Profile of Bosnia and Herzegovina

1. Population:
ca. 3.800.000
2. Muslim population
  1. absolute figure: c. 1.900.000
  2. % of country population c. 49% (Serbs c. 34%, Croats 15%)
  3. principal place of origin c. indigenous Slavs
  4. history of the presence Since mid-15th century

Muslims with citizenship

  1. absolute figure Almost all
  2. % on Muslim population Almost all
3. Main Islamic associations
  1. horizontal The Islamic Community (see below),
    • Active Islamic Youth,
    • Nahla (Women’s association),
    • Association for Culture, Education and Sports,
  2. vertical Bosnian Islamic Medical Association (BIMA)
  3. government None
4. Places of worship
  1. Masjids (mosques without minaret) and proper mosques : 1700
  2. Islamic centres: Several, but not as important as in western Europe
5. Islamic sociographie
  1. Book Shop: Dozens: Islamic books available in many ordinary bookshops.
  2. Libraries: Gazi Husrevbey’s library (est. 1537)
  3. Restaurants: See comment on Halal food
6. Legal framework
indicate main laws regulating relations: Law on freedom of religion and the status of religious communities passed two years ago with the consent of four majors religious communities.
7. Muslim Media
  1. print media: The Islamic Community publishes its bimonthly Herald (Glasnik) since 1930s, fortnightly Preporod (Renaissance), quarterly Novi Muallim (New Teacher). Active Islamic Youth publishes fortnightly Saff, Islamic NGO Selam from Zenica publishes monthly Novi Horizonti (New Horizons). There is a number of other smaller periodicals including Kevser for kids.
  2. publishing houses: Several. The Islamic Community has its own publishing centre called El-Kalem.
  3. radio: Radio Naba’, Visoko (private, regional) and to a certain degree Studio Igman-Hayat (private, local)
  4. television: No significant TV station builds an image of a Muslim medium. There used to exist a TV called Bosniak TV station. It was banned for financial reasons. Efforts are made to re-establish it.
  5. web (several sites. it follows the list of the most representative ones):
    There are many sites but most of them are in Bosnian. Here are some of them:

    • www.rijaset.net (The Islamic Community)
    • www.fin.ba (Faculty of Islamic Studies)
    • www.nahla.ba (Nahla Association)
8. Education
  1. Supplementary schools: Muslim kids are sent to mosques or maktabs (buildings for kids education next to the mosque) when they reach schooling age. They usually stop attending maktabs after elementary school. There are about 2000 places were kids are taught basics of Islam. Religious education is elective course in Eelemntary and some secondary grades. Most children attend.
  2. reconnected or state-recognized schools: Six madrasas which are a kind of Islamic gymnasium / grammar school.
  3. universities: No full-fledged university but there is Faculty of Islamic Studies in Sarajevo plus two ‘academies’ (three year undergraduate schools) for Islamic education teachers training in Zenica and Bihac. All are (affiliated) members of the respective universities in these cities.
9. Halal meet system
Under establishment
10. Political landscape
Bosnian politics are overwhelmingly communal politics where the nationalism is the driving force. Two main Muslim parties are Party of Democratic Action (SDA) of the late president Izetbegovic and Party for Bosnia and Herzegovina (SBiH) established by Haris Silajdzic. Social Democratic Party claims to be multiethnic but most of its voters are Bosniaks as well.
11. Economy

During the war economic life in Muslim areas came to a hold. Today Bosnian economy is going through transition and reconstruction. Croats control a lot of international trade with Bosnia due to the fact that some of their areas where unaffected by war. On the contrary they benefited a lot from trade during the aggression on Bosnia. Since they are inhabiting bordering areas with Croatia they are in a far better position to trade with foreign countries.

One of the main sources of income of Bosnia is the physical work force employed by western economies such as Germany, Austria, Switzerland, etc.

Although still not satisfactory, economy has been improving continuously since the end of the war. Current GDP is c 3,5 billion Euro with a large black market unaccounted for.

12. Other considerations or data considered useful
Major issues affecting the Muslim community in Bosnia today are:

  • Return of refugees
  • War crimes prosecution
  • Reconstruction of private property and mosques
  • Restitution of waqf property confiscated after WWII
  • Freedoms and rights for Muslims in Serb and some Croat controlled areas
  • Chauvinism and ultra nationalism of many Serbs and some Croats
  • The case against Yugoslavia for genocide (Most Serbs are against this case while Croats are mostly indifferent).

