It is, of course, delightful to hear that Boris has "Circassian" roots. But surely these roots would start to show under his blonde locks - because the Circassians are black-haired, to a woman? They are, as mentioned above, blessed with a shrewdness and commonsense which Alexander Boris de Pfeffel Johnson, the Shagger Of The Spectator, still has future opportunities to evince.

Can we take it, then, that ol' "Pfeffel" is going to take up the cudgels for Abkhazian independence from Georgia, in support of his native culture? It would seem only proper, by analogy with Kosova's independence from Serbia, after all. Or doesn't independence count if it involves a split from vassal countries of that of his birth (NYC, United States of America, 19.06.64)?

Is, err, "Pfeffel" a traditional Circassian name, then? Perhaps his people in Abkhazia will carry him shoulder-high to their Parliament Building and make him their King?

I showed his pic to my Ossetian chums, along with a message about him being Circassian, and they cackled for nearly quarter of an hour about it...

What the author probably doesn't realise is that 'Circassian' is a foreign name for the nation. Circassians call themselves 'adighe' which is the nation name OR sometimes would use historical Circassia province name, like 'kabardian', 'shapsig', 'abadzekh' OR sometimes would identify themselves in front of the outer world using the name of a Circassian reservation where Russians put their forefathers after the war of 1763-1864. There are three such reservations called Adygeia, Karachaevo-Cherkessia, Kabardino-Balkaria. In these three reservations alone there are 600'000 Circassians, so what the author states (never meet a Circassian in Caucasia) sounds very weird.

Obviously, sir, you are not as cultured and enlightened as you make yourself out to be. Circassians do exist, just do a simple Google search and you will find hundreds, if not thousands, of references to them.

Good luck.

Circassian was a name applied by non-Circassians to some of the peoples of the Caucasus. It is probably a bastardisation of the word Caucasian.

Traditionally, it applied to the tribes of the peoples that call themselves Adyghe, and other neighboring groups such as the Ubykhs.

I AM A CIRCASSIAN..

That's understandable. You won’t meet much people who call themselves ‘Circassian’. ‘Adyghe’ more common. Yes, there’s Karachai-CHERKESS republic but no Karachai- Circassian republic.

I tended to doubt Boris Johnson's story until I found the web page:

http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendID=42078085

This shows a photo of the webpage administrator of the Worldwide Circassian Foundation. Not only is he fair haired, but in other respects his face bears a great resemblance to Boris Johnson's. Indeed the photo could almost be one of a younger Boris Johnson,

The Circassian Question

There are numerous matters that necessitate to be tackled when approaching the ingenuous portrayal for shaping a complete image of any topic that would explain the situation and the circumstances from all dimensions and magnitudes, in order for the average individual to comprehend and figure out the entire situation that would present an apparent and understandable vision which would leave no questions unanswered in order to reflect undoubted appearance and presentation of the matter for exemplifying the scene in a logical method.

The Circassian question nevertheless, got none of the above mentioned positive criterion or principles regarding the logical constructive method that would resolve all the chronicle difficulties which were created by consequences of tens of years of savage wars with the greedy Tsarist occupying forces when the whole North Caucasus and Circassia in particular were conquered by the Russian state until the time of today. Russia had practiced its aggressive and violent imperial and colonial policies of territorial expansion and broadens its crucial political and economical manipulation in the North Caucasus and beyond. As an aspect of Western expansion, the European states established vast political empires, mainly in Africa and Asia. This "new imperialism" occurred primarily between 1880 and 1900, when European governments scrambled frantically for capturing new territories. Russians and their mercenaries advanced also, to rule millions of inhabitants of the North Caucasus and the Circassian nations in order to prove competition and reaching the warm waters of the Black Sea for trade and to reach other strategic ports of the world, stretch and widen military superiority force, to compete with other European power politics, and a racist belief in Slavic superiority were among those significant incentives. The civilized world had bitterly criticized imperialism as a betrayal to civilized and human ideals of freedom and equality.

Russian imperialism created different reactions within the North Caucasus nations and other nations in other regions that are still colonized by Russia. One of the reactions was simply to seek to oblige the occupying forces and their other accompanied agencies away, but Circassia as one entity was smashed by the conquerors. The general failure of that preliminary reaction then led some of those who remained in homeland for a second option, to accept dealing with the Russian rule, which made them accepting whatever the imperial authorities had imposed. The third response was the Diaspora response and to be prepared to return to Motherland as soon as conditions permit; but with time elapses, development of circumstances such as internal, external and international status and crisis, plus the economics, racism, and social situation in the Diaspora countries, made it essential for Diaspora Circassians to lead and to take the necessary steps to grant their nation the strength and means to restore confiscated and legitimate rights of self-determination.

It seems though; there is a competition or in other words a struggle that can be illustrated as a “tug of war” between different factions, particularly two main forces (excluding the silent majority) that signify the choice of contradicting directions and guidelines that necessarily lead for two different goals and objectives.

