What kind of muslims are bosnians

Research Topics. One hundred thirty-six bodies found in mass grave sites in eastern Bosnia will be reburied on 20th anniversary of the Srebrenica massacre. Correction: An earlier version of the map mislabeled Ukraine as Belarus. Share this link:. Angelina E. Theodorou is a former research analyst focusing on religion at Pew Research Center. Most in former Yugoslavia favor multicultural society, although some tensions remain.

Muslims and Islam: Key findings in the U. By , India to have world's largest populations of Hindus and Muslims. Follow Us. The Ottomans brought Islam. Catholicism came from the west and Orthodox Christianity from the east.

Faith is important here, yet the country is secular. Most native Bosnians are descendants of Slavs. There are three main ethnic groups in Bosnia and the wider Balkan region: Bosniaks, Croats and Serbs.

Religious preferences essentially determine their culture, identity and traditions. Just remember the following:. Bosnians tend to be religious, though few are conservative. Bosnia is secular, and religion is spiritual rather than political. Recent demographic surveys suggest The vast majority live in the region of Bosnia and Herzegovina; very few live in Republika Srpska. Seasoned travellers may associate Islamic countries with conservatism like in the Middle East or Indonesia.

Not true. Some pray five times a day; others only go to the mosque during religious celebrations. There are lots of bars in Sarajevo and Mostar as well as nightclubs. It is very rare for a person to change religions. However, children of interethnic marriages are often irreligious. Bosnians have traditionally been very tolerant and accepting of religious difference; Muslims and Christians coexisted relatively harmoniously for centuries. However, faith was used as a divisive tool for inciting violence during the war.

There may be some residual sensitivity surrounding that. Nevertheless, most Bosnians are still open-minded. It remains common for Muslims to visit Christian neighbours on Christmas, and vice versa during Ramadan. Furthermore, it may be difficult to differentiate between Muslims and Orthodox Christians as women from both religions may wear headscarves. Islam was introduced to the Slavs of Bosnia during the Ottoman period of rule.

Those that converted from Christianity became socially identified as their own ethnic group. While they still are closely affiliated with Islam culturally, not all Bosniaks are practising Muslims.

Bosnian Muslims traditionally follow the Sunni variation of Islam and the Hanafi school of thought. Not all Islamic customs are followed. For example, many Bosniaks drink alcohol. This is slightly changing with the influence of wahhabism an ultra-conservative Islamic doctrine and movement , which has been introduced along with Saudi aid to help rebuild Bosnia after the war. For example, it is now becoming more common for Muslim women to follow the Islamic dress code.

Nevertheless, this still only holds true for a small minority.