a alibašić_traditional and reformist islam in bosnia and herzegovina

7/30/2019 A Alibai_Traditional and Reformist Islam in Bosnia and Herzegovina

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Traditional and Reformist Islam in Bosnia and HerzegovinaSunday, 17 February 2008Last Updated Saturday, 15 March 2008

Author: Ahmet Alibasi

Islam has been continuously present in Bosnia and Herzegovina since the middle of the 15th century when the Osmanli

armies victoriously entered most of the towns of medieval Bosnianingdom. Unlike the population of Serbia, majority of Bosnians accepted Islam during the following two centuries. They didso on the hands of the Osmanli ulama and sufis and therefore adopted the dominant legal and theologicalschools in the state, Hanafi madhhab in law and Maturidi school of thought in theology...Cambridge Programme for Security in International Society (C-SIS)C-SIS WORKING PAPER N 2Traditional and Reformist Islam in Bosnia and HerzegovinabyAhmet AlibaiSarajevo2003Centre of International Studies

Introduction

Islam has been continuously present in Bosnia and Herzegovina since the middle of the 15th century when the Osmanliarmies victoriously entered most of the towns of medieval Bosnian kingdom. Unlike the population of Serbia, majority ofBosnians accepted Islam during the following two centuries. They did so on the hands of the Osmanli ulama andsufis and therefore adopted the dominant legal and theological schools in the state, Hanafi madhhab in law and Maturidischool of thought in theology. The position of these two schools in Bosnia remained practically unchallenged until therecent aggression on Bosnia 1992-95.1 Before we start describing and analyzing the interaction between traditional andreformist Islam in Bosnia, let us have a brief look at the structure and the role of the official Islamic religious body the Islamic Community (IC) and Sufi brotherhoods (tariqa) in Bosnia.

I The Islamic Community in B&HHistory of Islam in Bosnia is largely history of Islam in the Osmanli state (the beginning of 15th c. - 1878). The Osmanli

state was organized according to the principle of organic unity of religious and political authority whereby Islamic religiousinstitutions were a part of the state administration. The novelty in the Osmanli system was a tightly knit hierarchy ofMuslim scholars (ulama, ilmijje), which was unprecedented in Muslim history. Not only judges(qadis) and Friday prayer preachers (khatibs), but also muftis, mudarrises, and imams were under state jurisdiction andvery often state officials. Consequently there was little autonomy in interpretation and practice of Islam in Bosnia at thetime. Sporadic heterodox movements like Hamzawis were quickly extinguished (in 1573). On the contrary, Christians,mainly Orthodox Christians had their independent religious administration2 which made them ready for the dramaticpolitical change in Bosnia in 1878 when the Osmanli state succumbed to the international pressure to allow Austro-Hungarian empire to occupy Bosnia. That was a cultural earthquake, which found Muslims totally unprepared.3 Afterinitial confusion Bosnian Muslims who decided to stay in Bosnia realized that Istanbul will get further and further as timewill be passing and started working on a completely new Islamic religious organization or administration from early 1882,when the first Islamic religious leader of Bosnian Muslims was appointed.4 Such course of action was initially supportedby the Austro-Hungarian government, which did everything to cut Bosnian Muslims off from Istanbul. The result of 120

years of struggle and experiment is todays very strong and certainly best organized and most capable Islamiccommunity in the Balkans and may be in Europe.5Todays IC is organized according to the 1997 constitution which clearly states that the IC is the sole and unitedcommunity of Muslims in Bosnia and Herzegovina, of Bosniaks outside their homeland, and of other Muslims who acceptit as their own (Article I). The IC in Bosnia and Herzegovina is an inseparable part of the Ummah (Article III). Theorganization and activities of the IC are based on the Quran and Sunnah, Islamic tradition of Bosniaks and therequirement of the time (Article IV). The aim of the IC is that all of its members should live in conformity with Islamicnorms. That is being achieved through promotion of good and prevention of evil (Article V). The IC protects theauthenticity of the Islamic norms and assures their interpretation and application. In the interpretation and performance oftheIslamic religious rituals the Hanafi madhhab is to be applied (Article VIII) (italics added). Several points are worthy ofspecial emphasis here. First, the IC is proclaimed the sole community of Muslims in Bosnia on the basis of which the ICasked the state not register any organization with the attribute Islamic in its name. The state however didnot respond positively at least in the case of one organization (Active Islamic Youth). Second, belonging to the universalcommunity of the Ummah is put side by side with the belonging to the particular country and ethnic group. Third, theHanafi madhhab is said to be binding ininterpretation and application of Islamic norms. Fourth, reference in this context is made to the Islamic tradition ofBosniaks.

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Understandably some of these provisions proved to be unacceptable to the reformists. The provision about the Hanafimadhhab is unacceptable only to some of them since they claim that they would be happy with the application of anyauthentic Sunni madhhab in Bosnia.6Besides, Hanafi madhhab is not applied in letter and spirit anyway, especially among the learned members of the IC. Forinstance many do not follow Hanafi madhhab with regard to the joining of prayers during travel or the number ofrakat in tarawih prayer during Ramadan. Much more controversial with the reformists is the provision about theIslamic tradition of Bosnian Muslims, which in fact sometimes contradicts the provisions on the role of the Hanafimadhhab. Actually it is this tradition that Bosnian Muslims know and follow. Until recently very few people knew much

about Islamic law and its various madhahib. When Muslim masses denounce Wahhabi way of practicingIslam they do it on the basis of their local Islamic tradition not Hanafi madhhab.7

