москвы) |url=http://www.tataroved.ru/publication/npop/7/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190602112116/http://www.tataroved.ru/publication/npop/7/ |archive-date=2 June 2019 }}

At the turn of the century, Tatars in Finland also mostly identified themselves by their religion (Muslim). After Turkey was established (1923), it became a kind of reference point to their "Turkic identity", and therefore they started to call themselves simply Turks, or alternatively, Volga Turks or Turks of North. (The name of the ancient Kipchaks was also referenced.){{Cite web |title=Kiptshak-heimon jäseniä Helsingin keskuksessa |url=https://digi.kansalliskirjasto.fi/aikakausi/binding/751675?page=12}}Kadriye Bedretdin 2011, p. 169

Some Tatars from Kazan ended up moving to Turkey. In Finland, there were such people as well, for example, the businessman-publisher Zinnetullah Ahsen Böre, who became a Turkish citizen, and hoped that others would also join the "Great Turkish nation". (In Finnish language, there is no one separate word for Turkish and Turkic; {{Lang|fi|turkkilainen}} can technically mean both.){{Cite web |title=Turkkilainen |url=https://www.encyclopedia.com/history/asia-and-africa/middle-eastern-history/pan-turkism}}Leitzinger 1996, p. 24

Not everyone approved of the idea. Some of them remained hopeful that the Tatars in Russia would be able to establish an independent nation, which was briefly represented by the Idel-Ural State (1918). This interest had been sparked by Idel-Ural figures visiting Finland and also by Finnish activists who were knowledgeable about Turkic peoples. Tatar activists Sarif Daher and Hasan Kanykoff were founding members of the association called {{Lang|fi|Etuvartiokansojen klubi}}, which purpose was to help the minority peoples in Russia and create cooperation with them and independent Finland.Leitzinger 1996, pp. 194–206; Halén 1999, p. 10.Leitzinger 1999, p. 44 (Tugan Tel)

File:Finnish Tatars celebrating Turkey 1933.jpg, year 1933. Celebrating the Republic of Turkey. Musa Bigiev can be seen peeping through the door on right; he did not want to appear in the picture and possibly cause trouble to his family left behind in the Soviet Union.Baibulat 2004, p. 207]]

The influence of Turkey had impact on the names of their establishments, personal names and language. Associations used name "Turkish", instead of "Tatar". Referring to their language, they called it "Turkish". In their personal names, the most noticeable change was the letter Ä, which was replaced with Turkish E (for example: Ahsän → Ahsen). In the footsteps of Atatürk's reforms, the Finnish Tatars replaced the previously used Arabic script for a Latin script. The Turkish language was appreciated within the community, and they partly tried to pronounce and write according to it.Leitzinger 1999, p. 29.Suikkanen 2012, pp. 28–31.Daher 1999, p. 298 (Tugan Tel)

The Tatar ethnonym has since solidified among the people. In Finland, after the era of Turkish influence, a new connection to "Tatar roots" started to form after they received visitors from Tatarstan in the late 1960s. The community itself also had the opportunity to visit Kazan, and eventually the villages of their ancestors. Also, the desire to not be confused with Turks of Turkey arriving to Finland might have played a part. The community identified themselves publicly as Tatars in 1974, when in Järvenpää they organized "a day of Tatar culture", open for Finns. After this, however, conflicts rose again inside the community. Tatar was still referred to as a "Russian epithet".Leitzinger 1996, s. 262–263; Leitzinger 1999, pp. 53–55Nisametdin 1995, p. 246Leitzinger 1996, pp. 262–263; Leitzinger 1999, pp. 53–55Bedretdin 2011, p. 56

File:Helsingin islamilainen hautausmaa sotamuistomerkki.JPG

In total, 156 members of the Finnish Tatar community took part in the Winter War and the Continuation War on the side of Finland. Ten of them died while serving. In addition, 26 were wounded, 7 of them permanently.Leitzinger 1996, p. 242. 21 Tatar women operated at the Lotta Svärd organization.{{Cite web|last=Silvander|first=Lauri|date=2015|title=He taistelivat Suomen puolesta – yli 150 tataaria palveli talvi- tai jatkosodassa|url=https://yle.fi/uutiset/3-8222183|website=Yle Uutiset}}

In 1987, the names of the fallen Tatar soldiers were carved on a memory plate, which was placed inside on their congregation's main building wall. They have also been honored at the Islamic cemetery in Helsinki.

The Tatar merchants who came to Finland were at times accused of trading without license and avoiding paying taxes. In general, however, Tatars were better thought of in Finland than in Russia, which is believed to have been their main reason for settling in the country.Leitzinger 1999, p. 40. According to the Finnish authorities, the motive for the majority of merchants to come to the country was not discrimination experienced in Russia, but apparently simply the pursuit of a better standard of living. The purpose in the beginning was usually to return home after having earned enough.Leitzinger 1996, p. 30, 126

If these Tatar emigrants experienced suspicions among the Finns, it usually did not focus on them being Muslim, rather, them being from Russia. From time to time, the Tatars came under accusations of a "communist spy". These were usually baseless accusations based on the alleged "pro-Bolshevik" opinions of individual Tatars. They gained trust from the law enforcers, because among them there were people who were on good terms with and worked together with Finnish university people and activists.Leitzinger 1996, p. 237, 242 A clear example of this is Hasan Kanykoff (1880 – 1954).

