Wikipedia

Islam in Bosnia and Herzegovina

(Redirected from Islam in Bosnia)

Islam is the most popular religion in Bosnia and Herzegovina.[2] It was introduced to the local population in the 15th and 16th centuries as a result of the Ottoman conquest of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Islam in Europe
by percentage of country population[1]
  95–100%
  90–95%
  50–70%
  30–35%
  10–20%
  5–10%
  4–5%
  2–4%
  1–2%
  < 1%
Share of Muslims in Bosnia and Herzegovina by municipalities in 2013

Muslims comprise the largest religious community in Bosnia and Herzegovina at around 51% of the population.[3]

Almost all Bosnian Muslims identify as Bosniaks; until 1993, Bosnians of Muslim culture or origin (regardless of religious practice) were defined by Yugoslav authorities as Muslimani (Muslims) in an ethno-national sense (hence the capital M), though some people of Bosniak or Muslim backgrounds identified their nationality (in an ethnic sense rather than strictly in terms of citizenship) as "Yugoslav" prior to the early 1990s. A small minority of non-Bosniak Muslims in Bosnia and Herzegovina include Albanians, Roma and Turks.

Although traditionally adherent to Sunni Islam of the Hanafi school of jurisprudence, a 2012 survey found that 54% of Bosnia and Herzegovina's Muslims consider themselves Non-denominational Muslims, while 38% said that they are Sunni Muslims.[4] There is also a small Sufi community, located primarily in Central Bosnia.[5] A small Shia Muslim community is also present in Bosnia.[6] Almost all Muslim congregations in Bosnia and Herzegovina refer to the Islamic Community of Bosnia and Herzegovina as their religious organisation.

The Constitution of Bosnia and Herzegovina guarantees freedom of religion,[7] which is generally upheld throughout the country.

History

edit

The Ottoman era

edit

Islam was first introduced to the Balkans on a large scale by the Ottomans in the mid-to-late 15th century who gained control of most of Bosnia in 1463, and seized Herzegovina in the 1480s. Over the next century, the Bosnians — composed of native Christians and Slavic tribes living in the Bosnian kingdom under the name of Bošnjani[8] — were converted to Islam in great numbers during the Islamization of Bosnia under Ottoman rule. During the Ottoman era the name Bošnjanin was definitely transformed into the current Bošnjak ('Bosniak'), with the suffix -ak replacing the traditional -anin. By the early 1600s, approximately two thirds of the population of Bosnia were Muslim.[9] Bosnia and Herzegovina remained a province in the Ottoman Empire and gained autonomy after the Bosnian uprising in 1831. Large numbers of mosques were built all over the province. Most mosques erected during the Ottoman era were of relatively modest construction, often with a single minaret and central prayer hall with few adjoining foyers.

The Austro-Hungarian era

edit
Bosnian Madrasa, ca. 1906

After the 1878 Congress of Berlin, Bosnia and Herzegovina came under the control of Austria-Hungary. In 1908, Austria-Hungary formally annexed the region. The Austro-Hungarian authorities made no attempt to convert or assimilate the citizens of this newly acquired territory. The December Constitution guaranteed freedom of religion, and so Bosnia and Herzegovina remained largely Muslim.

Bosnia, along with Albania and Kosovo were the only parts of the Ottoman Empire in the Balkans where large percentages of people converted to Islam, and remained there after independence. In other areas of the former Ottoman Empire where Muslims formed the majority or started to form the majority, those Muslims were either expelled, assimilated/Christianized, massacred, or fled elsewhere (Muhajirs).[citation needed]

The post-war period

edit
Gazi Husrev-beg Mosque in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina

Many Islamic religious buildings were damaged or destroyed in the Bosnian War during the 90s, with up to 80% of well-over 4000 different buildings,[10] and several mosques were rebuilt with the aid of funds from Saudi Arabia and other countries from the Middle and far East.

