Building a Mosque, Creating a Centar of Community

1. Building a Mosque, Creating a Centar of Community [Religion and Nationalism: the Case of Muslims inBosnia-Herzegovina 1965-1971] Daisuke Nagashima (nagashima_daisuke@yahoo.co.jp)

2. Introduction Image of Bosnia • a crossroad of religions and civilizations • a land of age-old conflict (hatred has been restrained, and people didn't forget bloodshed conflicts in the past) • well ''secularized'' society (religion has already lost importance in society as it did in the past)

3. 1.2 Studies of Religion (in previous studies) • Church-state relationship, religious organization [Radić, 2002&2005], [Mojzez, 1992], [Alexander, 1979] • Religion as sources of miths and symbols [Perica, 2002] • Religious movement [Bougarel, 1997], [Prlenda, 2004] • Religion and nationalism [Perica, 2002], [Bakić, 1994], [Dugandžija, 1986], [Sakai, 2001], [Sahara, 1997] • Religious identity [Bringa, 1995], [Dujzing, 2000] • Religion and society [Ćimić: 1971] • Sociology of religion [Ćimić: 1970], [Pantić, 1988]

4. in this study… • Religion as basis of sense of values, social norm, and ethics which determine behaviors of individuals and group identity of a community and influence social relationship of individuals and communities. [Sahara, 1995] • Mosques and churches as centar of maintaining traditional (not necessarily traditional, sometimes even ''radical'') values

5. 2. Policy toward religion Rural traditional values including religion was main target for ''overcoming backwardness (superstition, village customs, fetishism, etc.)''

6. 2.1 Secularization policy(until 1960) • Shariah courts were abolished (March. 1946) • Prohibition of women’s veil in 1950 • All mektebs were closed, and left only one secondary Gazi Husrefbeg Madrasah in Sarajevo (1952) • Vakuf (waqf) property were largely expropriated and nationalized (1945-1958) = left religious administrative hierarchy, reduced elementary and secondary education, and slight vakuf property (mosques, masjid, and land and buildings adjacent to them).

7. 2.2Results of secularization Religious activities (prayer, education,etc.) are permitted: • in mosques and mesdžids • mosque yards and cemetaries • ''public spaces'' where don't exist mosques and mesdžids* • in private houses* *need to get permission at local administration for interal affairs, except conducting circumcision (sunnetluk) and family celabration

8. 2.3 Gradual relaxation of policy • the Basic Law on religious communities • Dismissal of Alexandar Ranković (1966) • Protocol between Yugoslavia and Vatican = activities of religious communities were often out of government’s control

9. 3. Religious activities in/at mosques and mesdžids • mass gathering at opening of newly-built mosques • mevlud (mawlid) (birthday of Muhammad, for newborn child, for the draft into JNA, seeing off hajji travellers {hadžija}etc.) • holidays, Ramazan bajram and Kurban bajram, new year celebration • Friday prayer (džuma- namaz), and hutba (sermon) • hatma (when finishing meqteb education, or at funeral= tevhid) • festival (ašikovanje) where boys and girls meet each other • wedding (only after civil wedding) • sports activities

10. 4. Mosque building 1 Except mosques/ mesdžids which were destroyed during W.W.II, for building mosques; • Need signature of more than 50 householders who are adults • Need to be for 100 or more muslim houses • Community need to have enough financial resource (6000 dinar or much) for imams and other employees • The distance from neighboring mosques/mesdžids must be longer than 6 km or more • Need to fit Shariah and public regulations for hygiene

11. 4. Mosque building 2 • Džemat (Cemaat) councils take the initiatives to build mosques • faithful in local communities and/or muslim gastarbeiters who work outside of Bosnia give donation, i.e. money (zekat), furnitures, building work, etc., but not from foreigh aid in most cases. • Equipment of speakers for azan, calling for player. • Increase of religious objects was perceived as ethnic expression by neighboring nations

12. Numbers of mosques(except mesdžids)

13. 5. mekteb education Background (census in 1981) • 25.2% of 7-11 year-old children don't go to primaly schools • 24.3% of primaly school children leave school

14. 5.1 growing average of attendance • in 1957(11,500)(234 places) • in 1959(18,800)(601 places) • in 1962 (20,040) • in 1969(90,867)(1166 places) 80% of all the school-aged children

15. 5.2 For better quality of education • test for imams (in 1954), purge of ''self-appointed imams'' • ''Curriculum and program of basic islamic religious education'' (1967) • akaid(islamic faith), ibadet(islamic rituals), ahlak(islamic moral), kiraeti(reading Kuran in arabic)

16. 6. Inter-ethnic relationship at community level • building of mosques and church, financial and phyisical support • mass gathering at opening of newly-built mosques and churches • holiday celebration • at work

17. 7. Nationalization of inter-ethnic relationship • Media propaganda (Preporod). ''Send your children to religious education!'' • From “Islamic Religious Community” to “Islamic Community” • Rise of nationalism. Muslim nationalist propaganda at population censusu in 1971 which tried to encourage muslim to identify themselves as Muslim nation, not as Serbs, Croats, or by other regional identification. • Economic and political crises (“Crisis of Religion, Religion in Crisis”).Decline of communist ideology leads to resurgence of religious values

18. 8. conclusion • Religious activities such as mosque building and mekteb education preceded • It is quite probable that expansion of religious activitie nutured consciousness of ethnic distinctiveness at local level and this consciousness was enforced by media campaign of muslim religious leaders and political campaign for Muslim national identification.

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