Until the WWII only Hanafi textbooks (Multaqa al-Abhur,8 Al-Hidaya, etc.) were studied in madrasas and the schools ofhigher Islamic learning. Only non-juridical works from other madhahib were used such as Al-GhazalisIhya Ulum al-Din and Al-Mawardis Adab al-Dunya wa al-Din. The practice of strict adherence tothe old Hanafi textbooks was criticized by the early Muslim reformers in Bosnia at the outset of the 20th century whoadvocated introduction of new, original textbooks. One of them was the most popular of all presidents of the IC,Rais al-Ulama Demaluddin auevi.9 However, the existence of Shariah courtsencouraged the established practice. Once the Communists took over the country in 1945, abolished the Shariahcourts, closed High Islamic Theological and Shariah School in Sarajevo and all madrasas except the Gazi Husrev-bey madrasa in Sarajevo, and imprisoned majority of respected Muslim scholars a rupture in Islamic education followed.The IC started to rebuild its educational system only in 1970s. By that time there was no need for unified knowledge of

Islamic law (Shariah courts were abolished) and the consciousness of belonging to the Hanafi madhhab (andIslam in general) was weakened while the modernist ideas gained weight in Islamic circles. The comparative studieswere introduced in Islamic educational institutions. No specific classical textbook was assign for study at the Faculty ofIslamic studies while imam Al-Navavis commentary on Muslims Sahih and Al- SananisSubul al-Salam10 are required readings for Hadith courses at the Faculty until today.The strongest advocate of modernist ideas was late Husein ozo (d. 1982), a member of al- Azhars IslamicResearch Academy. As he fell to the disgrace with Communist authorities, a remarkable personality of al-Azhar graduateDr. Ahmed Smajlovi(d. 1988) became the moving force of the IC and the religious thought and life in Bosnia. He was themost famous member of the first post-WWII study group that went to al-Azhar in 1960s after the establishment of theclose relations between Yugoslavia and Egypt. As Islamic theology professor at the Faculty of Islamic Studies he, inaddition to Maturidi aqidah and already well known M. Abduhu and Rashid Rida, started teaching IbnTaymiyyah, Ibn Abd al Wahhab and other reformist scholars. However, his reformist ideas were confined to class,and were cautious and mild. Several factors contributed to that. He himself was not trained in Islamic studies, obviously

did not fell under the influence of any particular reformist movement, and was aware of the limits of religious freedom inSocialist Yugoslavia. Yet by mid-1980s he also fell into disgrace with the Yugoslav authorities and very soon died ofheart attack. One of the signs of the adoption of comparative method in Islamic learning in Bosnia was the project of thetranslation of Fiqh al-Sunnah in late 1980s within the IC. The book was almost translated when somebody drew theattention of the Islamic authorities that it was a comparative Islamic law book. The project was stopped and very soon thewar started. Recently the project was revived. Interestingly enough, the Constitution mentions Maturidi madhhabnowhere although the current Rais al-Ulama did his Ph. D. on Maturidis theology.11 Onlytwo small works of al- Maturidi have been translated but none is widely circulated in Bosnia, while short works of AbuHanifah and lately of Al-Ashari have been translated. The most often aqidah textbooksin Bosnian madrasas used to be Al-Mawaqif fi Ilm al-Kalam of Al-Iji, Al-Sawad al-Azam of Abu alQasim al-Samarqandi (d. 342/953) and Aqidat al-Nasafi of Abu Hafs Umar al- Nasafi (537/1142).This administration of Islamic affairs today includes religious hierarchy (ilmiyya), religious education, andendowments (waqf). Until 1946 it included Shariah courts as well. The IC

activities cover rituals (ibadat), Islamic education, waqf, publishing (Publishing center El- Kalem), charity andincome-generating projects.12 As of today Islamic education is provided in 1405 maktabs (elementary informal religiousschools) for 60,000 regular pupils,13 six Islamic high schools (madrasa), two Islamic academies for training teachers ofreligious education in state schools, and the Faculty ofIslamic Studies in Sarajevo. These, however, are not the only institutions where Bosnians acquire Islamic knowledge.Hundreds of Bosnians are currently enrolled at various universities throughout (mainly Muslim) world. In addition the ICemploys as religious leaders (imams) many graduates from non-Islamic universities.

The IC is also exclusive administrator of waqfs for decades.14 However, several big (multi million) foreign waqfs wereestablished after 1995 which are by way of contract with the IC granted full autonomy for various periods of time (usuallytwo decades). Such is an example of the Cultural Center King Fahd (CCKF) in Sarajevo, another Saudi cultural center incentral Bosnian town Bugojno, Cultural Center in Hadii near Sarajevo, etc. There were periods when High SaudiCommission for the Relief of Bosnian Muslims HSC administered CCKF without even consultation with the IC.The HSC also gave full support to salafi organizations, first to Active Islamic Youth (AIO) and then to Furqan. However,since September 11 things have changed. The media identified the HSC and these two organizations as the sources ofextremism, while some of their employees and members were arrested or questioned by local police or internationalforces (SFOR) with regard to their links to terrorism. This pressure led to the closure of Furqan organization at the end of2002 and King Fahd Centers attempts to distance itself from alternative circles and establish




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closer relations with the IC. When the pressure reached its peak in 2002 the president of the IC Dr. Mustafa Cerito the surprise of many - spoke openly against the incrimination of Muslim solidarity and visited several Islamic aidprojects including the orphan village and school Al-Ghazzaz built by a Saudi family whose accounts were under scrutiny.