Historically, Bosnian Muslims had always practiced a form of Islam that is strongly influenced by Sufism. Since the Bosnian War, however, some remnants of groups of foreign fighters from the Middle East fighting on the side of Bosnian Army, remained for some time and attempted to spread Wahhabism among locals. With very limited success these foreigners only created friction between local Muslim population, steeped in their own traditional practice of the faith, and without any previous contact with this strain in Islam, and themselves.[11]
Although these communities were relatively small and peaceful, restricted to a certain number of villages around central and northern Bosnia, the issue was highly politicized by local nationalists and officials, as well as officials and diplomats from countries like Croatia, Czech Republic and Serbia, to the point of outright fiction.[12][13] The Security Minister of Bosnia and Herzegovina at the time, Dragan Mektić of the SDS, denounced such claims as inciting further politicization and even violence by falsely portraying Bosnian Muslims as radicals.[12][14]

Demographics

edit

According to the 2013 census, there were 1,812,522 followers of Islam or Muslims, making up 51.33% of the population.[15][b]

CantonPopulation (2013)Number of Muslims[16]%
Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina2,219,2201,581,86871.3%
Tuzla Canton445,028395,92189.0%
Zenica-Doboj Canton364,433303,99483.4%
Sarajevo Canton413,593350,59484.8%
Una-Sana Canton273,261252,75892.5%
Bosnian-Podrinje Canton Goražde23,73422,37294.3%
Central Bosnia Canton254,686147,80958.0%
Brčko District83,51635,84442.9%
Republika Srpska1,228,423172,74214.1%
Herzegovina-Neretva Canton222,00791,39541.2%
Posavina Canton43,4538,34119.2%
Canton 1084,1277,9049.3%
West Herzegovina Canton94,8987800.8%
Bosnia and Herzegovina3,531,1591,790,45450.7%
Percentage of Muslims by Population Census
Year Number Percentage
1871 630,456[17] 51%
1879 448,613Decrease 38.73%Decrease
1885 492,710Increase 36.88%Decrease
1895 548,632Increase 34.99%Decrease
1910 612,137Increase 32.25%Decrease
1921 588,244Decrease 31.07%Decrease
1931 718,079Increase 30.90%Decrease
1948 788,403Increase 30.73%Decrease
1953 891 800Increase 31.3%Increase
1961 842,247Decrease 25.69%Decrease
1971 1,482,430Increase 39.57%Increase
1981 1,630,033Increase 39.52%Decrease
1991[18] 1,871,882 Increase 42.78%Increase
2013[19] 1,812,522Decrease 51.33%Increase

Ethnicity

edit

According to the 2013 census, 1,812,522 people of Bosnia and Herzegovina were followers of Islam comprising 51.33% of the population. The vast majority of Muslims identified as Bosniaks (1,751,980) followed by "Bosnians" (20,971) and included populations such as the Roma people (11,073 Romani Muslims), Albanians (2,349 Albanian Muslims) and others.

Ethnic identification of the Muslim population in Bosnia and Herzegovina (2013 census)
  1. Bosniaks (96.6%)
  2. "Bosnians" (1.20%)
  3. Romas (0.61%)
  4. Albanians (0.12%)
  5. Other (1.47%)

Contemporary relations

edit
Tekija of Pehare, Zenica

For a majority of Bosniaks that identify themselves as Muslims, religion often serves as a community linkage, and religious practice is confined to occasional visits to the mosque (especially during Ramadan and the two Eids) and significant rites of passage such as aqiqah, marriage, and death.[citation needed] Headscarves for women, or the hijab, is worn only by a minority of Bosniak women, or otherwise mostly for religious purpose (such as the çarşaf for prayer and going to the mosque).

Velika Kladuša Mosque

Religious leaders from the three major faiths claim that observance is increasing among younger people as an expression of increased identification with their ethnic heritage, in large part due to the national religious revival that occurred as a result of the Bosnian war.[20] Leaders from the three main religious communities observed that they have enjoyed greater support from their believers since the end of the Bosnian war.[20] On the other hand, however, the violence and misery caused by religious conflict has led a small number of Bosnians to reject religion altogether. This atheist community faces discrimination, and is frequently verbally attacked by religious leaders as "corrupt people without morals". According to the latest census, openly-declared atheists make up 0.79% of Bosnia's population.[21]

In a 1998 public opinion poll, 78.3% of Bosniaks in the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina declared themselves to be religious.[22]

In Bosnia and Herzegovina, there are eight muftis located in major municipalities across the country: Sarajevo, Bihać, Travnik, Tuzla, Goražde, Zenica, Mostar, and Banja Luka. The head of the Islamic Community of Bosnia and Herzegovina is Husein Kavazović.[23]

See also

edit

Notes

edit
  1. ↑ Only takes into account the Muslim population residing on land controlled by the Republic of Cyprus.
  2. ↑ The census regarded "Islam" and "Muslims" as separate categories; 1,790,454 or 76.59% declared themselves to be followers of Islam, while 22,068 or 0.62% declared themselves to be Muslims.[15]