Based on individual interviews of later generations of Finnish Tatars, there has not been much discrimination in Finland apart from the occasional name calling, most notably tattari, a kind of intentionally distorted version of tataari. However, the epithet in question, led to an incident in 1961, as a result of which two Finnish Tatars were sent to prison and the third to payment for damages. The trio assaulted one metal shop operator, permanently damaging his sight. The man had allegedly called them "tattari" in a Helsinki restaurant on May Day night. The abusers together had to pay the victim a total of 1,105,000 Finnish marks.{{Cite news |date=1961 |title=Nyrkinisku silmään maksoi yli 1 mmk:n |work=Helsingin Sanomat |url=https://nakoislehti.hs.fi/8206fc9f-61f4-45b3-b39a-3483e0706978/14?q=samaletdin}}

Two more serious attacks against the community are known in Finland: In 1942, soldier Siadetdin Samlihan, during his free time, was shot to death in Helsinki, while walking on the street with his friend. The shooter was never found. It was speculated that the killer may have thought that the Tatars spoke Russian and therefore were Russian spies. The second incident was in Tampere during the 1990s, when a firebomb was thrown into a Tatar home.Leitzinger 1999, s. 43.Suomen Islam-seurakunnan veteraaniteos: vastaava toimittaja Tuomo Hirvonen. Gummerus Kirjapaino oy, Jyväskylä. 2006. {{ISBN|952-9930615}} (p. 115)

File:Məhəmməd Əmin Rəsulzadə və dostları (1922).jpg among Tatar political refugees Abdullah Battal, Mustafa Salah and Lutfi Ishaki in Hyvinkää, Finland.]]

File:Sadri Maksudi Finland.jpg (sitting middle) with Finnish Tatars in Tampere, year 1920.]]

After their failed pursuits of independence in 1918, many leaders of the Idel-Ural state began to settle in Finland. Their names were as follows; Yusuf Akçura, Ayaz Ishaki, Musa Bigiev, Zeki Velidi Togan, Sadri Maksudi Arsal, Alimcan Idris, Abdullah Battal Taymas, and the former imam of Saint Petersburg, Lutfi Ishaki. Idris and Battal stayed in the country for longer, due to operating as teachers and cultural influencers among the community, but the others shortly continued elsewhere, such as Germany, France or Turkey.Halén 1999, p. 7. Some of them however returned to Finland later, for example Ayaz Ishaki, for whom the Tatar community of Tampere organized a three-day celebration in February 1937.Baibulat 2004, p. 190. Ishaki in return organized a 20-year memory celebration of Idel-Ural state in Warsaw in 1938, where seven Finnish Tatars were present.Baibulat 2004, p. 114.

In addition to Idel-Ural politicians, refugees among the Finnish Tatar community included also for example the later-theosophist and mason, Amina Syrtlanoff, who took part in establishing local Tatar congregation and made presentations on Islam.Antero Leitzinger: Suomen tataarit - Vuosina 1868-1944 muodostuneen muslimiyhteisön menestystarina. East-West Books Helsinki, 2006. ISBN 9789529959228

Tatars have been a subject of interest to many Finnish linguists. Researchers focused especially on Mishar Tatars are Martti Räsänen and Heikki Paasonen. Other curious ones include Mathias Alexander Castren, August Ahlqvist and Gustaf John Ramstedt.Leitzinger 1996, s. 99.

File:The Finnish-Islamic Congregation.jpg

The Finnish Tatars are Sunni Muslims.Marjamäki & Kolehmainen 1980, p. 355. They practice their religion at their own congregation, the Finnish-Islamic Congregation, which has its main building in Fredrikinkatu, Helsinki.{{Cite web|title=Suomen Islam-seurakunta – yhteystiedot|url=http://tatar.fi/fi/yhteystiedot/}} The congregation also owns a wooden mosque in Järvenpää.{{Cite web|last=Moilanen|first=Kaisu|date=2015|title=Suomen ainoa minareetillinen moskeija on Järvenpäässä, ja se kuuluu tataareille (for subscribers)|url=https://www.hs.fi/kaupunki/art-2000002800867.html|website=Helsingin Sanomat}} The Tatars in Tampere have their separate congregation, which has its space in Hämeenkatu.Baibulat 2004, p. 30.{{Cite web|title=Tampereen Islamilainen Seurakunta|url=https://www.finder.fi/Seurakunta/Tampereen+Islamilainen+Seurakunta/Tampere/yhteystiedot/795159|website=Finder.fi|access-date=23 June 2021|archive-date=24 June 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210624202133/https://www.finder.fi/Seurakunta/Tampereen+Islamilainen+Seurakunta/Tampere/yhteystiedot/795159|url-status=dead}} The congregations accept only Tatars as their members.Marjamäki ja Kolehmainen 1980, p. 357

In Finland, Tatars are known as an Islamic minority which keeps a low profile. They usually don't speak publicly about current topics regarding Islam in the country.Halén 1999, p. 18.

Members of the Finnish Tatar community have been making pilgrimages to Mecca since the 1920s. The international relations of the community have been deemed impressive. World leaders who have visited the community include Tunisian president Habib Bourguiba, Head of Tatarstan Rustam Minnikhanov and Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. The congregation has also received imams from abroad, such as the Crimean Tatar Abdurrahman Kaya and Enver Yıldırım from Turkey. In 2020, the imam of the congregation is Russian-born Ramil Belyayev (Bilal) became imam of the congregation, while economist Gölten Bedretdin became chairman of the board; the latter is the first female to hold that position.{{Cite web |date=2018 |title=Рустам Минниханов на встрече с татарами Финляндии: Мы всегда ставим вас в пример |url=https://tatar-congress.org/ru/blog/rustam-minnihanov-na-vstreche-s-tatarami-finlyandii-my-vsegda-stavim-vas-v-primer/}}{{Cite news |date=2010 |title=Turkish Prime Minister Meets Tatar Diaspora Leaders In Finland |newspaper=Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty |url=https://www.rferl.org/a/Turkish_Premier_Meets_Tatar_Diaspora_Leaders_In_Finland/2198564.html}}Leitzinger 1996, p. 165

During the 1900s, The Tampere Tatar congregation also had a wide variety of guests as well. These include for example theologian Musa Bigiev, Idel-Ural president and refugee Sadri Maksudi Arsal, muftis Talgat Tadjuddin from Ufa and Rawil Gaynetdin from Moscow, Turkologist Reşit Rahmeti Arat and professor of Medina university, Abdullah Ahmed Zadri. Musicians include Haydar Bigichev. Chairman in 2020 is entrepreneur Vahit Wafin.Baibulat 2004, s. 84-85

File:Mishar Tatar.flac, born in 1896 in Aktuk, speaking his native language (1952, Tampere).]]

