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Religious and National Identity Among the Balkan Muslims

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Religious and National Identity Among the Balkan Muslims s.30+-32.3 CEMGT (AHITRSD'ITUDI5 5URtAIIIIDIIIRRAl{ II ORIII{TAI.T 'tTIt ttl0t{DIIUR(0-tRANt { l8 1994 Letodiikiston existe.t.il? Destins polit iques tl'mre "nationimpufiiti.te" lcs nusulm!rr hdlt.niqoe5 r€r nAdl.r en Gra.e l'6miglcrlon rurque !. da..n.l.ven€nr de l,alie .6nt'.le r. .in€h. d. xi.r.3r.ni ft ft D'iIUDt5IIDtff(Nn(ll!t tIrtilalioMLt5 i0l,Nl0l1lllti0littt 0t! !i t!ti5rut ' ltt5 E 0llI0ilD5 0 Aol0ti50qaL! E |l 0u( lIRtltAlo At tu LtvRt EI -dcs.lamki€ lAsi( enlnreerdu La situdkn tadjit! e! \ na a d.t touffoh.et huntin( MEBh-msIrq@5{Empe' ttk, le Uakngeketu de ld tre aune tutue$esociolo.iqu., rlgiot np.citt tl. glhltu .tu\ rohJlit : entale oB lrontires ptuan, 5rirhonor PCiMAiIOCLOU idlologiquesmparahL!, et non p.hutru*cr m&i3sen nianlus(s ..dainet detutu ell.t lui tdhle ttgion Etk I ei znJintara qu ?l a Maseou,l "A.aagetprotht". F-tao, -a mmnat,am ) mos thtsrlt n nuslim! 'IROUSE Nous r.Met r.nc!ob16 ;;uiaiaa-i Mrrph: Kmal. Dtuaignon I un .ler hoil!.u$ !) Tadjikiton, d d@n eNtu! le I .ohl1t.t Fru lur.e tolt ..s d.tnt Busl$ - Fad il avoir p€Drde I lllo en Tuquic ? 12 tavoil tl Ali ncone dc la vie er du Atuiun ) nak ausi du (hums?, tn pudiru) ciidm . lilojdeh Fanil i - NoEs5ur I srhiicir, ds radji*s dc Sh approchcglabal., es.ntiellc Jacatkesut .tuelatusponb jltslt te! dttails. I4 Turyui..l4i.nt, #####*4"ft ,*-"t-r--...** plaqu. tournank tu I^ hunuitr erS.v$$ L Udoneutupa.nn., b Turquh.l EnmP" lequ.l fti?nt SlephaF A? Tt dlrolo enent d I aubedr LUI poD aecid.ntuR parhti lalqutls ",,ii*i+*"i*?ffi ;--.-',.-.8.* rcppot a d.s pats .onparahl.! H.ydlshe Frunshei.v.,a,r:rr't ,a quet.tr?xihnitater , Altq Motto NousrcwonsahGrl.r de notu .lernite liwr^on) ar ,hiw^nnir? itullp.ndait. Stl.n h ont nint l.s nrnizrz: anniet du , Pl^ ftednat, le gouwnthl(t Djariri d Fl€deft cdrc, r. zrr*l cani.r d ataa '0 ln Mannhdre titub d h tundz tlta-ndrn^ B.ELIGIOUSAND NATIONAI IDEMITY AMONGTHE BALXAN MUSnMS : A COMPARATI\tsSTtr'DY ON GREECE,BUIGARIA, MACEDONIAAND KOSOVO' Todaytwo intemingledconcep$ haunt tne Baltans:..ligion and .dtionllisn.Iwill liK anehlta thorcri.il approach rotheserro oncept In rhs onrext ol lne hhroryof **Ern Europe,narionalism h a cohsionidslogy rhatchronologi.ally cane ,fter thc religiondd tlercforc foughtft o takeia place,Uilike d. id{loly of4ligion wid codespondod to Feudalhmeith "God s is focusof socieialloyalry, rhe idFlogy of Mtionalhncor*ponden to Crpitalisnwitl mrion at thh focus.nrc mtagonisn*s obviousirdeed and thc F ench Rsvolutionol 1789 onfiscated de churchpopeny, Napoluonsubdued lhe Churchlo lhe state andanticlericd hss in Fradcefollorell oie anorber*ell unt tnebdginning Ituereningly,ln. Xemalisr.dionalism rhd tnlLowedrheWsteB and, in panicuhr,ine Frenchn del rtdu.cd onhodorlslam (i,e., organized oificirl religion)to lne levelof a genesldiredoratE of rhegovernment machitr*ydd closeddd bann.!thc iniitutio.sof heierodoxk1d (i.e. religion d undesrood md pradised b! rhe p€ph) such d rr&tzr md .ari.r. Mormver,Kemint nalionalnmiotrEht thn trd asain$r.li8ion in a socialm€lium in@opdably l6s onveni.ntthan de onein 1789bod in lemsof nodeofprodudion md pople s loyahyto religion. How*er, in connd& dh bai! hitoricalconflid beiween religion ud nationalism,onc cb detat a nunbd of cass in lhhh rcligionand rh. oirdrt!