Muslimani Муслимани | |
|---|---|
 Flag used to represent various Muslim minorities in the former Yugoslavia | |
| Total population | |
| c.51,000 | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
 Serbia | 13,011 (2022)[1] |
 Bosnia and Herzegovina | 12,101 (2013)[2] |
 Slovenia | 10,467 (2002)[3] |
 Montenegro | 10,162 (2023)[4] |
 Croatia | 3,902 (2021)[5] |
 North Macedonia | 1,187 (2021)[6] |
| Languages | |
| Bosnian andSerbian | |
| Religion | |
| Sunni Islam | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| Other mainly MuslimSouth Slavs | |
Muslims (Serbo-Croatian Latin andSlovene:Muslimani,Serbo-Croatian Cyrillic andMacedonian:Муслимани) is a designation for the ethnoreligious group ofSerbo-Croatian-speakingMuslims ofSlavic heritage, inhabiting mostly the territory of the formerSocialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. The term, adopted in a 1971 amendment to theConstitution of Yugoslavia, groups together several distinctSouth Slavic communities ofIslamicethnocultural tradition. Before 1993, a vast majority of present-dayBosniaks self-identified as ethnic Muslims, along with some smaller groups of different ethnicities, such asGorani andTorbeši. This designation did not include non-Slavic Yugoslav Muslims, such asAlbanians,Turks and someRomani people.[7]
After thebreakup of Yugoslavia, a majority of the Slavic Muslims ofBosnia and Herzegovina adopted the Bosniak ethnic designation, and they are todayconstitutionally recognized as one of threeconstituent nations of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Approximately 100,000 people across the rest of theformer Yugoslavia consider themselves to be Slavic Muslims, mostly inSerbia. They are constitutionally recognized as a distinct ethnic minority inMontenegro.[8]
TheOttoman conquests led to many autochthonous inhabitants converting toIslam. However, nationalist ideologies appeared among South Slavs as early as the 19th century, as with theFirst andSecond Serbian Uprising and theIllyrian movement, national identification was a foreign concept to the general population, which primarily identified itself by denomination and province.[9] The emergence of modern nation-states forced the ethnically and religiously diverse Ottoman Empire to modernise, resulting in several reforms. The most significant of these were theEdict of Gülhane of 1839 andImperial Reform Edict of 1856. These gave non-Muslim subjects of the Empire equal status and strengthened their autonomousMillet communities.[10]
There was a strong rivalry between South Slavic nationalisms.Vuk Karadžić, then the leading representative ofSerbian nationalism, considered all speakers of theŠtokavian dialect, regardless of religious affiliation, to be Serbs.Josip Juraj Strossmayer, the Croatian Catholic bishop and hisPeople's Party advocated the idea of South Slavic unity, whileAnte Starčević and hisParty of Rights sought to restore the Croatian state based on the so-called historical right, considering Bosnian Muslims as Croats. In both Croatian and Serbian national ideology, the territory of theBosnia vilayet was of great importance because both wanted to incorporate it into their future national states. From their point of view, Bosnian Muslims were Croats or Serbs who converted to Islam. In 1870, Bosnian Muslims made up 42.5 per cent of the population of the Bosnia Vilayet, while Orthodox were 41.7 and Catholics 14.5 per cent. Which national state would get the territory of the Bosnia vilayet thus depended on who the Bosnian Muslims would favour, the Croats or the Serbs.[11]
In Bosnia and Herzegovina at that time, the population did not identify with national categories, except for a few intellectuals from urban areas who claimed to be Croats or Serbs. The population of Bosnia and Herzegovina primarily identified itself by religion, using the terms Turk (for Muslims),Hrišćani (Christians) or Greeks (for the Orthodox) and "Kršćani" or Latins (for the Catholics). Furthermore, the Bosna vilayet particularly resisted the reforms, which culminated with therebellion ofHusein Gradaščević and hisayans in 1831. Reforms were introduced in Bosnia and Herzegovina only afterOmer Pasha Latas forcibly returned the province to the sultan's authority in 1850. The reforms marked the loss of the influence of theulama (the educated clergy), Sharia was no longer used outside of family matters, and a system of public education was introduced, in addition to religious education. The reforms marked the beginning of journalism and the establishment of modern political institutions, and ultimately the establishment of a provincial assembly in 1865, in which non-Muslims also sat.[12]
The revolt of the Bosnian ayans and the attempted formulation of provincial identity in the 1860s are often portrayed as the first signs of a Bosnian national identity. However, Bosnian national identity beyond confessional borders was rare, and the strong Bosnian identity of individual ayans or Franciscans expressed at that time was a reflection of regional affiliation, with a strong religious aspect. Christians identified more with the Croatian or Serbian nation. For Muslims, identity was more related to the defence of local privileges, but it did not call into question the allegiance to the Ottoman Empire. The use of the term "Bosniak" at that time did not have a national meaning, but a regional one. WhenAustria-Hungary occupied Bosnia and Herzegovina in 1878, national identification was still a foreign concept to Bosnian Muslims.[12]
