Ibrahim Barysavič Kanapacki (; , ''Ibrahim Boris uly Kanapatsky''; 28 February 1949 – 9 September 2005) was a
Belarus
Belarus, officially the Republic of Belarus, is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe. It is bordered by Russia to the east and northeast, Ukraine to the south, Poland to the west, and Lithuania and Latvia to the northwest. Belarus spans an a ...
ian
Lipka Tatar
The Lipka Tatars are a Turkic ethnic group and minority in Poland, Lithuania, and Belarus who originally settled in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania at the beginning of the 14th century.
The first Tatar settlers tried to preserve their Pagan tradi ...
religious, political, and cultural leader.
Early life and career
Ibrahim Kanapacki was born to Barys Ibrahimavič Kanapacki and Safji Mustafaŭna in
Smilavichy
Smilavichy (; ; ; ) is an urban-type settlement in Chervyen District, Minsk Region, Belarus. As of 2024, it has a population of 6,586.
In Jewish tradition it is known as ''Smilovitz'', and was a shtetl in the Russian Empire.
Notable people
* ...
, in what was then the
Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic
The Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic (BSSR, Byelorussian SSR or Byelorussia; ; ), also known as Soviet Belarus or simply Belarus, was a Republics of the Soviet Union, republic of the Soviet Union (USSR). It existed between 1920 and 19 ...
of the
Soviet Union
The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...
. He was descended from a family of
Lipka Tatar
The Lipka Tatars are a Turkic ethnic group and minority in Poland, Lithuania, and Belarus who originally settled in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania at the beginning of the 14th century.
The first Tatar settlers tried to preserve their Pagan tradi ...
szlachta
The ''szlachta'' (; ; ) were the nobility, noble estate of the realm in the Kingdom of Poland, the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, and the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth. Depending on the definition, they were either a warrior "caste" or a social ...
. His grandfather, Ibrahim Chasinievič Kanapacki, served as
imam
Imam (; , '; : , ') is an Islamic leadership position. For Sunni Islam, Sunni Muslims, Imam is most commonly used as the title of a prayer leader of a mosque. In this context, imams may lead Salah, Islamic prayers, serve as community leaders, ...
of Smilavichy. In addition to Ibrahim, the Kanapacki family had 3 other children: daughters Razalija and Tanzilia and son Mustafa.
In 1966, Kanapacki entered the historical faculty of the Maxim Gorky Minsk State Pedagogical Institute (now the
Maksim Tank Belarusian State Pedagogical University
Maksim Tank Belarusian State Pedagogical University also known as BSPU () is a university in Minsk, Belarus. It specialises in teacher training of mathematics, chemistry, physics, psychology, geography, history, languages and others for primary a ...
). He later worked at the Kamienaborsk school in the
Byerazino District, in the
Minsk Region. In 1972, Kanapacki became a member of the
Communist Party of the Soviet Union
The Communist Party of the Soviet Union (CPSU),. Abbreviated in Russian as КПСС, ''KPSS''. at some points known as the Russian Communist Party (RCP), All-Union Communist Party and Bolshevik Party, and sometimes referred to as the Soviet ...
. In 1975, Kanapacki married Hanna Kochna. In 1976 they had a son, named Zachar, and in 1978, they had a daughter, named Zaryna.
Lipka Tatar leadership
In 1990, Kanapacki helped to found the Al-Kitab Belarusian Association of Muslim Tatars (known since 2000 as the
Zikr ul-Kitab Belarusian Public Association of Tatars). The first conference of Zikr ul-Kitab, dedicated to the 600th anniversary of the Lipka Tatars in Belarus, was held on 26 and 27 March 1993. In January 1994, he was a member of the organising committee of the First All-Belarusian Association of Muslims. In this period Kanapacki also became deputy
mufti
A mufti (; , ) is an Islamic jurist qualified to issue a nonbinding opinion ('' fatwa'') on a point of Islamic law (''sharia''). The act of issuing fatwas is called ''iftāʾ''. Muftis and their ''fatāwa'' have played an important role thro ...
and Chairman of the Muslim Association of Minsk, as well as serving as head of the Smilavichy Mosque.
From 1999, Kanapacki served as editor-in-chief of the Belarusian-language Bayram and Al-Islam magazines, in addition to the Life and Tatar Life newspapers. From 1996, the Muslim Tatar Calendar of Belarus was also published under his editorship. He assisted in the 1993 republishing of Anton Mukhlinsky's 1857 book 'Study of the Origin and Status of Lithuanian Tatars'. In 1997, he was one of the authors of the Manuscripts and Printed Books of Belarusian Tatars catalogue.
