Adyghe Habze

Adyghe Habze, also Circassian Habze or Habza (Adyghe: Адыгэ Хабзэ /adəɣa xaːbza/), also spelled Khabze, Khabza or Xabze, also called Habzism,^[1] is^[2] the philosophy and worldview of the Adyghe or Circassians, an ethnic group of North Caucasian stock inhabiting areas of Caucasia, Adygea and the bordering republics of Karachay-Cherkessia and Kabardino-Balkaria (the Kabard subgroup), all three being within the domains of Russia. The native religion was influenced by Hellenic religion and philosophy at the time of Greek colonisation in the Caucasus.

The belief system takes its name from the Circassian epic Nart Saga, originally orally transmitted, which has heavily contributed to the shaping of Adyghe values over the centuries. Although historically Islamised, the period of the Soviet Union contributed to a severe weakening of Islam in the area, especially amon Adyghe-Circassians. With the fall of the Soviet regime, the revival of Habzism was supported by Adyghe intellectuals, as part of a rise in nationalism and cultural identity in the 1990s^[3] and, more recently as a thwarting force against Wahhabism and other Islamic fundamentalism.^[4]

The movement has developed a following especially in Karachay-Cherkessia (12%) and Kabardino-Balkaria (3%), according to 2012 statistics.^[5] Practitioners and advocates have faced radical Islamist persecution.

On 29 December 2010, a prominent Kabard-Circassian ethnographer and Habze advocate, Arsen Tsipinov,^[6] was murdered by Islamist radical non-Circassians who had accused him of mushrik (idolatrous disbelief in Islamic monotheism) and months earlier threatened him and others they accused as idolaters and munafiqun ("hypocrites" who are said are outwardly Muslims but secretly unsympathetic to the cause of Islam) to stop "reviving" and diffusing the rituals of the original Circassian pre-Islamic faith.^[7][8]

Etymology

"Habze" (Хабзэ) is an Abkhazian compound made up from хы "khy", meaning "vast" or "universe", and бзэ "bze", meaning "speech", "word", "language".^[9] Thus, its meaning is roughly "language of the universe" or "word of the cosmos", comparable to the concept of Dharma.

Beliefs

An important element is the belief in the soul (psa) of the ancestors, who have the ability to observe and evaluate the affairs of their offsprings.^[2] The concept of physical pain or pleasure in the Hereafter (Hedryhe) is absent: the soul is granted spiritual satisfaction or remorse for one's chosen path in life in front of himself and his ancestors.^[2]

Therefore, the goal of man's earthly existence is the perfection of the soul, which corresponds to the maintenance of honour (nape), manifestation of compassion (guschlegu), gratuitous help (psape), which, along with valour, and bravery of a warrior, enables the human soul to join the soul of the ancestors with a clear conscience (nape huzhkle).^[2] The souls of the ancestors require commemoration: funeral feasts are arranged (hedeus) and sacrifice or memorial meal preparations (zheryme) are practiced and distributed for the remembrance of the dead souls.^[2]

See also

• Confucianism
• Bushido

Caucasian religions

• Abkhaz Native Religion
• Vainakh mythology

Indo-European religions

• Etseg Din
• Rodnovery

References

Bibliography

• Т. М. Катанчиев. Адыгэ кхабзэ как кабардинское обыхное право. Эль-Фа, 2001
• University of Michigan (1999). Reference Library of Arab America: Countries & ethnic groups, Kuwait to United Arab Emirates. Gale. pp. 570–571. ISBN 978-0-7876-4178-8. 
• Bullough, Oliver (4 March 2010). Let Our Fame Be Great: Journeys among the defiant people of the Caucasus. Penguin Books. pp. 35–. ISBN 978-0-14-195622-0. 

External links

• Habze Portal
• Circassian Association of California Adyghe Khasa