II Sufi ordersThe Constitution of the IC of 1997 under its institutions mentions Sufi orders, which are to be established in accordancewith the Shariah and Tariqa (Article LXXI). Similar provision existed in the 1990 constitution unlike the previousconstitutions. The IC of Yugoslavia put the ban on the activities of tariqas in Bosnia in 1952. Their property wasconfiscated and taken either by the IC or state. When Dr. Ahmed Smajlovibecame the president of the IC in Bosnia inearly 1980s situation started improving. Today there are a few thousand sufis in Bosnia (nobody appears to know theexact number) following mainly Naqshibandiyyah and Qadiriyyah orders. Rufais, Mawlawis, Khalwatis andHamzawis (a Malami-Bayrami branch) were also present at various periods of time in history.15 Historically sufi ordersplayed an important role in the islamization of Bosnia, the Osmanli military, and revolts against the Osmanli state. Sufiswere also leaders of several reformist and protest movements.16 Like in other places sufis were successful propagatorsof Islam due to their accommodation of some local customs and practices. During the recent war many sufis wereactively engaged in jihad and today some are active in inviting non-Muslims to Islam.Sufi orders are unevenly spread in Bosnia. They main concentration is in central Bosnia (Travnik, Fojnica, Kiseljak,

Visoko, Zenica, Sarajevo) and the valley of Neretva river (Mostar, Blagaj). The number of sufi lodges (tekke) today isabout 20.

III Islamic Revival in Bosnia: Its Nature, History, Factors and ManifestationsThe contemporary Islamic revival in Bosnia, which is generally apolitical, started in 1970s due to several factors: theliberalization of the then Yugoslav regime, improved economic situation, graduation of a new generation of young Muslimintellectuals from Yugoslav and Middle Eastern universities and global trends in the Muslim world which culminated inIranian Revolution in 1979. The main manifestations of revival until 1992 were:a) (re)construction of mosques financed by local money except in a few cases (Zagreb mosque),

b) (re)opening of new education institutions (Faculty of Islamic Studies and female section of Gazi Husrev BeyMadarasah in Sarajevo),c) publishing of Islamic texts and periodicals (fortnightly Preporod, etc.),d) intensified personal religiosity and use of Islamic social symbols (mosque attendance, hijab for women and beard forman), e) establishment of Muslim political organizations (Democratic Action Party - SDA) f) emergence of Muslimsolidarity institutions.The dominant feature of the Islamic revival in Bosnia during this period was that its only institutional framework was theIC. Alternative organizations were practically unheard off since the dissolution of the Young Muslims Society in 1940s.This would dramatically change after April 1992.17

IV Islamic Revival after 1992

IV. a. Arrival of Aid Agencies and MujahidunThe Islamic revival in Bosnia underwent radical changes from the beginning of the aggression on Bosnia in April 1992.Those parts of Bosnia under Serbian and Croatian forces (ca 75% of Bosnian territory) were cleansed ofMuslims while mosques and other Islamic religious buildings were in almost all cases destroyed.18 On the other hand,freedom for Islamic activities became almost unlimited in the territories under the control of Bosnian Army (25% of theterritory). This provided an opportunity for Muslim aid workers and several hundreds of freedom fighters (mujahidun) fromall over the world who joined Muslims in their defense to preach and proselytize freely. Highly religious and motivatedthey brought with them specific understanding of Islam and tried their best to inculcate those ideas into Bosnian minds.The salafi and Wahhabi ideas on wider scale surfaced for the first time. (For instance the issue of niqab was almostunheard of in Bosnia from 1950 until 1992 although prior to 1950 it was the rule). When the mujahidun arrived first in1992 they brought hope andcourage to Bosnian Muslims who felt alone in their fight against Serbian and then Croatianaggressors. However, as the time passed they became a problem in the relation with the West.In fact, the Dayton agreement asked for their departure from Bosnia. In a recent interview expresidentIzetbegoviopined that on the whole, they did more harm than good.19During these years the relations between Bosnia and the Muslim world were elevated to unprecedented level. The




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number of graduates of Islamic studies outside the country (often sent by mujahidun and aid agencies) dramaticallyincreased and the Islamic literature in both Arabic and English arrived in significant amounts (see below). Finally,economic power of local population was practically reduced to nothing and the foreign aid agencies became the primedonors of Islamic revival. So, the new social reality of war and post-war Bosnia was reflected in a flood of aid money(sometimes used for Islamic propaganda - dawah),20 freedom fighters, and all kinds of Islamic literature.Subsequently the first alternative Islamic organizations, which were symbols and catalyst of Islamic revival at the sametime, were established. These included the most important Active Islamic Youth (AIY) initially supported by the HSC,which later on turned toward more pro-Saudi Furkan organization. The AIY has been leaning toward ideas of Saudi

dissidents Safar al-Hawali and Salman al- Awdah, which is perhaps the reason behind the change in the HSCpolicy. Majority of the members of these organizations are young men from rural areas although urban, well educatedyouth is well represented as well. Their numbers are however uncertain and may reach a few thousands.After the end of the war the aid agencies first and then Bosnians themselves opened Islamic kindergartens, halal foodrestaurants and meet shops. The sympathy for global Islamic issues such as Palestine and Chechnya was revivedtogether with the revival of jihadi spirit. This means that all the manifestations of Islamic revival from 1970s and 1980swere intensified except for the Islamic political organizations. In fact, no major Islamic organization including salafi onesdemanded the application of the Shariah or the establishment of an Islamic state. The only exception are theSupporters of the Shariah.21 Furthermore, even slightly Islamic Izetbegovis SDA was made more secularduring this period than it initially was (its symbol was changed from crescent to lily). After 2000 when the so calledDemocratic Alliance led by the Social-democratic Party came to power and especially after September 11, 2001 thingsare getting back to the pre-1992 situation in many regards. Today, for instance, it is almost impossible to find a foreigndonation for mosque construction.

