Islam in Bosnia and Herzegovina

Pedestrians walk by the Tsar's Mosque built in the Ottoman era, the oldest mosque in Sarajevo , the capital and largest city of Bosnia and Herzegovina The Bosniaks , commonly known as Bosnian Muslims, descendants of Slavic people (Slav) who converted to Islam in the 15th and 16th centuries, are generally Sunni Muslims , although historically Sufism played a significant role in the country. Reliable statistics on the precise membership of different religious groups remain unavailable since 1991 due to the recent war in Bosnia . According to the UN Development Program's Human Development Report 2002 , Muslims constitute 40 percent of the population of Bosnia and Herzegovina , which is estimated at around 3.8 million. This estimate from 2001 was made by the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, although a reliable census had not been conducted since 1991. Other religious groups with which Islam coexists in Bosnia are the Serbian Orthodox Church (35-40 percent of people), Roman Catholic Church (15-20 percent), Protestants (4 percent), and other groups 10 percent. The small Jewish community has approximately 1,000 believers and maintains a special place in society by virtue of its long history of coexistence with other religious communities and its active role in mediating among those communities. There is an increasingly visible presence of more conservative missionaries who practice the Saudi-based form of Islam, Wahabbism , although the numbers remain very low.

Pedestrians walk by the Tsar's Mosque built in the Ottoman era, the oldest mosque in Sarajevo , the capital and largest city of Bosnia and Herzegovina . Muslims in Bosnia and Herzegovina are a little under two million in number and constitute 40 percent of the country's population (2002 estimate). The modern Bosniaks , often referred to as Bosnian Muslims , descend from Slavic speakers who converted to Islam in the 15th and 16th centuries. Bosniaks are overwhelmingly Sunni Muslims. Religion is practised at a non-intense and relatively low level in Bosnia in general, both among the Muslims and among the other religious groups. The other religious groups are the Serbian Orthodox Church 31 percent, Roman Catholic Church 15 percent, Protestants 4 percent, and others 10 percent. USA Department of State: International Religious Freedom Report 2007 - Bosnia and Herzegovina CIA - The World Factbook -- Bosnia and Herzegovina The government's census bureau doesn't collect data on religious affiliation. The percentages given are the estimates in the U.N. Department of State at [1]

The Emperor's Mosque , the oldest mosque built in the Ottoman era in Sarajevo , the capital and largest city of Bosnia and Herzegovina . Islam is the most widespread religion in Bosnia and Herzegovina . It was introduced to the local population in the 15th and 16th centuries as a result of the Ottoman conquest of Bosnia and Herzegovina . Muslims comprise the single largest religious community in Bosnia and Herzegovina (51%) (the other two large groups being Eastern Orthodox Christians (31%),almost all of whom identify as Serbs , and Roman Catholics (15%), almost all of whom identify as Croats ). Almost all of Bosnian Muslims identify as Bosniaks ; until 1993, Bosnians of Muslim culture or origin (regardless of religious practice) were defined by Yugoslav authorities as Muslimani (Muslims) in an ethno-national sense (hence the capital M), though some people of Bosniak or Muslim backgrounds identified their nationality (in an ethnic sense rather than strictly in terms of citizenship) as "Yugoslav" prior to the early 1990s. A small minority of non-Bosniak Muslims in Bosnia and Herzegovina include Albanians , Roma and Turks . Share of Muslims in Bosnia and Herzegovina by municipalities in 2013 Albeit traditionally adherent to Sunni Islam of the Hanafi school of jurisprudence , a 2012 survey found 54% of Bosnia and Herzegovina's Muslims to consider themselves just Muslims, while 38% told that they are Sunni Muslims. There is also a small Sufi community, located primarily in Central Bosnia. Almost all Muslim congregations in Bosnia and Herzegovina refer to the Islamic Community of Bosnia and Herzegovina as their religious organisation. The Constitution of Bosnia and Herzegovina guarantees freedom of religion, which is generally upheld throughout the country.

Overview of the role of the Islam in Bosnia and Herzegovina "Muslims in Bosnia and Herzegovina" redirects here. Islam in Europe by percentage of country population Share of Muslims in Bosnia and Herzegovina by municipalities in 2013 Islam is the most widespread religion in Bosnia and Herzegovina . It was introduced to the local population in the 15th and 16th centuries as a result of the Ottoman conquest of Bosnia and Herzegovina . Muslims comprise the single largest religious community in Bosnia and Herzegovina (50%) (the other two large groups being Eastern Orthodox Christians (31%), almost all of whom identify as Serbs , and Roman Catholics (16%), almost all of whom identify as Croats . Another estimate done by PEW Research states that 50% of the population is Muslim , 35% Orthodox and only 9% Catholic . Almost all of Bosnian Muslims identify as Bosniaks ; until 1993, Bosnians of Muslim culture or origin (regardless of religious practice) were defined by Yugoslav authorities as Muslimani (Muslims) in an ethno-national sense (hence the capital M), though some people of Bosniak or Muslim backgrounds identified their nationality (in an ethnic sense rather than strictly in terms of citizenship) as "Yugoslav" prior to the early 1990s. A small minority of non-Bosniak Muslims in Bosnia and Herzegovina include Albanians , Roma and Turks . Albeit traditionally adherent to Sunni Islam of the Hanafi school of jurisprudence , a 2012 survey found 54% of Bosnia and Herzegovina's Muslims to consider themselves just Muslims , while 38% told that they are Sunni Muslims. There is also a small Sufi community, located primarily in Central Bosnia. A small Shia Muslim community is also present in Bosnia. Almost all Muslim congregations in Bosnia and Herzegovina refer to the Islamic Community of Bosnia and Herzegovina as their religious organisation. The Constitution of Bosnia and Herzegovina guarantees freedom of religion, which is generally upheld throughout the country. United States Department of State . There are <ref group=lower-alpha> tags or templates on this page, but the references will not show without a template or template (see the help page ).

Islam in Europe by percentage of country population Share of Muslims in Bosnia and Herzegovina by municipalities in 2013 Islam is the most widespread religion in Bosnia and Herzegovina . It was introduced to the local population in the 15th and 16th centuries as a result of the Ottoman conquest of Bosnia and Herzegovina . Muslims make the largest religious community in Bosnia and Herzegovina at around 51% of the population. Almost all of Bosnian Muslims identify as Bosniaks ; until 1993, Bosnians of Muslim culture or origin (regardless of religious practice) were defined by Yugoslav authorities as Muslimani (Muslims) in an ethno-national sense (hence the capital M), though some people of Bosniak or Muslim backgrounds identified their nationality (in an ethnic sense rather than strictly in terms of citizenship) as "Yugoslav" prior to the early 1990s. A small minority of non-Bosniak Muslims in Bosnia and Herzegovina include Albanians , Roma and Turks . Albeit traditionally adherent to Sunni Islam of the Hanafi school of jurisprudence , a 2012 survey found 54% of Bosnia and Herzegovina's Muslims to consider themselves Non-denominational Muslims , while 38% told that they are Sunni Muslims. There is also a small Sufi community, located primarily in Central Bosnia. A small Shia Muslim community is also present in Bosnia. Almost all Muslim congregations in Bosnia and Herzegovina refer to the Islamic Community of Bosnia and Herzegovina as their religious organisation. United States Department of State . There are <ref group=lower-alpha> tags or templates on this page, but the references will not show without a template or template (see the help page ).