Vytautas the Great invited Tatars for reasons beyond leftism

Vytautas the Great invited Tatars to Lithuania for reasons unrelated to being a leftist, Islam expert Paulius Abdulhakimas Bergaudas said in an interview with LRT. He also said myths about Muslims persist in Lithuania and that immigrant integration depends on trust in state institutions.

Bergaudas, who is from Klaipėda, embraced Islam after finishing school and later studied the religion at universities in Malaysia and Cambridge. He completed a master’s degree at Cambridge and is now pursuing a doctorate on the history of Islamic writing.

He said most Muslims living in Lithuania do not plan to stay long-term, describing many as men who have come to earn money for their families. In his view, poor government policies encourage people to form ghettos abroad, while effective integration requires public institutions to earn immigrants’ trust. Historically, Muslims and Lithuanians lived together peacefully, he said.

Bergaudas argued that public understanding of Islam is limited across Europe. He cited a 2020 survey by Lithuania’s Equal Opportunities Ombudsperson, which found that 41% of respondents would not want a Muslim neighbour, compared with 11% who would not want a Turkish neighbour. Since almost all Turks are Muslims, he said, the difference suggests many people do not know who Muslims are and may associate them with stereotypes such as an Arab wearing a turban.

He said that many people who call for sharia to be banned do not know what it means. As an example, he noted that Islamic teachings regard smiling at neighbours, friends and other people as a good deed.

Bergaudas said he converted to Islam while in the 11th grade, after the religion answered questions that mattered to him. After completing compulsory military service, he studied for a bachelor’s degree in Malaysia, where he also learned from living in a diverse, multicultural society. He later continued his studies in Europe, choosing Cambridge over Oxford after receiving offers from both universities.