Research Article

A History of who speaks for Islam? in Bosnia-Herzegovina: An official versus popular Islam debate

Volume: 10 Number: 20 June 10, 2017

A History of who speaks for Islam? in Bosnia-Herzegovina: An official versus popular Islam debate

Abstract

This paper examines the organisation of popular and official Islam during and after communism in Bosnia-Herzegovina. Through studying the interaction between the popular and the official forms of Islam in the historical context, this paper unfolds the debate on who speaks for Islam? took place between official representatives and popular Islamic groups and movements in the former Yugoslavian republic. Such an enquiry revealed firstly that a close contact with the existing regime (regardless of its ideology) is essential for becoming and remaining as the official Islamic authority, as seen in the Islamic Community’s pro-Titoist stance throughout in the former Yugoslavia. The findings of the enquiry secondly suggests that popular Islam and official Islam represent transitive positions; meaning that a popular Islamic movement can become the official Islam, vice versa. Accordingly, a former popular Islam front, the Mladi Muslimani (Young Muslims), in Yugoslavia evolved into an official Islam authority after the dissolution of the country and after the Bosnia-Herzegovina was established, in the scope of which new popular Islamic groups bred.

Keywords

References

  1. Eldar Sarajlić, The Return of the Consuls: Islamic networks and foreign policy perspectives in Bosnia-Herzegovina, European Studies Centre, University of Oxford, 2010.
  2. Francine Friedman, “The Muslim Slavs of Bosnia and Herzegovina (with reference to the Sandžak of Novi Pazar): Islam as a national identity”, Nationalities papers, Vol. 28, No.1, 2000.
  3. Francine Friedman, The Bosnian Muslims-Denial of a Nation, Oxford, Westview Press, 1996.
  4. Ger Duijzings, “Appendix IV: History and Reminders in East Bosnia”, in Nederlands Instituut voor Oorlogsdocumentatie, Srebrenica: A ‘Safe’ Area, Amsterdam, 2003.
  5. Ger Duijzings, Religion and the Politics of Identity in Kosovo, New York: Columbia Univerity Press, 2000.
  6. Gezim Krasniqi, The ‘forbidden fruit’: Islam and politics of identity in Kosovo and Macedonia, European Studies Centre, University of Oxford, 2010.
  7. Jacques D. Waardenburg, “Official and Popular Religion as a Problem in Islamic Studies”, in Vrijhof and Waardenburg (eds.) Official and Popular Religion – Analysis of a Theme for Religious Studies, The Hague, Mouton Publishers, 1979.
  8. Kerem Öktem, New Islamic actors after the Wahhabi intermezzo: Turkey’s return to the Muslim Balkans, European Studies Centre, University of Oxford, 2010.

Details

Primary Language

Turkish

Subjects

-

Journal Section

Research Article

Authors

Publication Date

June 10, 2017

Submission Date

February 3, 2017

Acceptance Date

-

Published in Issue

Year 2017 Volume: 10 Number: 20

APA
Tabak, H. (2017). A History of who speaks for Islam? in Bosnia-Herzegovina: An official versus popular Islam debate. Gazi Akademik Bakış, 10(20), 299-312. https://doi.org/10.19060/gav.289452
AMA
1.Tabak H. A History of who speaks for Islam? in Bosnia-Herzegovina: An official versus popular Islam debate. Gazi Akademik Bakış. 2017;10(20):299-312. doi:10.19060/gav.289452
Chicago
Tabak, Hüsrev. 2017. “A History of Who Speaks for Islam? In Bosnia-Herzegovina: An Official versus Popular Islam Debate”. Gazi Akademik Bakış 10 (20): 299-312. https://doi.org/10.19060/gav.289452.
EndNote
Tabak H (June 1, 2017) A History of who speaks for Islam? in Bosnia-Herzegovina: An official versus popular Islam debate. Gazi Akademik Bakış 10 20 299–312.
IEEE
[1]H. Tabak, “A History of who speaks for Islam? in Bosnia-Herzegovina: An official versus popular Islam debate”, Gazi Akademik Bakış, vol. 10, no. 20, pp. 299–312, June 2017, doi: 10.19060/gav.289452.
ISNAD
Tabak, Hüsrev. “A History of Who Speaks for Islam? In Bosnia-Herzegovina: An Official versus Popular Islam Debate”. Gazi Akademik Bakış 10/20 (June 1, 2017): 299-312. https://doi.org/10.19060/gav.289452.
JAMA
1.Tabak H. A History of who speaks for Islam? in Bosnia-Herzegovina: An official versus popular Islam debate. Gazi Akademik Bakış. 2017;10:299–312.
MLA
Tabak, Hüsrev. “A History of Who Speaks for Islam? In Bosnia-Herzegovina: An Official versus Popular Islam Debate”. Gazi Akademik Bakış, vol. 10, no. 20, June 2017, pp. 299-12, doi:10.19060/gav.289452.
Vancouver
1.Hüsrev Tabak. A History of who speaks for Islam? in Bosnia-Herzegovina: An official versus popular Islam debate. Gazi Akademik Bakış. 2017 Jun. 1;10(20):299-312. doi:10.19060/gav.289452