Muslim by Nationality

The people of Bosnia have referred to themselves with some variation of the word "Bosnian" since the founding of the Bosnian Church centuries ago.

The term ranged from Bosnjani to Dobri Bosnjani during this era and became Bosnak during the Ottoman Empire. During the course of the Empire, Ottomans used the term Bosniak to refer to many different Slavic groups in the Balkans; however, it was always used most commonly as a reference for Muslim residents of Bosnia, Herzegovina, and Montenegro.

When Bosnia and Herzegovina became a part of Yugoslavia, the term was no longer used and most Bosniaks referred to themselves as "nationality undeclared" on the census. Several magazines and cultural publications at the time stressed the importance of holding on to the term Bosniak; one such magazine published prior to the Second World War was actually called "Bosniak".

Eventually Tito partially complied with the ceaseless demands of residents of Bosnia and Herzegovina and added "Muslim by Nationality" as a option on the census. With the fall of Yugoslavia, the term Bosniak was again revived as the official national terms for the Muslims of Bosnia and Herzegovina. It's important to note many Roman Catholic scholars in Bosnia and Herzegovina also declared themselves to be ethnically Bosniak for historical reasons related to the Bosnian Church.

Now is where it gets interesting.

Ignoring whatever small percentage of the population actually arrived in the area from Bosnia, the vast majority of Muslims in Montenegro do not have, nor ever had, any significant historical connection to Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The same can be said in reverse of Bosnian Croats and Bosnian Serbs. Excluding those who settled eastern Bosnia during the era of Yugoslavia, which accounts for more than half the population in some areas, the vast majority of Christians in Bosnia and Herzegovina have no historical connection to either Croatia or Serbia. In fact, the terms "Croat" and "Serb" were not used in Bosnia until the 19th century.

The government of Serbia and Montenegro took an unusual step in 2002, when they kept the "Muslim by Nationality" option but also added the option "Bosniak" for the census of that year.

Given the government in power in no way wanted it's Muslim citizens to feel any connection to Bosnia and Herzegovina, and given most Muslims in Serbia and Montenegro do not have any reason to feel such a connection - it was strange that this choice would be offered, to say the least.

The term Bosniak was not completely foreign to Serbia and Montenegro, as the organization representing Muslims in the country had been called the Bosniak National Council for years. But the term Bosniak as a national reference was extremely rare, even between Muslims.

Since that time, in the Sandzak region of Serbia and Montenegro, shields, flags, and other symbols immitating those of Bosnia and Herzegovina have been adopted. Bosniaks from the region have been emphasizing what historical connections do exist between them and Bosnia and Herzegovina, weaks as they are. (For example, the Bosnian and Sandzak capitals were both founded by the same man).

In the same way Bosnian Croats are working more closely with Croatia than at any other time in our history, and the same is true of Bosnian Serbs and Serbia, the same is now true of Serbian/Montenegro Muslims and Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Now the information that prompted this thread. I find this very, very interesting. Here are the differences between the 1991 and 2002 censuses in several Sandzak cities.

TUTIN

In 1991, the population of the municipality was composed of:

    * Muslims by nationality (94.34%)
    * Serbs and Montenegrins (4.34%)
    * Others.

In 2002, the population of the municipality was composed of:

    * Bosniaks (94.23%)
    * Serbs (4.32%)
    * Muslims by nationality (0.74%)
    * Others.

ROZAJE

In 1991, the population of the municipality was composed of:

    * Muslims by nationality (89.38%)
    * Albanians (4.32%)
    * Serbs and Montenegrins (3.32%)

In 2002, the population of the municipality was composed of:

    * Bosniaks (81.68%)
    * Muslims by nationality (6.06%)
    * Albanians (4.32%)
    * Serbs (3.32%)
    * Montenegrins (1.64%)

NOVI PAZAR

According to the 1991 census data, the population of the Novi Pazar municipality was 85,249 people, and it was composed of:

    * Muslims by nationality (75.37%)
    * Serbs and Montenegrins (22.63%)
    * Others.

According to the 2002 census data, the population of the Novi Pazar municipality was 85,996 people, and it was composed of:

    * Bosniaks = 65,593 (76.28%)
    * Serbs = 17,599 (20.47%)
    * Muslims by nationality = 1,599 (1.86%)
    * Others.

SJENICA

In 1991, the population of the municipality was composed of:

    * Muslims by nationality (76.11%)
    * Serbs and Montenegrins (22.63%)
    * Others.

In 2002, the population of the municipality was composed of:

    * Bosniaks (73.34%)
    * Serbs (23.50%)
    * Muslims by nationality (2.36%)
    * Others.

PRIJEPOLJE

In 1991, the population of the municipality was composed of:

    * Serbs and Montenegrins (54.78%)
    * Muslims by nationality (43.42%)
    * Others.

In 2002, the population of the municipality was composed of:

    * Serbs (56.82%)
    * Bosniaks (31.83%)
    * Muslims by nationality (9.26%)
    * Others.

It's interesting to watch this as it changes.