The native language of Finnish Tatars is the Tatar language, more specifically its western dialect, Mishar.Wafin 2008, p. 263. It differs from the dialect of the Kazan Tatars, which is standard Tatar.Leitzinger 1996, p. 39. The current Finnish Tatar dialect differs also from the language of Mishars in Russia; for example, they do not use the letter X, only soft H.Nisametdin 1974, p. 314.{{Cite web |title=MH |url=http://tatar.fi/fi/mh/ |access-date=28 November 2022 |archive-date=1 February 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190201123955/http://tatar.fi/fi/mh/ |url-status=dead }}

File:Finnish Tatar Arabic Script 1900s.jpg

Before adopting the Latin alphabet, Finnish Tatars, like the Tatars in Russia, used the Arabic script. In Finland also, the Tatars modified the script to better fit their language. (See: İske imlâ, Yaña imlâ.) Reformers include especially the writer-teacher Abdullah Battal (Later Battal-Taymas, 1883–1969), who adapted the spelling to a more phonetic manner. Battal strove to make the Tatar vowels clearly and consistently visible in the Arabic script and also to standardize the marking of consonants.Ahtinen-Karsikko 1925, p. 283 (Tugan tel)

From 1930s forwards, the gradual transition to the Latin script began. Reasons for this were mainly the influence of Turkish culture that saturated the community at that time (Turkey had begun using the Latin alphabet in 1928{{Cite web|title=Turkish language|url=https://www.britannica.com/topic/Turkish-language|website=Britannica|date=2 April 2024 }}), and at the same time, the similar movement called the Yanalif movement, which was happening in Soviet Union among the Tatars. By the 1950s, the publications of Finnish Tatars had mostly switched to the Latin alphabet. Before this, during the transition period, both were still used. In the teaching of the community's children, they changed to the Latin alphabet during the 1960s.Nisametdin 1974, p. 306.Daher 1999, pp. 295–297. The Tatars in Russia use the Cyrillic alphabet nowadays.{{Cite web|title=Law on the use of the Tatar language as the state language of the republic of Tatarstan (in Russian)|url=http://www.gossov.tatarstan.ru/fs/site_documents_struc/zakon/2692_file_1_2013rus_ru.pdf|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303220757/http://www.gossov.tatarstan.ru/fs/site_documents_struc/zakon/2692_file_1_2013rus_ru.pdf|archive-date=3 March 2016|url-status=live}}

First version of Latin script was borrowed directly from Turkish. Over time, the script has been modified in different ways.Daher 1999, pp. 295–297 (Tugan tel)

Example of Finnish Tatar language in the Latin alphabet in 2021:{{Cite book|last=Bedretdin|first=Kadriye|title=Hasan Hamidulla – Tataarikirjailijan elämä|publisher=Suomen Itämainen Seura|year=2021|isbn= |location=Helsinki|pages=preface}}{{ISBN?}}

{{blockquote|Finlandiyä tatarlarınıñ törki cämiyäte 1800 nçe yıllarnın ahırında oyışkan. Ul vakıtta Tübän Novgorod guberniyäse Sergaç öyäzeneñ avıllarınnan tatar säüdägärläreneñ törkeme Finlandiyägä kilgän. Finlandiyä ul zaman Rusiyä kulastında bulgan.|author= Kadriye Bedretdin}}

{{See also|Tatar name|List of first generation Finnish Tatar names}}

Tatar names are mostly of Arabic, Persian and Turkic origin.{{Cite web|title=Татарские имена и их значения – полный сборник имен|url=http://tatarimena.ru/}} Tatars who settled in the country usually adopted their patronymic as a surname. (Example: Hakimov = Son of Hakim.) However, Tatars who traveled together with their father adopted their father's patronymic; in other words, their grandfather's name. Due to this, brothers who traveled at a different time might have ended up using a different surname. These Russian suffixes were mostly removed from their names during the time of Finnish independence (1917). It is speculated that with this, they tried to avoid the negative attitudes the Finns had towards Russians at the time. In Russia, some Tatars have used their surname without such a suffix as well, though usually in unofficial terms, such as an artist name. (Ğabdulla Tuqayev – Ğabdulla Tuqay).Leitzinger 1996 (p. 129 – Mishäärit – Suomen vanha islamilainen yhteisö){{Cite web |title=Tatar Surnames: List. Tatar Writers: Names And Surnames |url=https://en.unansea.com/tatar-surnames-list-tatar-writers-names-and-surnames/}}Leitzinger 2006, s. 97

Until early to mid 1900s, given names were often two part (Hamidulla, Gölbanu), or in general were Quranic (Ahmed, Hamide).Baibulat 2004, p. 164, 240{{Cite web |title=ТАТАР ИР-АТ ИСЕМНӘРЕ |url=https://magarif-uku.ru/tatar-isemnere/ir-at/ |access-date=6 December 2022 |archive-date=27 October 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221027192517/https://magarif-uku.ru/tatar-isemnere/ir-at/ |url-status=dead }}

Later (second half of the 1900s and into the 2000s), names are often either Turkish (Erkan, Meral), or Turkic-Persian/Arabic hybrids (Ildar, Aynur).Baibulat 2004, p. 208Tugan Tel 2011, p. 259

