41 Facts About Mustafa Shokay

Mustafa bek Shokay was a Kazakh social and political activist and ideologue of the Turkestan Autonomy.

Mustafa Shokay was born into a Muslim Kazakh family of aristocrats in the Kazakh town of Ak-Meshit.

The mother of Mustafa Shokay was Bakty, an intellectual in her own right and a descendant of the famous Batu Khan.

Mustafa Shokay's father had 2 wives, with Bakty being his second one.

Mustafa Shokay was the youngest child in their family and was 15 years younger than his Sadyk brothers.

Mustafa Shokay's mother taught her children to read and write in childhood, helping them learn Kazakh, Arabic, and Persian just as she did.

When he was 5 years old, Mustafa Shokay learned to play on the dombra.

Mustafa Shokay set himself apart from other students by perfectly memorizing all of the sura from the Quran by heart.

At the age of 7, Mustafa Shokay's father took him to the urbanized part of Ak-Meshit, where he would study in a Russian school and slowly assimilate into Russian society.

Mustafa Shokay was initially hesitant to go to the Russian school, but his father was able to effectively persuade him into furthering his education there.

Mustafa Shokay started his education in the Russian school, but he became very sick and soon left his studies.

However, the director of the Tashkent gymnasium disagreed and even Zeprometov himself said that Mustafa Shokay should get the gold medal.

Mustafa Shokay returned to complete the final stage of his education one year later in St Petersburg.

Mustafa Shokay moved back to Ak-Meshit, where his family remained as one of the few who did not suffer any dramatic effects of the Stolypin agrarian reform.

Mustafa Shokay entered his commission as a secretary and translator of the Muslim faction.

When he returned to Petrograd, Mustafa Shokay prepared materials for their performances in the State Duma of their faction.

Mustafa Shokay was a democrat, without the slightest hint of socialism, who loved his homeland and his nation.

Mustafa Shokay never spared himself in the name of the future of his people.

Mustafa Shokay knew that to work in the State Duma he had to be a strong person.

Mustafa Shokay considered that Turkestan needed a political reformer like himself.

Mustafa Shokay did not have any hostile emotions toward bigots or to representatives of other nations.

Mustafa Shokay loved to make discussions or argue with people who possessed different political opinions than him.

Mustafa Shokay always took any inhumane acts to his heart.

Mustafa Shokay was able to find the way to heart of people throughout honesty and the ability to empathize with others.

Mustafa Shokay defended his interest for position of Turkestan's people union.

Mustafa Shokay was introduced to the Muslim fraction on the recommendation of Alikhan Bukeikhanov.

Until 1917, before the October revolution Mustafa Shokay was a member of State Duma where he represented the Turko-Tatar peoples.

Mustafa Shokay was a member of Turkestan committee of Interim Government and later he was elected as a chairman of Turkestan's national committee.

At that time Mustafa Shokay was the youngest politician, who advocated for Turkestan Autonomy, but he was against separatism.

Mustafa Shokay moved to Turkey, because The Red Army led by Ordzhonikidze, defeated the Volunteer Army of General Denikin, captured the North Caucasus, then Azerbaijan, Armenia, and 16 February 1921 came to Tiflis.

Mustafa Shokay was trying to write books, newspapers, magazines; held meeting with his speech for whole world to submit and to hear about the problems in Turkestan and Central Asia.

Mustafa Shokay created newspaper in Istanbul: Yash Turkistan in 1927 and it was existed till 1931.

Mustafa Shokay spoke foreign languages such as English, French, Russian, German, Turkish, and Arabic.

Mustafa Shokay was shocked by the inhuman conditions of Asians kept behind barbed wire.

Mustafa Shokay Shokai said that he was ready to consent to be the head of this noble movement.

Mustafa Shokay wanted to give some relief and grasped the chance to save prisoners' lives, he compromised with the German authorities.

Mustafa Shokay wanted to receive some benefit from the collaboration with Nazis.

At that time Mustafa Shokay was in hospital in Berlin "Victoria".

Mustafa Shokay Shokai was buried in the Turkish Muslim cemetery in Berlin.

Mustafa Shokay was honorifically titled Khan after he had no problem embracing Nazi vision to build Turkic-Muslim army which would fight Soviets.

Mustafa Shokay was fluent in English, French, Russian, German, Turkish, and Arabic.