About some particularities related to way of accepting Islam in Bosnia and some untruths which are attributed to it Cover Image

O NEKIM POSEBNOSTIMA VEZANIM ZA POSTUPAK PRIHVATANJA ISLAMA U BOSNI I NETAČNOSTIMA KOJE MU SE PRIPISUJU
About some particularities related to way of accepting Islam in Bosnia and some untruths which are attributed to it

Author(s): Jusuf Mulić
Subject(s): History
Published by: Gazi Husrev-begova biblioteka

Summary/Abstract: The spread of Islam in Bosnia and Herzegovina were known as islamization until 1990 when a conference on Spreading of Islam and Islamic culture in Bosnia and Herzegovina was held in Sarajevo. The spread of Islam is more appropriate to be called acceptance of Islam rather than islamization. Even though many works with different purpose, content and value, on such topic were produced, starting with newspaper articles, brochures and scholarly debates, it does not mean that this topic has been concluded. It is specially related to some particularities regarding to way of acceptance of Islam in Bosnia, particularly untruths which are attributed to the process of spreading of Islam. The process of accepting of Islam developed in three phases: the first period was from 1463 when Osmanli troops came to Bosnia until end of the XVI century, with a few sub-phases, the second stage was period of XVI century and the third phase was period from XVII century up to end of the Osmanli rule in Bosnia in 1878. In the first phase acceptance of Islam was slow and had sporadic characteristics. The second phase was characterized by faster and massive spread of Islam, because more than 80% of native people which did not escape from Osmanli troops accepted Islam. Third phase was again characterized by sporadic acceptance of Islam. Islam was accepted by followers of all three religions which were there when Osmanli troops came. Bosnian church and Catholic Church in Feudal lord territory, Land of Pavlović and Land of Kovačević, but members of those two churches and Orthodox Church which comprised Vlasi and Arbanasi in Herceg land or Herzegovina. It is important to mention that only all members of the Bosnian church accepted Islam. These are today Muslims - Bosniaks. Claims by some that acceptance of Islam was Turcification is not founded on facts. First, Osmanli abided by Qur’anic precept that there is no compulsion in Islam. Secondly, certain amount of jizije and haraj were lost for each mature male. This fact has been mentioned by well-known non-Muslim historians. The labeling of acceptance of Islam as Turcification can be considered as a non-sense since those who accepted Islam did not become Turks. It is proven by two essential facts: first for 416 years Bosnian Muslims did not want to learn Turkish language because they didn’t want to be assimilated with Turks. Secondly, even the Turks who stayed in Bosnia after withdrawal of Osmanli were slavicised and assimilated with Bosniaks.

  • Issue Year: 2005
  • Issue No: 23-24
  • Page Range: 179-204
  • Page Count: 26
  • Language: Bosnian
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