IV. b. Bosnian Students of Islam in the Muslim WorldBesides relief agencies and mujahidun, another, in the long rang perhaps the most important vehicle for the transmissionof reformist ideas from the Middle East to Bosnia are students. The IC in Yugoslavia did not have any higher educationinstitution from 1945 until 1977. During 1940s and 1950s no Bosnian is known to have embarked on higher Islamicstudies.The first group of Bosnian students went to Al-Azhar in 1962. Their usual destinations during the following two decadeswere Egypt, Libya and Iraq, all countries with some kind of Socialist regime. However with exception of Dr. Smajlovi(andmuch later Dr. Mustafa Ceri) none of them individually made significant impact on the Islamic scene of Bosnia. On the

contrary, during the 1980s it was a group of young lecturers at the Faculty of Islamic Studies (Fikret Kari, Enes Kari, andReid Hafizovi) trained in Yugoslavia who started introducing new ideas into the Islamic discourse in Bosnia(ideas of Said Ramadan, Fazlur Rahman, S. H. Nasr, etc.). All this time salafi type reformism was alien to Bosnia.Yet, because those were the last years of the Communist regime, which by that time became much more sensitive to anyreformist Islamic ideas than it was during 1970s, a series of arrests of Islamic thinkers and activists was orchestratedfrom 1983 to 1987 (including ex-president Izetbegovi). The ideas of Izetbegovis group were close to those ofMawdudi and Sayyid Qutb. They actually translated Sayyid Qutbs Mustaqbal li hadha al-din and Hadha al-din,22Mawdudis Mabadi al-Islam and Hamidullahs Introduction to Islam in 1970s.Those were also turbulent years within the IC when the old guard of pro-Socialist leaders were put under pressure tostep down. By that time a dozen of Bosnians was already studying Islam in Saudi Arabia (some even at postgraduatelevel) but they kept low profile and did not travel home often because some of more outspoken activists among themwere denied passports (eg., todays Bosnian ambassador to Pakistan Mr. Abdullah Hodiand Muharemtulanovi).

Today the number of Bosnian graduates of Islamic studies outside the country equals the number of graduates from theFaculty of Islamic Studies. At the moment there are about a hundred Bosnian students of Islam in Saudi Arabia, about 60in Syria, 40 in Egypt, 35 in Jordan, 30 in Iran, 10 in Pakistan, 10 in Turkey, and about 20 in Malaysia. Although many ofthese students adopt salafi ideas others do not and they easily finds their place in the IC upon return to the country.

IV. c. Islamic LiteratureAnother important vehicle of change in Islamic discourse in Bosnia has been Islamic literature that has been published inBosnia since 1992 on two bases: commercial and missionary. The letter group includes literature published by aidagencies and other organizations for free distribution. The main supporters of salafi ideas among relief agencies were thealready mentioned High Saudi Committee, Al-Haramain Foundation, and the Society for the Revival of Islamic Heritage(Jamiyyat Ihya al-Turah al-Islami). Among Bosnian organizations those are Active Islamic Youth (AIY),Furqan (closed down on December 31, 2002), Balkan Center u Zenici (for a short period), and Centre for the Affirmationof Islamic Sciences. However, neither were the salafi ideas the only ones that enjoyed the support of foreign agenciesnor was all salafi literature distributed for free. Many sufi books especially those of shaykh Nazim Haqqani and




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Badi al-Zaman Said al-Nursi are also distributed free of charge. On the other hand, some salafi bookswere translated and published on commercial basis (and well received). Such is the case with Al-Qahtanis Al-Wala wa al-Bara fi al-Islam,23 Al-Jazairis Minhaj al-Muslim, and Al-Bahr al-Raiq fialzuhd wa al-raqaiq published by AIY. Moreover, western aid agencies employed the same strategies; it did nothappen once that Bosnian children received New Year gifts with books on Christianity in the bag.The most ambitious publication project was that of the High Saudi Committee. The result of it are about 30 books ofpredominantly salafi authors translated into Bosnian although other authors were included (Taha Jabir Alawani,Al-Qaradawi, Al-Zindani, Al-Buti, ). All HSC publications are distributed free of charge including the mushaf

(Quran) printed at theKing Fahd Complex in Madinah. Through this mushaf accompanied by the Bosnian translation of the QuranBosnian Muslims were for the first time introduced to Uthmans orthography of mushaf, which somedefenders of Bosnian Islam find unacceptable.24 The main achievement of the High Saudi Committee inthe publication field was the Family library,25 the shortened version of the Tafsir Ibn Kathir in Bosnian,and the complete translation of Sahih al-Bukhari (forthcoming).26 The Committee also commissioned a number oftranslations that were never published (for instance, Umar Sulayman al-Ashqars series on aqaid).Translators of these works are former Bosnian students in Saudi Arabia (Madina, Riyadh), UAE and Jordan. However,even local muftis were involved in preparing some of them. For instance the Mufti of Travnik, a graduate of the IslamicUniversity in Madina famous for the adherence to Bosnian Islamic tradition, translated a small treatise Al-Aqidahal-Sahiha wa ma yudaddiduha written by late shaykh Bin Baz (Visoko: Jamiyyat Ihya al- Turath al-Islami,1993 and Travnik: Organizacija za pomoprojektima podizanja damija, Odjeljenje za Balkan, 1994).Yet, none of these mainly short books produced as much controversy as did a 64 page booklet by Imad al-Misri