The sound [æ], which is abundant in Tatar language, appears often marked with either A or E in Finland. (Cyrillic Ә in Russia - Latin script: Ä or Ə). In general, the spelling of Tatar names in the country varies a lot.Okan Daher 1999, Tugan Tel 2011, s. 299Leitzinger 1996, p. 130Татар аьдяби телененъ алфавиты хъям орфографиясе. — Казан, 1938.{{Cite web |title=Tatar: Table of Correspondences, Cyrillic - Roman |url=https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/320279/Tatar_Romanization.pdf|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141123004427/https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/320279/Tatar_Romanization.pdf |archive-date=23 November 2014 }}

File:Deniz Bedretdin (cropped).tif

The musical tradition, which is largely based on old folk songs, originates from Nizhny Novgorod Oblast, where the first generation was born. Often in Tatar folk music, there is a longing for home and relatives left behind. Musical style called "dance song" (tanssilaulu in Finnish) however is described as "rhythmic, brisk and happy". Modern Tatar music in Finland has been represented by the local ensemble Başkarma, whose frontman Deniz Bedretdin has founded two other bands in Kazan and in 1968 in Helsinki established the "first Tatar rock band" called The Sounds of Tsingiskhan.Halén 1999, p. 25.Marjamäki ja Kolehmainen 1980, pp. 361-363, 368, 372.{{Cite web |date=2019 |title=The Sounds of Tsingiskhan and Başkarma (Archived) |url=https://tatcult.ru/eng/article/the-sounds-of-tsingiskhan-and-ba%C5%9Fkarma |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210908221939/https://tatcult.ru/eng/article/the-sounds-of-tsingiskhan-and-ba%C5%9Fkarma |archive-date=8 September 2021}}

Tatars in Finland have had their own choirs. Talented singers among the community have been especially Hamit Hairedin, Zeituna Abdrahim, Naim Sadik, Hamdurrahman Hakimcan, Aliye Hakimcan, Hamide Çaydam, Dina Abdul and Betül Hairetdin. Musicians include Halid Kurbanali, Batu Alkara and Ädhäm Kanykoff. (who was a close friend of Finnish composer Jean Sibelius).Tugan Tel, p. 240Baibulat 2004, p. 156{{Cite web |last=Stahlberg |first=Sabira |date=2022 |title=Visible and Invisible Tatar Women in Finland |url=https://aybagar.eu/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/Aybagar_Visible_Invisible_Tatar_Women_Finland.pdf}}

Ever since the 1960s, Russian Tatar musicians have performed among the community. First ones to come were Röstäm Yäxin, İlham Şakirov, Venera Şäripova, Ayrat Arslanov, Marat Äxmätov and Mars Makarov. The trip was arranged by cultural worker Ymär Daher. Together they performed in Helsinki and Tampere and during this time met Finnish president Urho Kekkonen.{{Cite web |last=Мөбәрәкшина |first=Зилә |title=Рөстәм Яхин турында: «Йомшак күңелле, тыйнак табигатьле һәм зыялы иде |url=https://intertat.tatar/news/r-st-m-yahin-turynda-yomshak-k-elle-tyynak-tabigatle-m-zyyaly-ide}}{{Cite journal |last=Cwiklinski |first=Sebastian |date=2020 |title=Story of an Unusual Book |journal=Storia Orientalia Electronica |url=https://www.academia.edu/43050313}}

Mishar poetry is often described as wistful. Most prominent Finnish Tatar poet was Sadretdin "Sadri" Hamid (1905–1987), whose speciality was humorous and rhyming chronicles. Female poet Gäühär Tuganay (1911–1998) was known for her nature-themed poetry. Aisa Hakimcan wrote often about his longing for home village Aktuk. Imam Habiburrahman Shakir and publisher Hasan Hamidulla expressed themselves through poetry as well.Leitzinger 1996, pp. 35–37Kadriye Bedretdin / Sabira Stahlberg: Journal of Endangered Languages, 2021.

Fazile Nasretdin's Tuksan tugız haiku ('Ninety-nine haiku'), the first ever Tatar language haiku collection (according to researched Sabira Stahlberg) was published for free on website Aybagar in 2022. It includes an English version as well.{{Cite web |title=Haikurunoja tataariksi |date=2 February 2022 |url=https://bokpil.eu/fi/haikurunoja-tataariksi/}}{{Cite web |title=Tuksan tugız haiku |url=https://aybagar.eu/fi/tuksan-tugiz-haiku/}}

The national Volga Tatar poet Ğabdulla Tuqay (Abdulla Tukay for Mishars) is held in high regard among the community. Yearly celebrations in his name are held, a cultural association named after him established and publications honoring him published.Baibulat 2004, p. 173

File:Finnish Tatar theater handbill.jpg

The community in Finland has organized their own theater plays. The most active period was during the 1900s in Helsinki and Tampere. Some of the more larger shows were especially in The Tampere Theater, to where at best, over 300 Finnish Tatars per show were invited. Political refugees such as Musa Bigiev and Ayaz Ishaki were present at times as well.Baibulat 2004, p. 154.

The first Tatar play in the country was in 1930. It was Ğäliyäbanu by playwright Mirxäydär Fäyzi (known as Mir-Hayder Feyzi and Aliyebanu in Finland). Other plays include for example Fäyzi's Asıl Yar, Zöleyha by Ayaz Ishaki, Bülek öçın, Bırınçı teater and Behıtsız Yıgıt by Ğäliäsğar Kamal. The Tatars of Helsinki performed Molière's The Miser in Tampere during the 1950s. The community has also performed abroad, such as in Estonia, Russia (Kazan), and New York. Russian Tatar artist Luara Şakircanova directed plays in Helsinki during the 1990s. Kazan Tatar Saniye İffet (Сания Гыйффәт, Saniyä Ğiffät; 1899–1957) wrote some plays while living in Finland in the late 1930s.Baibulat 2004, s. 154, 156Nisametdin 1995, pp. 240–242Shakirzyanova Luara Galimzyanovna // People's Artists: essays / ed.-comp. I. I. Ilyalova . – Kazan: Magarif – Vakyt, 2011. – pp. 364–265. — 391 p. — {{ISBN|9785922204880}}.{{Cite web |title=Saniyä Ğiffät (Сания Гыйффәт) |url=https://www.trt.net.tr/tatarca/toreklar-ham-tatarlar-urtaq-qimmatlar-qiymmatlar/2018/08/01/saniya-giffat-saniia-gyiff-t-1023454}}

