BETWEEN COOPERATION AND ANTAGONISM The Dynamics Between Religion and Politics in Sensitive Political Contexts Case: Bosnia and Herzegovina BETWEEN COOPERATION AND ANTAGONISM The Dynamics Between Religion and Politics in Sensitive Political Contexts Case: Bosnia and Herzegovina BETWEEN COOPERATION AND ANTAGONISM The Dynamics Between Religion and Politics in Sensitive Political Contexts Case: Bosnia and Herzegovina Final Report Research period: August-December 2013 (Phase I) January-June 2014 (Phase II) Researched by Sead S. Fetahagić Nebojša Šavija-Valha Written by Sead S. Fetahagić Quality assured by Ingrid Vik Zilka Spahić-Šiljak Design and DTP by Igor Banjac Nansen Dialogue Centre, Sarajevo Scanteam, Oslo Sarajevo, January 2015 The views expressed in the report do not necessarily reflect the view of the Royal Norwegian Embassy in Bosnia and Herzegovina. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This report is a result of the research carried out in close collaboration between Nansen Dialogue Centre Sarajevo and Scanteam, Oslo with the support of the Royal Norwegian Embassy in Bosnia and Herzegovina ACRONYMS BiH Bosnia and Herzegovina CC Catholic Church CSO Civil Society Organization FBiH Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina HDZ Croatian Democratic Union of Bosnia and Herzegovina ICBH Islamic Community in Bosnia and Herzegovina IRC Interreligious Council in Bosnia and Herzegovina RS Republika Srpska SDA Party of Democratic Action SDS Serb Democratic Party SOC Serbian Orthodox Church CONTENTS EXECUTIVE SUMMARY .......................................................................................................................9 Policy Advice ................................................................................................................................12 INTRODUCTION ...............................................................................................................................15 Framing The Research Plan - Why A Study On Religion And Politics? ..........................................15 Purpose Of The Study ..................................................................................................................16 Research Methodology And Structure Of The Report .................................................................18 DISCUSSION ON THE FINDINGS WITH ANALYSIS .............................................................................19 Phase I Research Findings ............................................................................................................20 General State Of Interreligious Relations In The Local Communities ......................................20 Causes And Effects Of The Attacks On Holy Sites .....................................................................22 Role Of Religious Leaders In The Process Of Reconciliation And Interreligious Dialogue ........24 Role Of Politics Regarding Interreligious Relations In The Local Communities ........................26 Religious Education In Public Schools And The Problem Of Juvenile Violence ........................28 Past And Future Activities Contributing To The Interreligious Cooperation And Mutual Understanding .............................................................................................................30 Hypothesis And Preliminary Views Following Phase I Research ..................................................32 Phase II Research Findings ...........................................................................................................33 General State Of Interreligious Relations In BiH ......................................................................33 Vertical Communication Channels Within Religious Structures ..............................................36 Role Of Religious Leaders In The Peace-Building And Their Limitations ..................................39 Interreligious Cooperation And Its Implications For The Development Of Civil Society ..........40 Religious Education In Public Schools And The Problem Of Juvenile Violence ........................42 Interreligious Relations In Sensitive Political Contexts: Corelation Between Religion And Politics In BiH ......................................................................................................44 ANNEX 1 - ROLE OF RELIGIOUS LEADERS IN THE POLITICIZATION OF THE POPULATION CENSUS 2013 ..............................................................................................................50 a) A Press Analysis ........................................................................................................................50 b) Moral Panic of Being or Not Being “Bosniak” ..........................................................................51 c) Tripartite Building Block of Bosniak Identity Construction .......................................................52 d) It Is Important To Be “Croat” and “Serb” Too ..........................................................................53 e) Alternative Views, Misconceptions and Politicization of the Census .......................................55 f) Conclusion ................................................................................................................................58 ANNEX 2 - ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE OF RELIGIOUS COMMUNITIES IN BIH ...........................59 1. Islamic Community in BiH ........................................................................................................59 1.1 Brief History .......................................................................................................................59 1.2 Geography and Demography .............................................................................................61 1.3 Legal and Organizational Structure ....................................................................................62 2. Serbian Orthodox Church .........................................................................................................65 2.1 Brief History .......................................................................................................................65 2.2 Geography and Demography .............................................................................................67 2.3 Legal and Organizational Structure ....................................................................................68 3. Catholic Church ........................................................................................................................71 3.1 Brief History .......................................................................................................................71 3.2 Geography and Demography .............................................................................................73 3.3 Legal and Organizational Structure ....................................................................................74 4. General Remarks on Religious Structures in BiH ......................................................................77 ANNEX 3 - FIELDTRIPS AND INTERVIEWS .........................................................................................79 Phase I ..........................................................................................................................................79 Phase II .........................................................................................................................................82 ANNEX 4 - GUIDING INTERVIEW QUESTIONS ..................................................................................84 Phase I ..........................................................................................................................................84 Phase II .........................................................................................................................................85 ANNEX 5 - INTERVIEW CONSENT FORM ..........................................................................................86 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The following report outlines the findings of desk and field research carried out in 2013- 2014 to assess the dynamics between religion and politics in contemporary Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH). Situated in a sensitive post-conflict political and social context, this study aimed to investigate the role of religious leaders in the processes of peace building, reconciliation, interreligious dialogue and their contribution to the development of civil society and restoration of social capital in BiH. To mirror the observed differences in the past activities between lower and higher levels of religious leadership, the research was conducted in two phases - Phase I targeted local communities and their grassroots leaders, while Phase II paid attention to higher leadership of religious and political authority. The field research was carried out in six locations across the country, where twenty-three persons in total were interviewed. The purpose of this report is to provide a community-based perspective on the current capacities of local religious leaders for civil society integration, as well as a better understanding of a general context in which a complex dynamics between religion and politics takes place in BiH. Therefore, the report and policy advice are mainly addressed to international decision makers and officers working in international and foreign governmental, inter-governmental and non- governmental organizations engaged in BiH, as well as to international and local consultants, researches and other activists in the field