Fata Omanović (1883 – 2 January 1967), later known as Darinka Prijatelj, was a

Bosnian Muslim 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, cu ...

woman from

Mostar Mostar (, ; sr-Cyrl, Мостар, ) is a city and the administrative center of Herzegovina-Neretva Canton of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, an entity of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and the historical capital of Herzegovina. Mostar is sit ...

who was abducted to

Dalmatia Dalmatia (; hr, Dalmacija ; it, Dalmazia; see #Name, names in other languages) is one of the four historical region, historical regions of Croatia, alongside Croatia proper, Slavonia, and Istria. Dalmatia is a narrow belt of the east shore of ...

and was converted from Islam to Catholicism in 1899, aged 16. This brought significant debate to the issue of

religious conversion Religious conversion is the adoption of a set of beliefs identified with one particular religious denomination to the exclusion of others. Thus "religious conversion" would describe the abandoning of adherence to one denomination and affiliatin ...

Bosnia and Herzegovina Bosnia and Herzegovina ( sh, / , ), abbreviated BiH () or B&H, sometimes called Bosnia–Herzegovina and often known informally as Bosnia, is a country at the crossroads of south and southeast Europe, located in the Balkans. Bosnia and H ...

at the turn of the century. Since she was taken to a monastery and baptized, Omanović has remained a symbol of

Christian proselytism A Christian mission is an organized effort for the propagation of the Christian faith. Missions involve sending individuals and groups across boundaries, most commonly geographical boundaries, to carry on evangelism or other activities, such ...

attempts on Bosnian Muslims. The case resulted in the development of the first Bosnian Muslim political party in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Story

In the spring of 1899, Fata's father Osman Omanović's arranged for his 16-year-old daughter to marry an old friend of his. Omanović dreaded her fate and sought advice from her Catholic neighbors who persuaded her to escape to

and renounce her religion. On the night of 2–3 May 1899, Fata met up with a Catholic guide who led her on the 32-kilometer journey to Dalmatia. In the coming days, the Omanović family learned that Fata had been taken to a monastery, baptized and accepted into the Catholic Church. On 5 May 1899, several leading Muslims of Mostar organized a protest meeting due to the kidnapping of young Fata Omanović by Catholic missionaries who took her to a monastery and baptized her. The Muslims formed a committee headed by the Mostar Mufti Ali Fehmi Džabić. They called on the ruling

Austro-Hungarian Empire Austria-Hungary, often referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire,, the Dual Monarchy, or Austria, was a constitutional monarchy and great power in Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. It was formed with the Austro-Hungarian Compromise of ...

to return Omanović and put an end to religious conversions. The Omanović case also resulted in the emergence of the first Bosnian Muslim political party, led by Ali Bey Firdus (1862–1910). According to Belgrade daily "Vreme", by 1940 Fata lived in

Ljubljana Ljubljana (also known by other historical names) is the capital and largest city of Slovenia. It is the country's cultural, educational, economic, political and administrative center. During antiquity, a Roman city called Emona stood in the ar ...

as Darinka Prijatelj. She died there in 1967.(Slovenian
HMSejko: julij 2013 - BOSANCI NA SLOVENSKEM V 20. STOLETJU
sejko-hm.blogspot.com Retr. 17. aug. 2019

In popular culture

Historian Hivzija Hasandedić (1915–2003) chronicled the case of Fata Omanović and three other forced conversions at the turn of the century in Herzegovina.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Omanovic, Fata 1883 births 1967 deaths People from Mostar Bosnia and Herzegovina former Muslims Converts to Roman Catholicism from Sunni Islam Bosnia and Herzegovina Roman Catholics