@ Eslam Durmo (originally Faragalla) Shvatanja koja trebamo ispraviti (Attitudes that we have to change) published byJamiyyat Ihya al-Turath al-Islami in central Bosnian town Travnik, one of the centers of salafi presence27in autumn 1993 (the most difficult period of Bosnian war). Imad al-Misri was deported to Egypt on October 6,2001 under the accusation of false identity (allegedly he was Al Husseini Arman Ahmed who is sentenced to ten yearimprisonment in Egypt). Until that time he was one of the main authorities within Bosnian salafi circles including AIY. Thebook made an argument for radical departure from some established practices among Bosnian Muslims. In introduction itpoints out that many of religious customs attributed to imam Abu Hanifah have nothing to do with him. Even if they did,we are obliged to follow the Quran and Sunnah, not any particular scholar who might be right or wrong. After ashort explication of the basic tenets of aqidah according to salafi understanding (tawhid and its types, shirk, issueof madhahib, etc.) the authored stated that ibadat are prescribed by God (tawqifiyyah) and that any change iscondemned (bidah). He then started naming innovations in Bosnian practice of Islam in prayer citing about 20 ofthem (pronouncing the niyyah, raising hands with each takbir, reciting Al-Fatifah when praying in jamaah, dhikrafter prayer, giving two adhans before Friday prayer, etc. (17-23). He then called for giving zakat al-fitr and zakah in kind

not in money and warned against distribution of zakah to atheists such as communists, democrats, Jews and Christians(24). With respect to Ramadan he advocated the practice of fasting upon seeing the crescent in Bosnia or some othercountry like Saudi Arabia. (This idea is vehemently opposed by the IC which publishes annual schedule of prayers andholidays and considers that one of its exclusive prerogatives). The author went on giving standard salafiviews on music, friendship, smoking, consumption of intoxicants, beard, commanding good and prohibiting evil, behaviortowards ones parents, other Muslims, and similar themes. The second part of the booklet (32-55) is a collectionof supplications for various occasions implying that collections of supplications composed by Bosnian authors areunacceptable.Last three pages are direct appeal to the imams to watch their behavior, to leave Turkish innovations in religion, torequire the consent of brides guardian before concluding marriage, to be in the forefront of jihad, etc. Thisremains the most important and direct explication of salafi ideas in Bosnian context and its recommendations are widelyaccepted among salafis (AIY, Furqan, and others).Unlike the Ikhwani, perennial philosophy and modernist literature, the IC never sponsored the publication of any salafi

book. On the contrary it published polemical works of Muhammad al-Ghazali and S. Ramadan al-Buti: TheProphets Tradition between Jurists and Scholars of Hadith and The Call for Abolishment of Madhahib,respectively.28 The IC imam in Munchen wrote a small booklet on the mistakes of shaykh Nasir al-Din al-Albani while themost outspoken critic of Wahhabis is Chicago based Bosnian imam with American passport and follower of shaykhHakkani, Senad Agiwho critisized even the IC and the Rais al-Ulama for not taking tougherposition on wahhabism predicting that it may cost Bosnian Muslims a lot.Salafis from their side relentlessly criticize the teaching and the practice of the IC. The militants among them (theSupporters of the Shariah) called upon the IC to follow the Taliban of Afghanistan and dubbed the Faculty ofIslamic Studies as faculty of un-Islamic studies. Others circulated short commentaries on mistakes of Dr.Al-Qaradawi as one of the most respected scholars within the IC. Islamic literature was distributed in Arabic also.Especially active in this field again was the High Saudi Committee which distributed several hundreds of scholarlibraries including hundreds of titles in all fields of Islamic learning. Less ambitious was the Society for the Revivalof Islamic Heritage which distributed student library consisting of dozens of mainly salafi titles in Arabic.Thus Bosnia after 1992 was flooded with all kinds of Islamic (and other) ideas and literature. There is practically noorientation within the contemporary Islam that is not present in Bosnia. From the militant,29 extremist salafis the followersof Abu Hamza (UK) who congratulated Muslims on the occasion of September 11, 2001, to ordinary salafis, to perennialphilosophy which is very popular with Bosnian intellectuals,30 to revivalists like Sayyid Qutb, Al- Qaradawi, and others, toSufis like shaykh Hakkani and Qabbani, to Shia who have Ibn Sina research center and Cultural center and




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publish two very good journals (Beharistan and Signs of Times) and many books of Shia scholars, to modernistslike Garouody and Arkoun and to new figures such as Tariq Ramadan. The most acceptable discourse to the traditionallyminded the IC seems to be that of Dr. Yusuf al-Qaradawi whose works are translated at large. It is expected that first twovolumes of his fatawa will be published soon by the IC.

IV. d. Audio and Video TapesThe field in which alternative organizations have completely outdone the IC is audio andvideo production. The IC used tapes only for the recitation of the Quran and religious songs(ilahije). Other Islamic organizations used this tool for the dissemination of lectures of theirleaders very successfully.

IV. e. Radio and TVAlthough Muslims have generally poorly performed when it comes to electronic media a story of the (Islamic) Radio

station NABA (from naba) from Visoko, a small town near Sarajevo is a pure success story. Its signal currentlycovers a small (but important) area of Bosnia. Its broadcast via internet reaches significant Bosniak population in theWestern Europe. The station is open to everybody including salafis, shia, and sufis.

