Проблеми во етничкиот идентитет на нсламизираните Македонци
The Problems of the ethnic identity of Islamized Macedonians

Summary/Abstract: The lslamization of part of the Macedonian Slav population as an ethnic phenomenon on the Balkans, takes up a special place in the ethnic history of the Macedonian people. Due to the theocratic character of the Ottoman islamic empire, the islamized Macedonians and the other people with muslem religion became the object of new religious acts of this faith, through the confessional changes, they were supressed of their ethnic descent, history, and became legaly equal with the remaining people of the muslem religion. The scientific question is whether the islamization ment a total lost of national belonging or simply a change in religion. Regardless of the fact, that the islam faith evades the ethnic deteI'lnination of the people, it could not prohibit the national groupation of its followers. Consequentially separate nations were formed where the islam faith spread and was the strongest (in Asia, Africa, Europe). With the reforms of Kemal Pasha Ataturk, the Turkish people finally recieved their national recognition, followed by the Albanian muslems in Albania, who were nationaly defined as Albanians. However, the problem of the islamized Slavic groups in the south Slavic countries remained (Serbians, Montenegrians, Macedonians). The islamic faith coused national isolation of ·the islamic population among these Slavic people, and created antagonism on religious bases. Such is the case with the islamized Macedonians. From 1945 up to 1979 the government officials neglected to make scientific use in order to ethnically determine this numerous Macedonian population, which has preserved the Macedonian language and other ethnic features, characteristic of the Macedonian people. The supressed ethnical continuity in the past was never brought to light, due to the tutorial policy over the sciences. Although the islamized Macedonians were never left unrecognized in the scientific sense, they remained politically aside. In spite the fact that the process of cultural and national renaissance was developed, the reactionary forces assisted by the obsolete belifes and delusions of the place of the religion (the islam) continue with the ethnical isolation of the Macedonian muslems from their nationality. The political interests are mixed here with the newly formed political parties of the Albanian nationality (PDP and NDP) and especially the Democratic league of the Turks and the Party of democratic action. Their aim and purpose is the assimilation of this part of the Macedonian people and subpression of their real Macedonian national identity. Obviously, the islamic legal principals both in the past centuries and today do not allow the islamized Macedonians to freely decide for the group to which they belong in a biological and ethnic sense. On the contrary they are "forced" to hide their ethnic descent and past, and on religious bases are linked to other people with which they have no ethnic ties.

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