The Islamic community in Bosnia and Herzegovina in brief

Nature

The Islamic Community in Bosnia and Herzegovina (hereafter ICBH) is the sole and united community of Muslims in Bosnia and Herzegovina, of Bosniaks outside their homeland, and of other Muslims who accept it as their own. The autonomy of ICBH is based on the religious and legal institutions of Bosnian Muslims from the time of Osmanli administration in Bosnia. The ICBH is inseparable part of the Ummah. The organization of the ICBH and its activities are derived from the Holy Qur’an and the Sunnah, Islamic traditions of Bosniaks and the requirements of the time. The ICBH is independent in regulating its activities (rituals, Islamic education, management of Islamic endowments, publishing, charity, etc.) and the management of its property.

Mission, Objectives and Activities

The aim of the ICBH is that all of its members should live in conformity with Islamic norms. The ICBH protects the authenticity of the Islamic norms and assures their interpretation and application. In the interpretation and performance of the Islamic religious rituals the Hanafi madhhab is applied. The ICBH dedicates itself to the preservation of the values of marriage and family life and takes care of the Islamic education and upbringing of its members.

The ICBH is taking care of the religious rights of Muslims and provides necessary conditions for its members so that they may perform their Islamic religious obligations. The ICBH also organizes and supports activities which improve social and financial living conditions of Muslims.

The ICBH establishes and maintains contact and cooperation with Islamic communities, institutions and organizations worldwide and cooperates with other religious communities and organizations promoting peace, justice and good will among all people. The ICBH is financed by waqfs, membership fees, zakah, sadaqat al-fitr, qurban, revenue of its profit-generating agencies, funds, gifts, testaments, etc.

Organizational structure

The organizational structure of the ICBH consists of jama‘ahs (community of at least 100 households), majlises (usually a group of not less than 7 jama‘ahs in one municipality or city), muftiluks (mufti districts, 8 of them in Bosnia and 3 in Slovenia, Croatia and Sandžak each), the Riyasat (main executive body of the ICBH), Raisu-l-Ulama (the President of the Riyasat and the Grand Mufti or supreme authority in the ICBH), the Council of the ICBH (Sabor or the ICBH’s assembly) and the Constitutional Court.

Major Institutions

There are approximately 1.700 mosques and masjids in Bosnia and Herzegovina as the grassroots institutions of the ICBH. Around 650 of them were completely destroyed during the aggression on Bosnia 1992-95 while another 530 were damaged by Bosnian Serbs (ca 80%) and Croats. Many are still to be reconstructed. Major educational institutions of the ICBH are: the Faculty of Islamic Studies in Sarajevo (est. 1977), Gazi Husrevbey Library (est. 1437), Islamic Teachers’ Academies in Zenica and Bihac, Gazi Husrevbey madrasa (est. 1537) and five other madrasas in Bosnia (Tuzla, Travnik, Mostar, Visoko, and Cazin) and one in Zagreb (Croatia) and one in Novi Pazar (Serbia), and the First Bosniak Gymnasium in Sarajevo (est. 1995). Other institutions of the ICBH are: The Waqf Head Office (1894), Gazi Husrevbey Waqf (est. 1513), El-Kalem Publishing Center (1974), Center for Islamic Architecture (est. 1993), Muslim Information and News Agency – MINA (est. 1990), and the Association of the ‘Ulama’ of the ICBH (1910). Sufi orders (tariqahs) established in accordance with Shari‘ah and Tariqah are also a part of the ICBH.

Main periodicals

The ICBH publishes its official journal Glasnik (Herald) almost continuously since 1933, Takvim (the annual prayer timetable and a collection of essays) since 1950, and a fortnightly newspaper Preporod since 1970. Journal Novi Muallim, under various titles, has been published since 1910.

Contacts

Riyasat of the Islamic Community in Bosnia and Herzegovina
(Rijaset Islamske zajednice u Bosni i Hercegovini)
Zelenih beretki 17
71000 Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina
Tel.: +387 33 533 000 and +387 33 533 172
Fax: +387 33 441 914
URL: www.rijaset.net

Office of the Raisu-l-Ulama of the IC in B&H
(Ured Reisu-l-uleme IZ u BiH)
Isa-bega Ishakovica 2
71000 Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina
Tel.: +387 33 239 404
Fax: +387 33 441 573
Email: reiscericm@yahoo.com