IV. f. Printed mediaThe IC and its institutions publish several fortnight newspapers and journals. The most widely circulated is fortnightlyPreporod (print run 19,000 copies), educational journal Novi muallim (2,800 copies), whilethe oldest is the official herald of the IC, the bimonthly Glasnik. Monthly Islamska misaohas not been published since 1992. Now, the second most widely read Islamic magazine (fortnightly) is

Saff, published by pro-salafi AIY (ca 9,000 copies per issue). The tone of the articles in the magazine ismuch more moderate that the discourse of some members of the organization itself. Another important magazine ismonthly Novi horizonti published by the society established by former mufti of mid- Bosnian town Zenica,Halil Mehti. This is a pro-revivalist magazine where Dr. Al-Qaradawi features regularly. The majority of contributors areprofessors of Zenica Islamic Teachers Academy (mainly Ph. D. holders) who are considered to be salafi andconservative by the IC establishment. The magazine has never attacked the IC or questioned its authority, althoughsome of the fatawa issued in it by the dean of the Academy do contradict those issued in the official Preporod. Howeverboth are individuals efforts without official sanction. Some sufis also publish in this paper. In last few issues oneof the young sufi authorities has been translating the abridgement of Madarij al-Salikin.

V Currents Transformations in Bosnian Religious Discourse Reflecting the Arrival of Reformist IslamWhen Islamic revival started in Bosnia in 1970s its main themes were prayer performance, fasting, alms giving,avoidance of alcohol drinking, avoidance of adultery, Since 1992 standard salafi issues have also become a partof Islamic discussions. They include issue of madhahib, authority of local Muslim tradition,31 religious innovations(bidah),32 correctness of shiah and sufi beliefs,33 music, face covering for women (niqab), beard for men,marriage without registration with state authorities, marriage with close relatives,34 mixing of sexes, giving of zakah andzakat al-fitr in kind not in money, legitimacy of democracy and elections,35 particular way of performing prayer, thedetermination of the beginning of Ramadan by way of seeing the crescent,

VI The IC and ReformistsNo official Islamic administration likes alternative Islamic organizations. Bosnian IC is no exception. In principle the IChas reserved and sometimes antagonistic attitude towards alternative Islamic organizations. The quality of therelationship depends on the orientation of the particular organization and its willingness to cooperate with the IC although




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personal relations also influence the attitude of the IC. The most outspoken critics not only of the IC but other Islamicgroups are the Supporters of the Shariah. AIY and Furqan also have reservations towards the IC and so does theIC towards them. Lately things are changing in so much as these two organizations seem to accept the overall authorityof the IC while retaining the right to act independently. It is not rare case now that the AIY and IC organize certain eventstogether (usually lectures in mosques).While it is true that proselytism and lack of tact are often cited as the main reasons of the strained relationship, it is alsoevident that activists loose the respect for the leaders of the IC when they encounter their ignorance, lack of initiative,indifference, and even blatant transgression of Islamic norms. The worst relations exist where activists try to engage in

the activities that the IC considers its own exclusive domain such as determining the beginning and the end of Ramadan,collection of zakah and zakah al-fitr, religious education, training of imams, supervision of mosques, and the like.However, one should not exaggerate the tension. It seems that several years of existence have worked towards a modusvivendi. For instance, the only mosque that is currently not under the IC administration is the King Fahds mosquein Sarajevo. However, the khatib of the mosque is Nezim Halilovi- Muderis, the director of the Waqf directorate of the IC,a graduate of Al- Azhar; the first imam is a lecturer from the Faculty of Islamic studies, a graduate of Madinah; thesecond is professor from Gazi Husrev beys madrasa, a graduate of the University of Jordan; and the third is astudent of the Faculty of Islamic studies. As we already noted, the pressure on Islamic humanitarian agencies andorganizations after September 11, 2001, as well as the scarcity of once ample resources have led to the greaterimportance and legitimacyof the IC even in the eyes of its critics.36 On the other side, the IC feels now more secure to recognize theseorganizations at least implicitly since its position is definitely not under question.

One of the most sensitive issues is that of the training of imams and khatibs who closely interact with the population. It isnow even a written official policy of the IC not to employ those who graduated from Islamic faculties outside the country,irrespective of the repute of the certificate awarding university, if they did not graduate from one of the IC madrasas,although exemptions are possible to find.37 This is deliberately adopted policy to prevent those young men who went toIslamic schools in the Arab world through alternative channels such as foreign aid workers or domesticsalafis. Those students usually first attended short seminars on Islam or learning circles organized by various Islamic (aidand non-aid) organization sometimes even called madrasas.38 Those who overtly accept wahhabi orsalafi Islam39 share the same destiny when it comes to employment in the IC even if they graduated frommadrasas. The IC can do it easily today because of huge number of students and graduates of Islamic studies within andoutside the country. Probably half of the IC employees with degree are graduates from Islamic faculties from Morocco toPakistan and Malaysia. Only a half of them come from the Faculty of Islamic studies (so far some 225 graduates).Besides efforts on behalf of the IC to counter salafi influence, ordinary believers are very often staunch opponents ofsalafis and that might be the really insurmountable obstacle in front of salafism in Bosnia.

A NoteA note here is in order. The subject of this paper is the tension between traditional and reformist Islam in Bosnia.However, in order to be balanced we have to mention the positive role of relief agencies and volunteers in defendingalmost armless Bosnian Muslims. In a way they fought a human case when others were confused who is who in Bosnianwar. Secondly,there is a tendency to exaggerate the role of wahhabis in changing the face of Bosnian Islam.Esposito mentions in Unholy terror that wahhabis destroyed some graves. While this might be case in one or two placesthe real destroyers of Bosnian Islam were aggressors from east and west who jointly killed almost 200,000 Muslims,expelled a million of them and destroyed about one thousand mosques.40

VII ConclusionThe most intense conflict between traditional and reformist Islam in Bosnia is behind us after so much energy spent ontrivial issues not because of some lessons learned but because of the pressure put on reformists by anti-terroristactivities of NATO and other forces in Bosnia. In this text we have tried to outline the history of conflict, its present state,and main topics of contention. The salafi discourse has firmly established itself in Bosnia although the predominance oftraditional Islam is unquestionable.

