In fact, very few Tatar observe Islamic eating customs and fasts. In Ukraine, the most important Tatar colony is in the Donets region. Most of the Tatar in this area are industrial workers who have assimilated into the Russian culture. In 1979, only half of the Tatar population of the Donets region claimed Tatar as their mother tongue. They pray by facing Mecca at dawn, midday, mid-afternoon, sunset, and at night.
Men pray in the mosque under the leadership of a prayer leader, and the women usually pray at home.
When they do worship at the mosque, they are separated from the men. They believe that his revelation completes the biblical revelations received by Jews and Christians. Many Tatar today identify themselves as Muslim before they identify themselves as a Tatar. However, fifteen percent of the Ukrainian Tatar are now categorized as being non-religious. Unfortunately, the view of Christianity held by the Tatar has been marred by the Russian Orthodox Church's attempts to convert them through coercion and tax inducements.