After World War II, in theSocialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, the Bosnian Muslims continued to be treated as a religious group instead of an ethnic one.[13]Aleksandar Ranković and other Serb communist members opposed the recognition of Bosniak nationality.[14] Muslim members of the communist party continued in their efforts to get Tito to support their position for recognition.[14][15][16] Nevertheless, in a debate that went on during the 1960s, many Bosnian Muslimcommunist intellectuals argued that the Muslims ofBosnia and Herzegovina are a distinct native Slavic people that should be recognized as anation. In 1964, the Fourth Congress of the Bosnian branch of theLeague of Communists of Yugoslavia assured their Bosnian Muslim membership the Bosnian Muslims' right toself-determination will be fulfilled, thus prompting the recognition of Bosnian Muslims as a distinct nation at a meeting of the Bosnian Central Committee in 1968, however not under the Bosniak or Bosnian name, as opted by the Bosnian Muslim communist leadership.[13][17] As a compromise, the Constitution of Yugoslavia was amended to list "Muslims" in a national sense; recognizing a constitutive nation, but not the Bosniak name. The use ofMuslim as an ethnic denomination was criticized early on, especially on account of motives and reasoning, as well as disregard of this aspect of Bosnian nationhood.[18] Following the downfall of Ranković, Tito also changed his view and stated that recognition of Muslims and their national identity should occur.[14] In 1968 the move was protested in theSerbia and by Serb nationalists such asDobrica Ćosić.[14] The change was opposed by the Macedonian branch of the Yugoslav Communist Party.[14] They viewedMacedonian speaking Muslims as Macedonians and were concerned that statewide recognition of Muslims as a distinct nation could threaten the demographic balance of theMacedonian republic.[14]
During theIntra-Bosnian Muslim War (1993–95) the forces loyal to theAutonomous Province of Western Bosnia retained their Muslim name, while those loyal to the central government of theRepublic of Bosnia and Herzegovina adhered to the Bosniak term, adopted during theBosnian war in 1993.[19]
Sometimes other terms, such asMuslim with capital M were used, that is, "musliman" was a practising Muslim while "Musliman" was a member of this nation (Serbo-Croatian uses capital letters for names of peoples but small for names of adherents).
The election law of Bosnia and Herzegovina as well as the Constitution of Bosnia and Herzegovina, recognizes the results from 1991 population census as results referring to Bosniaks.[20][21]
According to the 2022 census, there were 13,011 ethnic Muslims in Serbia, making up 0,20% of the population.[22]
Regarding religion, most ethnic Muslims declared themselves to be Muslims, 12,129 or 93.22% of them. The Eastern Christians were second, comprising 196 or 1.51% of the ethnic Muslim population. They were followed by atheists and agnostics, 126 or 0.97% of the ethnic Muslim population.[a] The rest belonged to other Christian and religious groups, with 523 or 4.02% of those undeclared or unknown.[23]
Serbian was the mother tongue of 9,803 or 75.34% of ethnic Muslims.Bosnian was the second most spoken language, with 1,283 or 9,86% of ethnic Muslim speakers. The third wasAlbanian with 870 or 6.69% of ethnic Muslims speaking the language.[24]
According to the 2013 census, there were 12,121 ethnic Muslims in Bosnia and Herzegovina, making up 0.34% of the population.[25]
Regarding religion, most ethnic Muslims declared themselves followers of Islam or Muslims, 11,559 or 95.36% of them.[26][b] The remaining part mainly were atheists or agnostics, 208 or 1.72%[c] with 205 or 1.69% undeclared or unknown.[27]
Bosnian was the mother tongue of 10,784, or 88.97%, of ethnic Muslims.Serbo-Croatian was listed as the mother tongue of 550 or 4.54% ethnic Muslims, with 447 or 3.69%. opting for Serbian and 65 or 0.54% forCroatian.[28] The majority of those who designated Serbian as their mother tongue, 423 of them, lived inRepublika Srpska.[29]
| Subdivision | Ethnic Muslims | % | Share in the ethnic Muslim population |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tuzla Canton[30] | 2,839 | 0.64% | 23.42% |
| Una-Sana Canton[30] | 2,371 | 0.87% | 19.56% |
| Republika Srpska[31] | 1,730 | 0.14% | 14.27% |
| Sarajevo Canton[31] | 1,709 | 0.41% | 14.10% |
| Zenica-Doboj Canton[30] | 1,519 | 0.42% | 12.53% |
| Central Bosnia Canton[31] | 1,216 | 0.48% | 10.03% |
| Herzegovina-Neretva Canton[31] | 357 | 0.16% | 2.95% |
| Brčko District[31] | 169 | 0.20% | 1.39% |
| Bosnian-Podrinje Canton Goražde[30] | 100 | 0.42% | 0.83% |
| Posavina Canton[30] | 65 | 0.15% | 0.54% |
| Canton 10[31] | 39 | 0.05% | 0.32% |
| West Herzegovina Canton[31] | 7 | 0.01% | 0.06% |
Municipalities with a significant ethnic Muslim population (500 or more):[32]
| East Slavs | .svg) | |
|---|---|---|
| West Slavs | ||
| South Slavs | ||