Design artists among the community include jewelry designer Ildar Wafin (b. 1995), whose earrings the spouse of the president of Finland Jenni Haukio wore during the Independence Day Reception in 2018. Architect Pervin Imaditdin is known especially for her hotel and restaurant designs. Visual and textile designer Niran Baibulat was awarded in 2007 for her work.{{Cite web |last=Koskinen |first=Katri |date=2018 |title=Tässä on Jenni Haukion Linnan juhlat -puku 2018! Ekologinen ja laadukas asu kunnioittaa luontoa: "Inspiraationa vahvat suomalaiset naiset" |url=https://anna.fi/ihmiset-ja-suhteet/julkkikset/tassa-on-jenni-haukion-linnan-juhlat-puku-2018-ekologinen-ja-laadukas-asu-kunnioittaa-luontoa-inspiraationa-vahvat-suomalaiset-naiset}}{{Cite web |last=Aromaa |first=Anna |date=2004 |title=Valkoisessa talossa pidetään verhot auki |url=https://www.hs.fi/koti/art-2000004220261.html}}{{Cite web |date=2018 |title=Hotelli St. George |url=https://www.projektiuutiset.fi/hotelli-st-george/}}Hovi, Piia & Seppälä, Marketta: Samaa maata 1. Porin taidemuseo, 1997. Porin taidemuseon Julkaisuja 40.{{Cite web |title=Vuoden tekstiilitaiteilija |url=https://tekstiilitaiteilijattexo.fi/vuoden-tekstiilitaiteilija/}}

The cuisine tradition of Finnish Tatars consists mainly of different types of soups, meat based foods, sweet and savory dough based foods, pies, pilaf and porridges.{{Cite web|title=Derya Samaletdin: Suomen Tataarien ruokaperinteestä|url=https://www.ekumenia.fi/sen_toimii/yhdenvertaisuuskysymykset/makujen_basaari__abrahamin_tyttaret_keittiossa/derya_samaletdin_suomen_tataarien_ruokaperinteesta/|website=Suomen Ekumeeninen Neuvosto}} The most known Tatar food in Finland is the spicy pastry called pärämäç (pärämätsi among the Finns). It was commercialized by a Finnish Tatar chef/hockey player Mönäyvär Saadetdin in Tampere during the 1960s.{{Cite web|last=Kiiski|first=Petra|date=2014|title=Pärämäts on Tampereen oma pikaruoka – oletko maistanut eksoottista lihapiirakkaa?|url=https://www.mtvuutiset.fi/artikkeli/paramats-on-tampereen-oma-pikaruoka-oletko-maistanut-eksoottista-lihapiirakkaa/3327638|website=mtv uutiset}}{{Cite web|last=Mylläri|first=Jari|date=2021|title=Linkosuo löysi pärämätsin alkuperäisen reseptin eläköityneen työntekijän hallusta: "Siilinkarin remontin yhteydessä halusimme palauttaa jotakin vanhaa"|url=https://www.aamulehti.fi/moro/art-2000007841847.html|website=Aamulehti}}

A traditional cuisine among the Finnish Tatars is also for example a sausage made from horsemeat, named kazı.{{Cite journal |title=Horsemeat in the culinary traditions of the Mishär Tatar diaspora in the eastern Baltic Sea region: cultural and historical aspects |year=2020 |doi=10.1186/s42779-020-00072-2 |last1=Svanberg |first1=Ingvar |last2=Ståhlberg |first2=Sabira |last3=Bekkin |first3=Renat |journal=Journal of Ethnic Foods |volume=7 |s2cid=226274547 |doi-access=free }}

Publishing work among the relatively small community of Tatars has been abundant. Given activity can be divided as such: history, memoirs, biographies, poetry, proverbs, music, religious literature, Tatar language textbooks, children's books and magazines.Halén 1996, pp. 330–351.

The most active Finnish Tatar publisher is considered Hasan Hamidulla. He wrote a historic on his home village Aktuk.

Entrepreneur Zinnetullah Ahsen Böre published the first Finnish language Quran.{{Cite web|last=Leitzinger|first=Antero|date=2011|title=Ahsen Böre, Zinnetullah (1886–1945)|url=https://kansallisbiografia.fi/kansallisbiografia/henkilo/9900|website=Kansallisbiografia}}

In 2016, a Tatar-Finnish-dictionary was published by cultural influencer Okan Daher and a Finnish researcher Arto Moisio.{{Cite web |title=Tataarilais-suomalainen sanakirja |url=https://www.sgr.fi/fi/items/show/4}}{{Cite web |date=2013 |title=Tutkijat tukevat tataarin kielen säilymistä |url=https://www.utu.fi/fi/ajankohtaista/uutinen/tutkijat-tukevat-tataarin-kielen-sailymista |website=Turun Yliopisto}}

Traditional celebrations among the Tatar community include an every spring celebration of poet Abdulla Tukay named Balalar Bäyräme (Children's celebration), where the children and teenagers of the community perform songs, poems and stories. During the summer, camps are held for the young. For a long time, until 2020, the location was Kirkkonummi. In the early days the camps lasted a month, today it's ten days. The camp ends in the Tatar festival Sabantuy.{{Cite web |last=Bedretdin, Stahlberg |first=Gölten, Sabira |date=2021 |title=Journal of Endangered Languages |url=https://dergipark.org.tr/en/download/article-file/1844208}}

Finnish Tatars are officially one of the seven national minority groups in the country.Minority Rights Group Finland: [https://www.rauhanpuolustajat.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/National_minorities_in_Finland.pdf National Minorities in Finland – A Richness of Cultures and Languages.] 2017. {{ISBN|978-951-807111X|invalid1=yes}}.