*joi Lydssizd by cERr or Pdis rd nationalismn&ry. religionsupponingnadonalhn or the nriional idmtiry 16r. The mainon6 ce be me EmpiE beforeI poe L Whenthse is r third ohBbn idalogy thd ihrar.N boih (a t. RlsiNhich in pr epfldencoprccs sa onn 2. In cae ol dp qitsce ol tne ChosenPoole' conep! a in c6e olJe*s andeven arabsi 2. Albmias,who woi we loown for rheir n 3. Who tne elemenamakirg a narion(mg!age, nalionalD ac.) srerak, in rhich 6e relieionplays thd role of socialpane ro 3, Tte BosDia6,who led b ale np tne 'm rl ,1.Emergenct situarions like war: lr, *ere aho Muslim.Th 5. When6ere is r'Ndional Churchr 6. In c6s *here nle religion of de doninantnation is dlal of ine doninaredone, tne .eligion of ihe lanersupDons iis it\ lational identityar lst. Tnis ld cde is de oneI ll ty ro dkcus herein lhe o I said roday bui one nus beginby noting0tt $h lheno nodrngnew. On ftelonu"ry. i q.. veryturmu in$.Ommd Tbe Or.onm nillef sy$en asigned lcgal Muslinnboriri4 in a mmnerunknown even to'lay.I! or ,rldrr hadtne autioriry b ruie deir communnies,to RoyalCoun, od to olledtd6. In $e beginnineot l9tlr lenrury,L\e Bak/n bourgsisi $roq enoqhro aGmprro drawrheir o*n tedtorialboundanA. i'16 of lfie FrenchR*olution rea.hedtn. aread tnh oeriod.inis atreadyhad a strcn8 rdmp{a.d : Tlle Oinodox Church*. The ' Oniodor .hu!ch6 h.d main,ine,l-hei powe'JIng de Otu lh&k to rbe rcle Nsigr€d @ 6em in lhe riler sy*m andb one suppoicr of lhe nalionalist movementslhar bec6 und6 Bpdially Rusid infllence, This ws how ,ll the Balkd popl6 auionomyo. indepsddce from $e OtrommEmpne berren 1820 Aft{ lnis thsreticnl introdtrction,I should note sone stsiking Mpl6 oi lhe inte!&lion ber*eenreli8ion and 0ationalismin l]le sa of oms Frti'e befr'e I Dro.e€!h dFtu conFmpoid'\devdoDmen6 L Ru$ia which in practicewd de nost infruontialcountry in rhx epddenccproc*s w6 ordonoxa monof $e Balkanpepla, 2. Albanims,whd won &ek independences lale 5 1912airhou8h sere knownfor thci. naiional(tichehavior, wcrE Muslim like fie 3. TlleBosnians, rho *erc moreTu.kish redto tate up tnedm again$lhe iilideLi It, wereaho Muslia. Therehad tcver been 4. To cire m sxamplefroD ihe eanern pM of rhe Empne: Ine io D6ple wd crllen by rhe Oironzns Milleti Sddtkt ll-t'e layal uniry)sinca lhey caused no problemwhaco.vc! u.ril thc mtionalist in 6td! Anatoliatook up thearms as l e a in 1394dd under 'n0u.bceThse nauonll.Ld,,i'f qde.o,ely CreSoan. ie. ox Almsia6 who were Carholisor Prctstant did nol develo! dY isn, nordid lneyl€ht ag.in$rhe Onoman in rhcmnk of Ru$tan ir rhcFi.s world wd. It is aho interesingro remobs that Catholic 6lmt Amenim werenot included inlre l9l5 depotuiionoldered by gldce d rhis