References

edit
  1. ↑ Hackett, Conrad; et al. (2024-07-10). "Europe's Growing Muslim Population". Pew Research Center. Archived from the original on 2026-04-15. Retrieved 2026-04-15.
  2. ↑ "Bosnia and Herzegovina". United States Department of State. Retrieved 2022-11-02.
  3. ↑ "Bosnia and Herzegovina".
  4. ↑ "The World's Muslims: Unity and Diversity" (PDF). Pew Research Center. 2012. p. 30. Archived from the original (PDF) on 26 January 2017. Retrieved 7 April 2016.
  5. ↑ "EKSKLUZIVNO- N1 sa dervišima: Pogledajte rijetko viđene snimke mističnih obreda". Ba.n1info.com. Archived from the original on 31 July 2018. Retrieved 4 January 2018.
  6. ↑ "Concerns Grow over Bosnian Shia-Sunni Divide | Balkan Insight". 9 November 2016.
  7. ↑ "Freedom of religion Law..., Official Gazette of B&H 5/04". Mpr.gov.ba. Archived from the original (PDF) on 29 December 2016. Retrieved 4 January 2018.
  8. ↑ Bašić, Denis (2009). The roots of the religious, ethnic, and national identity of the Bosnian-Herzegovinan [sic] Muslims. University of Washington. ISBN 9781109124637.
  9. ↑ Malcolm 1995, p. 71.
  10. ↑ Shatzmiller, Maya (2002). Islam and Bosnia: Conflict Resolution and Foreign Policy in Multi-Ethnic States. Queens University School of Policy. p. 100.
  11. ↑ Coalson, Robert; Nikolic, Maja (March 2013). "Radical Islamists Seek To Exploit Frustration In Bosnia". Rferl.mobi. Retrieved 14 June 2016.
  12. 1 2 "Bosnia War Victims Slam Croatia President's Terror Claims". www.balkaninsight.com. 7 September 2017. Retrieved 5 February 2019. Bosnia's Security Minister Dragan Mektic even told local news site Klix on Tuesday that there was a possibility that a terrorist act might be staged by "para-secret-service agencies" close to certain politicians in order to legitimize false claims of increased Islamic radicalism in Bosnia.
  13. ↑ "Bosnian Security Minister Rejects Claims by Croatian President". www.total-croatia-news.com. Archived from the original on 26 September 2022. Retrieved 5 February 2019.
  14. ↑ "Mektić: Paraobavještajne strukture bi mogle inscenirati napad da bi BiH prikazale kao radikalnu". Klix.ba (in Bosnian). Retrieved 5 February 2019.
  15. 1 2 Ethnicity/National Affiliation, Religion and Mother Tongue 2019, p. 918.
  16. ↑ "Ethnic composition of Bosnia & Herzegovina 2013".
  17. ↑ Karpat, K.H. (1985). Ottoman population, 1830-1914: demographic and social characteristics. Madison, Wis: University of Wisconsin Pres.
  18. ↑ "Popis stanovništva 1991 – Federalni zavod za statistiku" (in Bosnian). Retrieved 2026-04-16.
  19. ↑ "Popis stanovništva, domaćinstava i stanova u Bosni i Hercegovini ETNIČKA/NACIONALNA PRIPADNOST, VJEROISPOVJEST I MATERNJI JEZIK" [Census of Population, Households and Dwellings in Bosnia and Herzegovina ETHNICITY/NATIONAL AFFILIATION, RELIGION AND MOTHER TONGUE] (PDF). Agencija za statistiku Bosne i Hercegovina. 2019. {{cite web}}: line feed character in |title= at position 43 (help); line feed character in |trans-title= at position 47 (help)
  20. 1 2 "Bosnia and Herzegovina: International Religious Freedom Report 2006". U.S. Department of State—Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor. 2006-09-15.
  21. ↑ Dubensky, Joyce S. (2016). Peacemakers in Action: Profiles in Religious Peacebuilding. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. p. 391. ISBN 9781107152960. Retrieved 4 January 2018.
  22. ↑ Velikonja, Mitja (2003). Religious separation and political intolerance in Bosnia-Herzegovina. Texas A&M University Press. p. 261. ISBN 1585442267. Retrieved 6 January 2011.
  23. ↑ "Islamska zajednica u Bosni i Hercegovini - Početna". Rijaset.ba. Archived from the original on 2015-09-24. Retrieved 14 June 2016.

Bibliography

edit

Further reading

edit
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Islam_in_Bosnia_and_Herzegovina&oldid=1363701879"