The Finnish Tatars are Mishars, and thus, Volga Tatars. The ethnic formation of Mishar Tatars has no consensus and their culture has been influenced by for example Russian and Mordvan tradition. The Mishars in Finland were also influenced by Turkish culture during the 1900s. Researchers such as Antero Leitzinger and Alimdzhan Orlov have stated, that while features of many different so called foreign influences can be found in Mishar culture, are they still one of the "purest representatives" of ancient Turkic Kipchaks today.Tugan Tel, pp. 293–301Leitzinger 1996, pp. 15–45.

As of 2020, the community consists approximately 600-700 members.{{Cite web|last=Juusela|first=Pauli|date=2020|title=Suomen tataareja johtaa pankkiuran tehnyt ekonomisti Gölten Bedretdin, jonka mielestä uskonnon pitää olla hyvän puolella|url=https://www.kirkkojakaupunki.fi/-/tataareja-johtaa-pankkiuran-tehnyt-nainen-suomen-vanhimmalla-muslimiseurakunnalla-on-hyvat-valit-niin-kristittyihin-kuin-juutalaisiin|website=Kirkko ja Kaupunki}} Most Tatars live in the cities of Helsinki, Tampere, Turku and Järvenpää.Bedretdin 2011, preface.

The Tatars themselves generally think they have conserved their cultural identity very well, but at the same time, worries about its future and assimilation have been raised.Niklander 1987, s. 276–277, Marjamäki & Kolehmainen 1980, s. 363 (Tugan Tel)

The first generation of Finnish Tatars (born in the late 1800s on average) consisted of approximately 160 families, of which two thirds married within their people. Already among the earliest generation there were mixed marriages between Finnish women and Tatar men. These women converted to Islam and usually learned to communicate in Tatar. Such cases were accepted as exceptions though, since traditionally mixed marriages are thought of negatively among the community, so much so that during the 1900s, it might have left the child without parental inheritance. Some Tatar men have found a wife among the Russian Tatars, but most marriages are between the Finns now. The younger generations have expressed having difficulties finding a spouse among the small community.{{Cite web|date=2004|title=Tavismuslimit|url=https://ylioppilaslehti.fi/2004/09/tavismuslimit/|website=Ylioppilaslehti}}Suikkanen 2012, pp. 116-119.Leitzinger 2006, pp. 246-247

File:Yolduz 1945.jpg

File:Zinnetullah Ahsen Böre family.jpg

Tatars have been represented in different professional sports in Finland, especially in ice hockey. They have also established their own sports teams. Originally, the first generation encouraged their children to take part in sports at their new environment. Sports had been an important part of their every summer Sabantuy -celebrations in their home villages.{{Cite web |date=1990 |title=Tataarit urheilevat tähden alla Yolduz-seuran jäsenet jumppaavat ja potkivat palloa – paitsi paastokuukautena Islaminuskoisten helsinkiläistä urheiluseuraa johtaa sanavalmis nainen |url=https://www.hs.fi/kaupunki/art-2000003001815.html |website=Helsingin Sanomat}}

Among the more meritorious Tatar athletes are footballer Atik Ismail, ice hockey players Lotfi Nasib and Räshid Hakimsan.Atik Ismail: Pelimies - omaelämäkerta. Minerva 2016. {{ISBN|978-952-312-371-7}}.

Brothers Feyzi, Murat, Zeyd and Vasif Ahsen-Böre all played ice hockey in the 1930s and 1940s. Ali and his brother Mönäyvär Saadetdin played for Ilves, as did the brother of Lotfi Nasib, Naim, and his son, Erkan Nasib.Kimmo Leinonen: Koulukadun Sankarit: Tampereen jääkiekkoilun historia 1928–1965, s. 158. Apali, 2014. {{ISBN|978-9525877380}}.{{Cite web |title=Ilves Historia - Pelaajat |url=https://www.ilveshistoria.com/joukkuetilastot/isat-pojat-veljet/}}

More recent Tatar athletes include basketball player Meral Bedretdin (b. 1993).Aamulehti 8.12.2014{{Cite web |last=Rakkolainen |first=Pasi |date=2017 |title=Alulle maajoukkuevahvistus Euroliigasta |url=https://www.forssanlehti.fi/lounais-hame/alulle-maajoukkuevahvistus-euroliigasta-8777 |website=Forssan Lehti}}

Some of the following most likely don't exist anymore, but due to lack of information, only the formation year is mentioned.

• Helsingin musulmaanien hyväntekeväisyysseura (1915)
• Suomen muhamettilainen seurakunta (1925, later The Finnish-Islamic Congregation, Finlandiya Islam Cemaatı)
• Suomalais-turkkilaisen kansakoulun kannatusyhdistys (Fin-Türk halkmektebin himaye cemiyeti, 1930)
• Suomen turkkilaisten seura (Finlandiya Türkleri Bırlıgı, 1935)
• Tampereen Turkkilainen Yhdistys (Tampere Türkleri Bırlıgı, 1935)
• Tampereen Islamilainen Yhdistys (1935)
• Tampereen Islamilainen Seurakunta (1943, Tampere Islam Mahallesı)
• Turun Turkkilais-Tataarilainen Yhdistys (1938, later. Turun turkkilainen yhdistys)
• Jalkapalloseura Altın Orda (Golden Orda)
• Urheiluseura Yolduz (Yolduz = Star, 1945)
• Turkkilaisen kansakoulun kannatusyhdistys (1948, Türk Halk Mektebi Himaye Kurumu)
• Abdulla Tukain kulttuuriseura (1968)Halén 1996, p. 330.