intermingledrelarionship bdwet rd nationalismin rhehistory of the Balkans,pe cd \l II|d/r. Dai . F,rrrd. rcor, p. CREECE usually sp4L a diated of I heuagei lhcy de a Turkified Theonlyiz.bl. m'no'ir]ol6'ese I've i1w6km Tnrd(..close the Tuikishbo.de.. I will nor discDsthe onnic6 b@@n Cree Pomakstre dercd I\ Tur*ey aboutthis dinority. Ho*eve., I would li&e to undsline dal s l*n Tlrkish go 'Muslim 6 lhcy ro Gr@e calh ir minority , Turkeyidentifia ii a Tlrkkh minori Beforegoiq i o my sociolqi€l co$idsrarioN,I Dus poinloDt oat counnig &e legnnyright i As iior tie qustion Turts hare alwaysaimcd ar I l. GEse is right,because Adicle 15 nl thebaanne of Mslin religion' dn rhr of 24 July 1923protsting the right ol this minornyidentins ndionrlislicddtu sold. sur Mr.orrq . (rn dn ftaly, taFMld,r^ is rhe term usedto Onerson for tnh is rharGrt minoritis b be proledal in Tu!key.) It is alsoa fad tl'at lne minority is side of d& fronricr. On lne ( solelymade up ofTlrks only. Trkish idcntiry a shownin political panis, and jn E 2. Turkeyis right, h*Nse ile Canvtuiananl Pdocal a wha60ev{ in thh narterseer E\chanqeoJ Crcek adn Trtdsh Paprlrronr of 30Janudy 1923 rhd resul rhecompulsory exchange of rhe saidminoliti6 in tnac 1*o ounhis Ttis sitoationk lery dbw€i np *itoce of.Apeclive ninoities in Istbbul dd wdrern outnunbered ^nrlr' rhe toral of all (,rarlk), nata menrionof andnor ol Muslins". Morover, Thr.ce w4 leii io 6reee in ofilcial lrdrli documensin Frenchdelivered at me peiiod ide i! notb@n lo4 ^Grek 'Turt' sinceit *m set ktmbul minoit d Dd rheW*tern Thraceminorny s i.e., t},e'nilla i hakin (tu\ r{m .lsolsed by all crect govemmenlsunil rhe.o{' d?dr of 1967ir Cr.k {c Christians,is., ih ds sjncelha beginn:n8of ! Grek ofiicials in @1y 70sln The nost difficult c es de thosc where s in rnesemirnom ! c Tlersfole, se bettq l€vo discussingrhc legalrtuarion dis identityproblem sociologicdly. I will nd tnrcr composniorof the W6tcm TnEe ninorily od tnen Turkishd.nbe* of tnis ninorny identifyineffelves. Tne ednic coq)osition of rhe minority s@msro suppodthe clains of Gr@q Anong approxim{ely120,000 Muslim sone 30. Pomak,sohe 5000ac ClTsy, de r*t beingTurkish. Pomah d. asidered to be df Bulgrian d6ce by Bulg ), MBtt trcnha t4 a. t Greet dacmt by Gr@q ed of Turkishd6e by Tulkey. Durchs Fred de jong, eell *norn for his works on Wsrem ft$€, idenri Pomah6 '...a p6ple ehoseethnic origins de nol knoqnpr*isel a diale.iol Bulgarianlaneuage, and Turlish s r se.ond 2 &c a TurkifiedMuslim fertle Pomalsare devout Muslims: lhey live in mountainous.cgiots md Itrn Turkish6 dey go to shool r.d eiablnh lontactswid $e Tu*s. As for &e qucdn,nof selaideifi.{ion amorelhe ninoity. &e Turk havealways aifred at livin8s Crelk citiz.nsdf lurkishdq\cont ,nd of Mudim rcligion on then htrLl\a l did for dcvcLopso lir any Eiionalisticclaims so far. such as annexdi,'n ol WarernTlrra.e 1o T rkcy One.asonlor rhishdat GreEreis e.0nomilallyaher{ plarethmiheo$er id ..ll1e 1on,trr.On u. ..e. .jJ . .nr .,. gLle ph",i,erhe. urk(h iden y d shownin $en dE$es.
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