Bosniaks
The Bosniaks ( bs, Bošnjaci, Cyrillic: Бошњаци, ; , ) are a South Slavic ethnic group native to the Southeast European historical region of Bosnia, which is today part of Bosnia and Herzegovina, who share a common Bosnian ancestry ...
are a Slavic Muslim ethnic group living in
Kosovo, numbering 27,553 according to the 2011 census. Because this census was boycotted by most
Kosovo Serbs, leaving the Serb population underrepresented, Bosniaks were recorded as being the second-largest ethnic group in Kosovo, after the
Kosovo Albanians. The vast majority of Bosniaks are adherents of
Sunni Islam
Sunni Islam () is the largest branch of Islam, followed by 85–90% of the world's Muslims. Its name comes from the word '' Sunnah'', referring to the tradition of Muhammad. The differences between Sunni and Shia Muslims arose from a disagre ...
.
Demographics
The 2011 census states the number of Bosniaks in Kosovo are 27,553, with around 21,000 of them living in the municipalities of
Prizren
)
, settlement_type = Municipality and city
, image_skyline = Prizren Collage.jpg
, imagesize = 290px
, image_caption = View of Prizren
, image_alt = View of Prizren
, image_flag ...
and
Dragaš.
Bosniaks
The Bosniaks ( bs, Bošnjaci, Cyrillic: Бошњаци, ; , ) are a South Slavic ethnic group native to the Southeast European historical region of Bosnia, which is today part of Bosnia and Herzegovina, who share a common Bosnian ancestry ...
make up 1.6% of the whole population.
History
Persons with the attribute ''"Boşnak"'' or ''"from Bosnia"'' are seldom mentioned among 15th century Ottoman defters. The overwhelming majority of Bosniaks in Kosovo settled in the 18th, 19th and 20th century during the Ottoman era, mostly after the Congress of Berlin, but also after its fall during the
First and
Second World Wars. They consist of Slavic-speaking Muslims who largely originate from
Sandžak, but also from Montenegro (
Plav and
Gusinje in particular), Bosnia, Serbia, and Croatia. The majority of them settled in
Peja
Peja ( Indefinite Albanian form: ''Pejë'' ) or Peć ( sr-Cyrl, Пећ ) is the fourth largest city of Kosovo and seat of Peja Municipality and Peja District. It is situated in the region of Rugova on the eastern section of the Accursed Mount ...
,
Istok,
Prizren
)
, settlement_type = Municipality and city
, image_skyline = Prizren Collage.jpg
, imagesize = 290px
, image_caption = View of Prizren
, image_alt = View of Prizren
, image_flag ...
and
Mitrovica.
Another group includes Slavic Muslims who already resided in Southern Kosovo in the areas around
Prizren
)
, settlement_type = Municipality and city
, image_skyline = Prizren Collage.jpg
, imagesize = 290px
, image_caption = View of Prizren
, image_alt = View of Prizren
, image_flag ...
,
Gora
Gora may refer to:
*Gora (surname)
*'' Gora'', a Bengali novel by Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore
*Gora (musical instrument)
*'' G.O.R.A.'', a 2004 Turkish comedy film
* Goparaju Ramachandra Rao ("Gora", 1902–1975), Indian social reformer an ...
and
Zupa.
The ethnonym "Bosniak" in Kosovo is used by several distinct Slavic Muslim groups which came to form the Bosniaks of Kosovo. It was adopted by these groups as a collective identifier largely after 1999. Some Slavic-speaking Muslims identify interchangeably or exclusively as Gorani.
Politics
There are several Bosniak political parties in Kosovo and the oldest one is
Bosniak Party of Democratic Action of Kosovo (''Bošnjačka stranka demokratske akcije Kosova'').
Current Status
Following the end of the
Kosovo War, Bosniaks faced ongoing discrimination by Albanians who associated them with Serbs. Between 1999 and 2001, 80 Bosniaks went missing, were killed or injured. Bosniaks encounter high unemployment and poor education in Kosovo due to a lack of schools conducting studies in the Bosnian language. The return of Bosniaks who escaped Kosovo during the Kosovo War has been a slow process. Many are instead opting to sell their homes to leave for
Bosnia and Herzegovina and
Western Europe.
[UNHC]
Update on the Kosovo Roma, Ashkaelia, Egyptian, Serb, Bosniak, Gorani and Albanian communities in a minority situation
Unhcr.org, Retrieved 2012-09-12
Notable people
*
Duda Balje, politician
*
Emilija Redžepi, politician
*
Adrijana Hodžić, politician
See also
*
Bosniaks
The Bosniaks ( bs, Bošnjaci, Cyrillic: Бошњаци, ; , ) are a South Slavic ethnic group native to the Southeast European historical region of Bosnia, which is today part of Bosnia and Herzegovina, who share a common Bosnian ancestry ...
References
{{Kosovo-stub
Ethnic groups in Kosovo
Muslim communities in Europe
Bosniak diaspora