The first group, and to be more realistic, it would be sensible to state that the evil most capable, organized and guided faction is the one that had manipulated the Circassian social and communal activities for tens of years now, who are considered transcendent, business minded individuals, while accepting fait of the Circassian nation as is, despite what Voltaire had said: “the progress of rivers to the ocean is not so rapid as that of man to error”, which includes matters and arrangements made by third parties and in the absence of the Circassian people for the purpose of limiting fateful decisions-making with selfish, opportunist and egocentric individuals who presided themselves to obsess and take up crucial decisions which pertain vital national concerns with the lack of logic, common sense and national awareness, and in the absence of the people’s well. The process of decision-making in regard to decisive issues and critical matters is regrettably and sadly are taken by the intelligence agencies and individuals who got their activities covered with all available media tools of the occupying state, and other resources in Diaspora, by those who bask themselves in all walks of life of the Circassian communities, and they are in most of the time described as been of Circassian origin; but as a matter of fact, they are related to the security services of the same occupational authorities and their successors which had emptied the Circassian land from 90% of its inhabitants, as a result of coordination and cooperation with other evil powers which benefited from the Circassian catastrophe, that encouraged the occupying authorities to commit the crimes of genocide, ethnic cleansing, and all types of war felonies, which lead to forced deportation to exile. With all regret to the fact that those apparent irresponsible activities appear as if those stubborn policies illustrate that the Circassians’ connection seems to be like the connection between fans of sport teams or celebrities that their interests and commitments do not even upgrade to strong connection between members of labor or vocational unionists. The result for such dangerous, reckless and extemporaneous strategy will be the unavoidable and imminent exposure to the brink of extinction (God forbid).

The second group had gotten in mind that, “if faith without works is dead, willingness without action is fantasy”, which is the one that grips, raises, and demands the Circassian national identity agenda and plan, while got to clutch to the principles of ethics and moral values in regard to tackling all the issues and challenges that face the Circassian nation. This group of devoted individuals and organized establishments believe in, “the winds and waves are always on the side of the ablest navigators”, that are stretched between Motherland and other parts of the Circassian Diaspora, which could be described as the real defenders of the Circassian dream, who are always eager to extract the information from the reliable sources for the purpose of presenting the evidence of the atrocities that had been inflicted on the Circassian nation by the tyrant occupiers. They keep informing their people of the details that they are still in the process of gathering and arranging, which are professionally presented through different ways and means which are ranging between the obtainable media, Internet, documentation, meetings and conferences. This faction can be depicted as the live-conscience of the nation and the living heart beat, besides the members are the ones that hopes were held upon to enable their nation to reach status of safety and security, and to accomplish the legitimate rights of freedom, freedom to choose and the right of self-determination.

There are writers and reporters that do not take care to be objective and humane when writing in certain subjects that touch individuals, peoples and nations, that need to be fair in reflecting the accurate depiction such as the writer, Andy McSmith of the article Boris the Circassian, that was published in the “Online Independent”, Open House Section, dated 10, March of this year 2008. It appeared (with all respect) as of ignorance and/or carelessness to report with bias, regardless whether they antagonize, intimidate or humiliate others while addressing and distributing their toxic statements and information with a margin of possible ignorance about the subject that is dealt with in whole or in part. I am sure Boris would feel proud to attain a Circassian blood, when he is ascertained that this proud and devoted nation of more than 6000 years of history, that the said article had related him to, and when he knows the real situation, circumstances and the real conditions that his supposed ancestors had been subjected to, which exposed them to uncivilized, despised and insulting conduct by the egotistical individuals, groups and states, which uncovered the corruption of parties involved in dealing with the Circassian tragedy that evolved due to the Russian-Caucasian War results of unqualified and incompetent Russian victory against Circassians and other North Caucasus nations who defended homeland heroically, that did not prevent the total inhabitants from being subject to elimination, and forced deportation which appeared as a tremendous conspiracy between the aggressive Tsarist Russian state and the other conspirator associates at the time. The CIRCASSIANS IN JORDAN THESIS by Bruce Douglas MacKey dated June, 1979 mentioned “The history of the struggle of the Circassians against the Russians is one which even today stirs powerful emotions on the part of native Circassians. The conquest of the Circassian lands by the Russians and the subsequent immigration of at least half of the Circassian Peoples from those lands remain alive in the memory of most, if not all present-day Circassians. In interviews conducted concerning almost any aspect of Circassian history of politics it is referred to with mixed pride and regret.”

As all sensible and intellectual people realize that perfection is out of the question, and in that course, a writer had said, “perfection never exists in reality, but only in our dreams”, the circumstances require and impose the necessity to adapt to realities and facts of life they live, but not to be considered “fait accompli”, because that would be regarded as a surrender and an admittance of defeat when encountering and confronting difficulties and complications. The Circassians’ fate had always been the duty of defending their homeland against greedy invaders, and had their last honorable defending struggle against the savage Tsarist Russian aggression which ended in the year 1864, and lead to disastrous consequences of losing lives, properties, and consequently Homeland, which requires the Circassians to address the civilized world and to help one another, and to unite in unprecedented solidarity through their “jointly and serve-rally” endeavor, to go ahead to raise their claims, present the issues, and to restore confiscated privileges in order to reinstate the legitimate human rights, civil rights, constitutional rights, and civil liberties in accordance with the “Universal Declaration of Human Rights”.

“Great thoughts reduced to practice become great acts”.

Eagle

29-October-2008

Justice For North Caucasus Group
http://www.justicefornorthcaucasus.com/

I suggest that u do a little more research before you attempt to prove your point next time –
Blond hair blue eyes what does that mean? this is a common gene to Adyghe people don’t you know that all of Europe originated from the Caucasus this was the “world nations” petri—dish.
Circassian, Cherkess etc.. Are all names we were called by others, Greeks called us Meots list goes on…. We have been known by many names but, we call ourselves Adyghe!
Godbless all Adyghe
& Boris & the World
http://www.adigafriends.com