Notes:

1 Exception is modernism which was quite strong during 1960s and 1970s. However it was confined to small Islamicintellectual circles in Sarajevo, a few Islamic publications and the classrooms of the Faculty of Islamic studies withoutstronger roots in Muslim population. The most prominent modernist thinker and the follower of Abduh was lateHusein ozo who vehemently attacked taqlid as a state of mind. However his discussions were not taken as attacks on




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Hanafi madhhab since he did not advocate change of the ritual practice. He also criticized wahhabism as a reformistschool. He did not question their intentions and as a modernist appreciated their position on certain issues (likeopposition to taqlid, popular sufizm, etc). However his critique is general and distant since wahhabism was not around inBosnia at his time. For more see Enes Kari , A History of Islamic Thought in Bosnia (forthcoming), chapters onHusein ozo and Modernism and ozos Interpretation of the Quran and the SalafiSalih.2 Because of the autonomy that the Orthodox Church enjoyed a Serbian author called it state within thestate. See Mirko Mirkovi , Pravni poloaj i karakter Srpske crkve pod turskom vla u (1459-1766)

(Beograd: Zavod za izdavanje udbenika SR Srbije, 1965).3 Fikret Kar i , The Bosniaks and the Challenges of Modernity: Late Ottoman and Hapsburg Times (Sarajevo: El-Kalem,1999); Enes Kari , A History of Islamic Thought in Bosnia.4 See Fikret Kar i , The Office of Rais al-Ulama Among the Bosniaks (BosnianMuslims), Intellectual Discourse 5 (1997), no. 2: 109-20.5 The IC today employs some 15 Ph. D. holders, equal number of MA holders and over 500 graduates from differentIslamic and secular faculties in and outside the country. Its educational system consists of six madrasas in Bosnia andtwo in Zagreb (Croatia) and Novi Pazar (Sandak, Serbia) with some 1300 pupils, the Faculty of Islamic Studies inSarajevo and three academies for teacher training (Zenica, Biha and N. Pazar) with some 800 students. In addition theIC has 460 years old library, Publishing center El-Kalem, Center for Islamic Architecture, News Agency MINA, Office forDiaspora, and Directorate of Waqfs.6 Recently a group of graduates from Riyadh and a lecturer from the Faculty of Islamic Studies in Sarajevo translated the1st volume of Al-Fiqh al-Hanafi fi Thawbih al-Jadid by Abdulhamid M. Tuhmas. The book was well received and the

Cultural Center King Fahd hosted its official launching.7 For an analysis of the route through which Hanafi madhhab reached Bosnia see Fikret Kar i , Kako je hanefijskimezheb doao u Bosnu: interpretacija silsile Hasana kafije Pru aka, Novi muallim br. 8 (5. januar2002), 20-25. In short, Hanafi madhhab reached Bosnia via Arabia, Iraq, Transoxiana, Cairo, Halab, Anatolia, andIstanbul.8 First volume recently translated and published by the Faculty of Islamic Studies (Sarajevo, 2002).9 Enes Kari i Mujo Demirovi , Reis Demaludin auevi : Prosvjetitelj i reformator (Sarajevo: Ljiljan, 2002), 36-53.10 First volume translated by Dr. Omer Naki evi , professor at the Faculty of Islamic Studies, a staunch opponent ofwahhabism. The volume is about to be published soon by the Faculty.11 See Mustafa Ceri , Roots of Synthetic Theology in Islam: A Study of the Theology of Abu Mansur al-Maturidi (d.333/944) (Kuala Lumpur: ISTAC, 1995).12 In 1999 the IC controlled 946 mosques and 636 masjids, while 258 mosques and 112 masjids were underconstruction. The IC employed 1,119 persons as imams, muallims and khatibs. For more on the administration of

Islamic affairs in Bosnia today see an excellent article by the President of the Constitutional court of the IC Fikret Kar i ,Administration of Islamic Affairs in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Islamic Studies 38: 4 (1999), 535-61 andannual report of the Presidency of the IC Izvjetaj o radu Rijaseta IZ u BiH za 1420/21 h.g. 2000.g., Glasnik Rijaseta IZ u BIH LXIII (2001), no. 7-8, 665-792.13 Izvjetaj o radu Rijaseta IZ u BiH za 1420/21h.g. 2000.g., 665-792.14 The number of waqfs has continuously been reduced since the beginning of 20th century. In1909, when the Austro-Hungarian Empire granted autonomy to the IC waqf was considered the biggest private owner inthe country with 1050 individual waqfs. In 1930s that number rose to 1,647. However in 1945 and 1958 every importantwaqf except mosques and few waqfs was expropriated and nationalized, and all but one madrasa closed. Fikret Kar i ,Administration, 541-542, 544.15 Demal ehaji , Drutveno-politi ki, religiozni, knjievni i drugi aspekti dervikih redova ujugoslavenskim zemljama (Socio-Political, Religious, Literary and Other Aspects of Sufi Tariqas in YugoslavLands), Prilozi za orijentalnu filologiju 34 (1984), 93-113.

