Bosniak

There are three ethnic majorities that compromised Bosnia-Herzegovina, they are : Bosnian-Serb, Bosnian-Croat, and the Bosnian-Muslim also known as the "Bosniak". A Bosniak is a person living in Bosnia-Herzegovina who is of the Islamic faith. And one picks up any book about the people of Bosnia, this is the description that they will find.

My problem is that I do not consider myself a "Bosniak" even though other sources would identify me as one. Although I come from a family that is largely Muslim, I myself am not one. So I feel left out of the count of Bosnia's people. I don't see why the citizens of Bosnia have to be partitioned to the politics of ethnic strife. I consider myself Bosnian, even though my U.S. citizenship indicates otherwise. I don't say "Bosniak" or Bosnian with Muslim ancestors. I think Bosnian is enough of an identity. I don't think Bosnia needs any further division.

I'm sure I'm not the only one stuck in this identity dilemma, I am sure there are a lot of other Bosnian's who are frustrated with this identity constraint and division. To automatically declare every Bosnian citizen who is not Serbian or Croatian as Muslim is offensive to me as an individual. Not because I have any problem with the Islamic faith, but because religion has no place in my life, and to be automatically placed into an identity that I don't identify with is a great insult to me. It speaks of the ignorance that foreigners still have of the Bosnian culture.

Most areas of Bosnia have never been very religious, regardless of the religion in question. And to assign religious roles to an entire population is a great disrespect to those people.

I am a Bosnian, no further explanation is necessary. Bosnian, and only Bosnian, is my ethnic identity.

Change. My ideas about Bosnia, about Yugoslavi,a are bound to change as I learn and see more. They have already significantly changed in the past few weeks. I'm starting to think that the idea of Yugoslavia is something outdated, an ideal that once existed in people's minds, but that is simply impossible given the current world politics.

The idea of Yugoslavia must be considered on a global level. The problem of Yugoslavia is deep. It's not only the countries that made up Yugoslavia that must be considered, but also the world powers. The many nations that made up ex-Yugoslavia did not believe in the Yugoslavian idea, but moreover, the major world powers did not either, for different reasons of course.

Yugoslavia as an entity was a bigger threat to the world powers than the now small independent countries of former Yugoslavia. Yugoslavia was never a severe threat to the dominant western nations, but it was certainly more difficult to deal with than the now almost helpless countries.

And given the current politics in the European Union, there is certainly no future for a Yugoslavia. At this point the only realistic goal for countries like Bosnia-Herzegovina, Serbia, Croatia, etc., is to get integrated into the EU. If these countries could organize politically, then they would not have to rely on the EU, but since they obviously cannot their best hope, for the well being of their people, lies in getting into the EU.

So for now, I just want to consider Bosnia's role as an independent country. Although even this is very hard to do, because even if it is technically considered independent, it is hardly so. It is divided and torn to pieces and without some serious future intervention by it's intellectual society, it is doomed for civil strife.

Bosnia has survived through centuries of war and conquest. It has remained in tact, and it's people--Serbs, Croatians, Bosnian-Muslims, Jews, and many more-- have been able to live in peace for a great deal of this time. So to say that there is no future for this tiny mixing pot of a country is to deny it's history and it's people the respect they deserve. It has always been a struggle for Bosnian people, and it will remain a struggle to preserve their unique identity.

I will continue my search for an understanding of Bosnia, and for all of Balkan nations, because they are so intertwined it would be impossible to consider one without the others.

It's been bugging me lately: this idea of of being connected to Yugoslavia. I question how valid my own connection is, for what ties do I have anymore with the region?

I have the past, but that past is far removed from my present. Yugoslavia was a short-lived idea, it was dissolving before I was even born and all I got to see was its destruction, so how much do I really know? I've read books and heard stories. I went to Croatia and Bosnia-Herzegovina in the summer of 2007; it was a brisk walk through the counties that only left me with a bigger longing. That trip left me with an impression of Bosnia-Herzegovina as desperate, but then again that's coming from someone who has spent the last 13 years o living in the United States. There was no political connection, only frustration. Yet despite the frustration and disconnect, I must remain hopeful and optimistic, because there is no other alternative.

As disconnected as I am, I hope one day that my ties to the region will be strengthened. Through education I want to bridge the gap between my past and future. My hopes are that in time, the people of former Yugoslavia will also bridge the gap between their differences and live in harmony.

Through this blog I will attempt explore the roots of Yugoslavia in hopes of getting a better understanding of the past concerning the region of what is now ex-Yugoslavia. Although the country no longer exists, I still believe in its idea, as I'm sure many of its people still do. Though the past of the Balkans/Yugoslavia is very complex and sparks many opposing emotions, I will attempt to approach it objectively and historically.

I will continue to refer to the region as Yugoslavia, because in my eyes that is the way I choose to see it. For me, the name inspires hope for the future, whereas referring to the individual countries that now make up the region are only reminders of the failure and despair that now plague the region.

To Yugoslavia, to hope, to education, to the future! Cheers!