From his position within the Muslim community, he worked to restore mosques throughout Belarus, including
Slonim
Slonim is a town in Grodno Region, in western Belarus. It serves as the administrative center of Slonim District. It is located at the junction of the Shchara and Isa (river), Isa rivers, southeast of Grodno. As of 2025, it has a population of ...
, Smilavichy,
Navahrudak
Novogrudok or Navahrudak (; ; , ; ) is a town in Grodno Region, Belarus. It serves as the administrative center of Novogrudok District. As of 2025, it has a population of 27,624.
In the Middle Ages, the city was ruled by King Mindaugas' son ...
,
Vidzy
Vidzy is an urban-type settlement in Braslaw District, Vitebsk Region, in northern Belarus. As of 2025, it has a population of 1,546.
History
The name ''Vidzy'' is of Finno-Ugric origin and is associated with the word ''vidze'', which refers to ...
,
Kletsk
Klyetsk or Kletsk is a town in Minsk Region, Belarus. It serves as the administrative center of Klyetsk District. Klyetsk is located on the Lan (river), Lan River. As of 2025, it has a population of 11,169.
History
The town was founded in the ...
,
Maladzyechna
Maladzyechna, or Molodechno, is a town in Minsk Region, Belarus. It serves as the administrative centre of Maladzyechna District (and formerly of Molodechno Region from 1944 to 1960). Maladzyechna is located northwest of Minsk. In 2006, it had ...
,
Lowchytsy, and the Minsk Cathedral Mosque. In 1995, he assisted with the creation of a Lipka Tatar cultural centre in
Iwye
Iwye is a town in Grodno region, Belarus. It is the administrative center of Iwye district. , Iwye has a population of 6,906.
Iwye was historically a multicultural settlement with a Jewish majority, but nearly all of the town's Jews were kille ...
.
As one of the leaders of the
Belarusian Islamic community, Kanapacki promoted religious harmony, and made himself known as an active supporter of the Belarusian national and cultural revival, speaking the
Belarusian language
Belarusian (, ) is an East Slavic languages, East Slavic language. It is one of the two Languages of Belarus, official languages in Belarus, the other being Russian language, Russian. It is also spoken in parts of Russia, Lithuania, Latvia, Polan ...
in everyday life.
International activities
In 1999, as part of a delegation of Lipka Tatars, Kanapacki met with
President of Northern Cyprus
The president of Northern Cyprus is the head of state of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus. Rauf Denktaş was the first and founding president of Northern Cyprus, and retired in 2005. His position was taken over by Mehmet Ali Talat, follo ...
Rauf Denktaş
Rauf Raif Denktaş (27 January 1924 – 13 January 2012) was a Turkish Cypriot politician, barrister and jurist who served as the founding president of Northern Cyprus. He occupied this position as the president of the Turkish Republic of Nort ...
. In April 2000, he met with representatives of the
United States Congress
The United States Congress is the legislature, legislative branch of the federal government of the United States. It is a Bicameralism, bicameral legislature, including a Lower house, lower body, the United States House of Representatives, ...
Commission for the Development of Programmes for the Activities of National Minorities. As International Ambassador of Peace, he visited
Libya
Libya, officially the State of Libya, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It borders the Mediterranean Sea to the north, Egypt to Egypt–Libya border, the east, Sudan to Libya–Sudan border, the southeast, Chad to Chad–L ...
in 1999,
Chad
Chad, officially the Republic of Chad, is a landlocked country at the crossroads of North Africa, North and Central Africa. It is bordered by Libya to Chad–Libya border, the north, Sudan to Chad–Sudan border, the east, the Central Afric ...
in 2000,
Iraq
Iraq, officially the Republic of Iraq, is a country in West Asia. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to Iraq–Saudi Arabia border, the south, Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq border, the east, the Persian Gulf and ...
in 2001, and
Jerusalem
Jerusalem is a city in the Southern Levant, on a plateau in the Judaean Mountains between the Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean and the Dead Sea. It is one of the List of oldest continuously inhabited cities, oldest cities in the world, and ...
in 2004. In 1993, he was a delegate to the First Congress of the Fatherland Global Association of Belarusians, and was invited to all subsequent congresses as a guest.
Death
Kanapacki died on 9 September 2005. After his death, several Belarusian newspapers, including
Nasha Niva
''Nasha Niva'' (, lit. "Our field") is one of the oldest Belarusian weekly newspapers, founded in 1906 and re-established in 1991. ''Nasha Niva'' became a cultural symbol, due to the newspaper's importance as a publisher of Belarusian literature ...
, paid tribute to him. In 2014, a plaque at his family home in Smilavichy home was placed commemorating him.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kanapacki, Ibrahim
1949 births
2005 deaths
Belarusian Muslims
People from Chervyen district
Maxim Tank Belarusian State Pedagogical University alumni
Lipka Tatars of Belarus