16 ehaji , Ibid., 105, 108.17 For more on Islamic revival in Bosnia until 1992 see Fikret Kar i , Islamic Revival in theBalkans 1970-1992, Islamic Studies 36, no. 2-3, 565-81.18 Only one mosque in the Republic of Srpska was not completely destroyed. Muharem Omerdi , Prilozi izu avanjugenocida nad Bonjacima (1992-1995) (Sarajevo: El-Kalem, 1999).19 Senad Pe anin, Intervju sa Alijom Izetbegovi em, Caco je i heroj i zlo inac, BH Dani, 1. mart 2002,p.11.20 Many Islamic humanitarian agencies had a department for dawah. This was almost a rule since the primemover for the donors of those organizations was religiosity.21 See www.geocities.com/sos_bosna.22 Reprinted in Travnik by Taibah International in 1995 with the consent of the local mufti.23 This book was translated by an employee of the IC who does not seem to be salafi himself. This fact tells us twothings. First, people translated books not only for ideological but for existential reasons as well. Secondly, the war andimmediate post-war atmosphere of siege in Bosnia was conductive to the kind of ideas advocated in the mentioned book.24 Recently the ICs hugely indebted publishing center El-Kalem published mushaf with the Osmanli orthographynot because of the need but because of other concerns.25 The Family Library included some 20 titles, mainly translations, including: Hilmi A.Shabans Amidat al-Islam: Ashab Rasulillah s.a.w.s., Al-Nawawis Riyad al-salihin,




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Muhammad N. Yasins Al-Iman: Haqiqatuh wa Arkanuh wa nawaqiduh, Abd al-Majid al-Zindanis Tawhidal-Khaliq, M. A. al-Hashimis Shakhsiyyat al Marah al-muslimah, Abd al-Rahman ibn Hasan al-Tamimis Kitab al-Tawhid, and several booklets on Islamic ethics.26 Significant portion of Sahih al-Bukhari was translated before the war.27 Until today central Bosnia is the epicenter of salafi activities which is mainly due to the presence of mujahidun duringthe war in that area.28 Professors at Faculty of Islamic Studies in Sarajevo translated Sayyid Qutbs Fi Zilal al-Quran while theoffice of Tuzla Mufti published his Signs on the road.

29 Even Muhammad Abd al-Salam Farajs Al-Faridah al-gaibah was translated during war. It seemshowever that the translator was not aware of the nature and history of the book.30 Recently Mr. Nevad Kahteran defended his Ph.D. dissertation at the Faculty of Philosophy in Sarajevo on perennialphilosophy (Genon, Schoun, and S. H. Nasr) and it was published by El- Kalem, the Publishing center of IC which ispublisher of many other Nasrs works including The Heart of Islam.31 Bosnian Islam incorporates a number of syncretic elements mainly from Slavic religion, from medieval BosnianChurch, and Orthodox Christianity. Hills, ancient graveyards, sources, caves, lakes, churches serve as cultic places eventoday. Also spread is the practice of offering prayers in open (eg. Ajvatovica in central Bosnia, Kari i near Sarajevo andDjevoja ka pe ina near Kladanj) and celebration of holidays of unIslamic origin. For the details see Muhamed Hadijahi ,Sinkreti ki elementi u islamu u Bosni i Hercegovni (Syncretical Elements in Islam in Bosnia andHerzegovina), Prilozi za orijentalnu filologiju no. 28-29, 301-29. Author documents many largely unsuccessful attempts ofOsmanli ulama to eradicate such practices.32 Rituals most often criticized by salafis are mawlid celebrations, tawhids (reading Yasin and dhikr for the deceased on

7th and 40th day of his death or any other occasion), reading of the Quran for dead for money, fast performanceof prayers, especially tarawih during Ramadan, collective recitation of dhikr after prayers, etc. In a very unpleasant caseseveral years ago the authorities of the King Fahd Mosque prevented a group of believers and the IC officials fromperforming mawlid in that mosque. Thereafter no similar testing of limits of toleration of the King Fahd Mosque authoritieshappened. In another case during last Ramadan (on 27th night) in a small northern town of Kalesija ordinary believersbeat up a group of salafi youth who used to perform tarawih on their own after the regular tarawih. This was not the onlycase of physical conflict between salafis and other believers. One of the points of contention is also going to discos andsea beaches of some imams and the IC officials, as well as mixing of genders. Because of that one young wahhabirecently called a mosque brothel.33 Halid Tuli , Veliki ejtan /Great Satan/ (1996). A Shii author, perhaps Bosnian, wrote a several timesthicker refutation ejtanski rog /Satans horn/ the following year. Decades before salafis, modernists likeHusein ozo criticized sufis but from completely different vantage point.34 Some Bosnian Muslims do not marry even distant relatives of 8th degree.

35 Although many salafis in Bosnia consider democracy to be an atheistic system, others doaccept party politics and elections and actively participate in them. During last elections some members of AIY distributedelectoral materials agitating against Socialdemocratic led government and calling their members to vote foropposition.36 It is fair to say that in addition to money, the main reasons for the spread of salafi ideas among Bosnians was thecourage that salafi fighters (Bosnians and non-Bosnian) showed during the war on the frontline.37 Bosnian Madrasas are campus-type schools with dormitories where future imams and khatibs acquire their identitybuilt around traditional Islam.38 The most systematic such a program was that of AIY centered in a central Bosnian village of Bocinja (municipality ofMaglaj). It was a Serbian village which Serbs fled and subsequently colonized by salafis who organized their life there asthey thought appropriate. In addition to a few hundred permanent residents another few hundreds of young men came toBo inja for short courses on Islam. Colony remained open for visitors all the time. Interestingly enough, the colony wasdispersed in 2001 without incidents of violence as part of NATO forces effort to suppress the activities of former

mujahidun. A smaller replica of it was attempted in northernvillage of Gornja Mao a which is being dispersed these days also under the pressure of NATO forces.39 This is commonly used terminology in Bosnia today.40 See Muharem Omerdi , Ibid.



a alibašić_traditional and reformist islam in bosnia and herzegovina

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