The Finnish Tatar community has maintained their relationship with Turkey ever since the 1920s. The community has been visited for example by Turkish president (Prime Minister at the time) Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, who during his trip conveyed how impressed he was that such a small Turkic community had been able to conserve their tradition. Previous president of Turkey, Abdullah Gül paid a visit before this as well. In the congregation there has also been some imams from Turkey.Tugan Tel, p. 51

Turkish network TRT filmed a documentary on the Finnish Tatar community in 2005 called "Finlandiya Tatarları".{{Cite web |title=Finlandiya Tatarları |date=6 November 2015 |url=https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x3cmv2q}}

{{see also|List of Tatars}}

• Abdullah Ali - businessman, leader{{Cite web|date=2011|title=Abdullah Ali|url=https://www.hs.fi/muistot/art-2000002624528.html|website=Helsingin Sanomat}}
• Ymär Abdrahim - merchant, shopkeeper{{Cite web|last=Mikkonen|first=Nadja|date=December 2019|title=Sangen tuntematon sotilas|url=https://yle.fi/uutiset/3-11069227|website=yle uutiset}}
• Hasan Abdrahim - speed skater{{Cite web|last=Malmberg|first=Ilkka|date=2011|title=Pihoilla oli monenkielisiä porukoita|url=https://www.hs.fi/ihmiset/art-2000004787586.html|website=Helsingin Sanomat}}
• Zinnetullah Ahsen Böre - merchant, publisher{{Cite web|last=Suikkanen|first=Mikko|date=April 2012|title=Yksityinen Susi|url=https://trepo.tuni.fi/bitstream/handle/10024/83306/gradu05706.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y}}
• Feyzi Ahsen-Böre - hockey player
• Niran Baibulat - visual and textile designer
• Deniz Bedretdin - musician, composer, producer, manager
• Meral Bedretdin - basketball player{{Cite web|last=Rakkolainen|first=Pasi|date=2017|title=Alulle maajoukkuevahvistus Euroliigasta|url=https://www.forssanlehti.fi/lounais-hame/alulle-maajoukkuevahvistus-euroliigasta-8777|website=Forssan Lehti}}
• Ramil Belyaev - imam
• Hamide Çaydam - Tatar language teacher{{Cite web |title=ABRAHAMIN TYTTÄRET KYSYVÄT: MIKÄ ON MEILLE PYHÄÄ? |url=https://www.ekumenia.fi/sen_toimii/yhdenvertaisuuskysymykset/abrahamin_tyttaret_kysyvat_mika_on_meille_pyhaa_/}}
• Ymär Daher - cultural worker, deputy judge, doctor of philosophy, docent of Turkology{{Cite web|last=Janhunen|first=Juha|date=June 2010|title=Daher, Ymär (1910 – 1999)|url=https://kansallisbiografia.fi/kansallisbiografia/henkilo/6432|website=Kansallisbiografia}}
• Okan Daher - honorary president of The Finnish-Islamic Congregation, cultural worker{{Cite web |title=Tatar minority in Finland — fully integrated into society |url=https://m.realnoevremya.com/articles/1224-okan-daher-about-tatars-in-finland?_url=%2Farticles%2F1224-okan-daher-about-tatars-in-finland#from_desktop}}
• Aisa Hakimcan - artist, leader, publisherBaibulat 2004, p. 146.
• Räshid Hakimsan - hockey player, refereeBaibulat 2004, p. 208.
• Weli-Ahmed Hakim - imam{{Cite web|last=Halen|first=Harry|date=February 2001|title=Hakim, Weli-Ahmed (1882 – 1970)|url=https://kansallisbiografia.fi/kansallisbiografia/henkilo/8462#!|website=Kansallisbiografia}}
• Hasan Hamidulla - writer, publisher, businessman{{Cite web|last=Bedretdin|first=Kadriye|date=August 2010|title=Hamidulla, Hasan (1895-1988)|url=https://kansallisbiografia.fi/kansallisbiografia/henkilo/9752|website=Kansallisbiografia}}
• Jasmin Hamid - actress, politician, investor{{Cite news|last=Määttä|first=Jasmin|date=November 2020|title=Jasmin Hamid paljasti faktoja itsestään – puhuu lapsilleen tataaria|url=https://www.mtvuutiset.fi/artikkeli/jasmin-hamid-paljasti-faktoja-itsestaan-puhuu-lapsilleen-tataaria/7985944|newspaper=Mtvuutiset.fi}}
• Sadri Hamid - poet, publisher{{Cite web |last=Bedretdin |first=Kadriye |title=Journal of Endangered Languages |url=https://dergipark.org.tr/en/download/article-file/1826878}}
• Pervin Imaditdin - architect{{Cite web|last=Aromaa|first=Anna|date=2004|title=Valkoisessa talossa pidetään verhot auki (for subscribers)|url=https://www.hs.fi/koti/art-2000004220261.html|website=Helsingin Sanomat}}
• Adil Ismail - footballer, handball player{{Cite web |last=Lahti |first=Markku |date=2007 |title=Adil Ismail |url=https://www.hs.fi/urheilu/art-2000004451971.html}}
• Atik Ismail - footballer{{Cite web|last=Hirvasnoro|first=Tarja|date=2012|title=Jalkapallolegenda Atik Ismail suree: "Äiti ja isä eivät ehtineet nähdä raitistumistani" (in finnish)|url=https://www.kodinkuvalehti.fi/artikkeli/lue/ihmiset/jalkapallolegenda-atik-ismail-suree-aiti-ja-isa-eivat-ehtineet-nahda|website=Kodin Kuvalehti}}
• Hasan Kanykoff - merchant, political activist{{Cite web|last=Leitzinger|first=Antero|date=June 2011|title=Kanykoff, Hasan (1880 – 1954)|url=https://kansallisbiografia.fi/kansallisbiografia/henkilo/9906|website=Kansallisbiografia}}
• Halid Kurbanali - musicianBaibulat 2004, p. 256
• Gibadulla Murtasin - teacher, leader, artistBaibulat 2004, p. 74
• Lotfi Nasib - hockey player{{Cite web|title=Jääkiekkoleijonat|url=http://www.jaakiekkomuseo.fi/jaakiekkoleijonat/#1507548730664-0212a9f7-0519|website=Suomen Jääkiekkomuseo ry}}
• Fazile Nasretdin - poet, translator
• Räshid Nasretdin - photographer{{Cite news|last=Blomqvist|first=Jorma|date=28 August 2010|title=Räshid Nasretdin – Muistot (for subscribers)|url=https://www.hs.fi/muistot/art-2000002627095.html|website=Helsingin Sanomat}}
• Ismail Neuman - baseball player
• Cemile Nisametdin - artist, musician, actress{{Cite web |date=2014 |title=Suomi on suuri ja valoisa |url=https://www.hs.fi/sunnuntai/art-2000002713655.html |website=Helsingin Sanomat}}
• Ymär Sali - merchant, shopkeeper, businessman, leader, entrepreneurBaibulat 2004, p. 38.
• Mönäyvär Saadetdin - hockey player, commercializer of peremech in Finland{{Cite web |title=Ilves-Historia: pelaaja |url=https://www.ilveshistoria.com/pelaaja/101745/}}
• Batu Samaletdin - publisherLeitzinger 1999, p. 34.
• Habiburrahman Shakir - imam, theologian, publisherBaibulat 2004, p. 52
• Sabira Ståhlberg - writer, researcher
• Gäühär Tuganay - poet
• Vahit Wafin - entrepreneur, chairman of Tampere Tatar Congregation{{Cite web |title=Ultraäänilaitteen hankinta verisuonikirurgian ja toimenpideradiologian keskukselle toteutuu lahjoituksen avulla |date=7 January 2020 |url=https://taystuki.fi/ultraaanilaitteen-hankinta-verisuonikirurgian-ja-toimenpideradiologian-keskukselle-toteutuu-lahjoituksen-avulla/}}
• Tinet Wafin - entrepreneur (carpet shop Mattocenter with husband Vahit){{Cite web |title=Yritys {{!}} Mattocenter |url=https://www.mattocenter.com/page/18/yritys}}
• Ildar Wafin - jewelry designer{{Cite web|last=Aromaa|first=Jonni|date=2018|title=Vaarin perintökulta päätyi kilpailutöihin mummon suostumuksella – suomalainen Ildar Wafin kisaa koruilla Hyèresin muotifestivaalilla|url=https://yle.fi/uutiset/3-10181839|website=Yle}}
• Semiulla Wafin - shopkeeper, leader, publisher, teacherBaibulat 2004, p. 41.

