Communities within a Community: Differentiating the Bosniak Community in Bosnia Ole Kokvik Master thesis submitted to the Department of Social Anthropology UNIVERSITY OF OSLO Spring 2010 Abstract This thesis is based on a six months of fieldwork in Zenica, Bosnia and Herzegovina. Islam in Bosnia and Herzegovina has over 500 years of history and within this history there has been a process of modernisation together with the rest of Europe. The Muslim population have adapted along with this process and made Islam in Bosnia an «islam» with particularities. This paper explores the differences within one overarching Muslim community in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Furthermore, I apply a historical aspect to compare how these differences have become more apparent after the transition from a socialist Yugoslavia, from supressed religion to an independent and democratic Bosnia and Herzegovina with freedom of religion. Muslims in Bosnia have the agency to choose in which degree they want to practice Islam and in particular youth is a period where Muslims test borders that break with the Islamic laws. I will discuss some of these aspects and show, through empirical examples, how Muslims grade some actions as accepted despite the fact that it might be illegal according to the Islamic law. The war in Bosnia and Hercegovina from 1992 to 1995 between the Bosnian Croats, the Bosnian Muslims and the Bosnian Serbs have changed the demographics of the nation. Since the war fractions are adherent to different religions the religious identity of the different war fractions were played out, which in turn led to an Islamic revival. During the war foreign fighters came to Bosnia and Herzegovina and this paper will focus on the Arabs that came to fight on the Muslim side. Furthermore, the Arabs brought with them an strict interpretation of Islam that parts of the Muslim population have become adherent to, which in turn has led to a more polarized Muslim community in Bosnia and Herzegovina. This paper will adress some of the impacts of the encounter between two different «islams» and how the two «islams» are lived out differently. i ii Acknowledgement Firstly, my thoughts goes to all of my informants. Without you this would never have been written. I want you to know that it feels cold to write you in as «informants». We made some unforgettable memories. Inšallah, I dont hope any of you feel that I put «you» in a bad light with this paper. «Ramush and family»: Thanks for taking me with you on a week seminar with Talal and Gil and everything else. «Yunus Emre»: You and your family will always be special to me. At the University of Oslo my appriciation goes to Unni Wikan for giving me important guidelines when I started to write. Further, to my co-students Marie, Camilla and Christina for all the help with this paper. Oliver, thanks for every conversation and strange episodes in Bosnia. Thanks to my ever present family. You really do not understand what this paper is about. That is however my fault, as I never felt the need to explain for you. Anyway, it does not make you any less special for me. Mats, thanks for the map. Neil, thanks for taking time to check my English. Ole Kokvik, Oslo, June 2010. iii Preface «Our dear Zenica, today and for ever. This town has an attractive name. It is associated with the precious epicenter of «human sight», and, at the same time, it suggests that this name has not been given by chance, but, that, since the beginning, it has expressed some focused meaning of an ancient, original settlement of the present town that was built in the center of the valley which, as the whole, resempbles the pupil of the eye. The central position of the settlement in this geographical eye has produced its warm name: Zenica. Zenica is located in one of the largest and the most beautiful valleys in the middle course of the river Bosnia. The valley is 12 km long and spreads from the Lašva Canyon in the south to the Vranduk Canyon in the north. On the east and west side it is surrounded by the hills that moderately descend towards the river Bosnia, thus closing the alluvial field, 1-2 km wide with the average sea level of 350 m, where, by the curving stream of the river Bosnia, there is the main urban core». (Zenica 2000: 160). iv View of Zenica from the Smetovi mountain. v Contents Abstract........................................................................................................................................i Acknowledgement.......................................................................................................................iii Preface..........................................................................................................................................iv Contents........................................................................................................................................vi Introduction with geography and demographics.....................................................................1 1. Theory......................................................................................................................................4 Ethnicity, NATIOnality, COMMUNITY.......................................................................................4 Transition and The Cataclysmic Event.........................................................................................8 «wahhabism»................................................................................................................................9 Self presentation, Agency and Religiosity....................................................................................11 Symbols and Identity.....................................................................................................................14 Modernity and Secularism............................................................................................................15 «Writing Muslims».......................................................................................................................17 2. Methodology............................................................................................................................18 «Observing Muslims»...................................................................................................................18 Residence and Field......................................................................................................................18 Languages and Myself..................................................................................................................19 Selection of informants, anonymising and ethics.........................................................................20 Sources for information................................................................................................................22 3. History......................................................................................................................................24 Pre-Islamization............................................................................................................................24 The Ottoman Empire.....................................................................................................................25 The Tanzimat.................................................................................................................................26 The Hapsburg Monarchy and World War I...................................................................................26 Kingdom of Yugoslavia and World War II....................................................................................29 The Socialist Yugoslavia...............................................................................................................30 Yugoslavia´s fall and the Bosnian war..........................................................................................33 The call for a Islamic revival........................................................................................................37 vi 4. The Bosniak Communities....................................................................................................40 Cataclysmic Effects......................................................................................................................40 Believing and Belonging, Belonging without Believing..............................................................42 Producing Stereotypes...................................................................................................................44 Perceptions of being Bosniak........................................................................................................50 «Differences that makes a difference»..........................................................................................51 Adolescence, Family, and Mekteb: Integrating Conventions.......................................................53 Symbols state Community.............................................................................................................55 Ramazan........................................................................................................................................56 5. Production of the Sacred: Struggle to be a better Muslim..................................................60 «Gravity of Sin»............................................................................................................................60 Producing