• Tatars
• Volga Tatars
• Mishar Tatars
• Mishar Tatar dialect
• Tatar language
• Tatar alphabet
• Tatar name
• Turks in Finland
• The Finnish-Islamic Congregation
• The Tampere Islamic Congregation
• Järvenpää mosque
• List of first generation Finnish Tatar names

{{notelist}}

• Asikainen, Johannes: Tataareja, kasakoita, vai muslimeja?. Tampere: Tampereen Yliopisto, 2017. [https://trepo.tuni.fi/handle/10024/101380 Trepo]
• Bedretdin, Kadriye (editor): Tugan Tel – Kirjoituksia Suomen Tataareista. Helsinki: Suomen Itämainen Seura, 2011. {{ISBN|978-9519380780}}.
• Baibulat, Muazzez: Tampereen Islamilainen Seurakunta: juuret ja historia. Jyväskylä: Gummerus Kirjapaino Oy, 2004. {{ISBN|952-9167539}}.
• Halikov, A. H.: Tataarit, keitä te olette?. Suom. Lauri Kotiniemi. Abdulla Tukain kulttuuriseura, 1991. {{ISBN|952-9031149}}.
• Leitzinger, Antero: Mishäärit – Suomen vanha islamilainen yhteisö. (Sisältää Hasan Hamidullan "Yañaparin historian", suomentanut ja kommentoinnut Fazile Nasretdin). Helsinki: Kirja-Leitzinger, 1996. {{ISBN|952-9752083}}.
• Leitzinger, Antero: Suomen tataarit - Vuosina 1968-1944 muodostuneen muslimiyhteisön menestystarina. East-West Books, Helsinki 2006. {{ISBN|952-99592-2-2}}
• Suikkanen, Mikko: Yksityinen susi – Zinnetullah Ahsen Bören (1886–1945) eletty ja koettu elämä. Historian pro gradu -tutkielma. Tampere: Tampereen yliopisto, 2012. [https://trepo.tuni.fi/handle/10024/83306 Trepo].
• Tervonen, Miikka & Leinonen Johanna (editor.): Vähemmistöt muuttajina - Näkökulmia suomalaisen muuttoliikehistorian moninaisuuteen. Painosalama Oy, Turku 2021. {{ISBN|978-952-7399-09-5}}.

{{reflist}}

• [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vv5iNHqPcBc Finnish Tatar music]
• [http://tatar.fi/en/mh-2/ Finnish Tatar magazine Mähallä Habärläre.]
• [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=40lybjpscss Documentary about the Finnish Tatar community (in Tatar language)]
• [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hAGhDxpKnIY Izge Miras – documentary on the Tatar community of Järvenpää city]
• [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=isG9xwUKrpQ Imam Ramil Belyaev at The Finnish-Islamic Congregation]
• [https://journal.fi/store/article/view/82938 The "Tatar Way" of Understanding and Practising Islam in Estonia]
• [https://journalofethnicfoods.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s42779-020-00072-2 Horsemeat in the culinary traditions of the Mishär Tatar diaspora in the eastern Baltic Sea region: cultural and historical aspects]

{{Immigration to Finland}}

{{Turkic peoples}}

{{Authority control}}

Tatars

Category:Muslim communities in Europe

Category:Turkic peoples

Category:Volga Tatar diaspora

Category:Volga Tatars