Religion, Peace and Conflict Block 3-Week 5: Balkan Islam in the Post-communist period

Introduction In the post-communist period, Balkan Muslims emerge as autonomous political actors They form their own political parties Since 1990 Balkan Muslims express openly some cultural and political claims, strengthen their national awareness and sometimes proclaim their own political sovereignty like in Bosnia-Hercegovina or in Kosovo

Post-communist Balkan Conflicts and Muslims The Muslims of the Balkans were involved in most of the crises which shook the region: 1) Massive exodus of Bulgarian Turks in July 1989 2) Kosovo crisis in March 1998 3) Bosnian conflict in 1992/95 4) Albanian civil war 1997

Muslim Elites prior to the Second World War Prior to the Second World War the Balkan Muslims were represented by their traditional notables (landlords and rich traders) who were linked to the ruling parties through clientilistic bonds. Only Bosnian Muslim notables succeeded in building their own party, but they also showed allegiance to the central power, and contested themselves with shifting alliances with the Serbian or Croatian forces.

Muslim elites in the Communist Period The communist period saw the formation of new Muslim elites (professors, teachers, physicians, engineers) It also saw the crystalization of national identities which till then had remained unclear and fluid, as clearly shown by the case of the Muslims in Bosnia-Hercegovina and the Albanians in Kosovo and Macedonia

Balkan Muslims in the Post-Communist Era The collapse of communism in 1989/90 allowed these social and cultural changes to find an expression on the political level The new laws on political pluralism adopted by the Balkan states in 1989/90 usually banned every party founded on an ethnic or religious basis. But this clause did not prevent the creation of parties representing the Muslim populations

Balkan Muslims in the Post-Communist Era At first these parties circumvented these laws by choosing names without any ethnic connotation: Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK) for Albanians in Kosovo Movement for Rights and Freedom (DPS) for the Turks of Bulgaria Party for the Democratic Action (SDA) for the Bosnian Muslims Party for Democratic Prosperity (PPD) for Albanians in Macedonia

Balkan Muslims in the Post-Communist Era These new Muslim parties were usually led by members of the new elites associated to the communist modernization and more precisely by former activists of the party and its mass organization Triumph of Muslim parties → synonymous with a monolithic Muslim vote. The main Muslim parties did not succeed in crossing the limits of their own ethnic group

Balkan Muslims in the Post-Communist Era Besides political parties, Balkan Muslims created established reviews, newspapers, cultural associations, charitable societies, intellectual forums and others E.g. Congress of the Bosnian Muslim Intellectuals E.g. Association of the Muslim intellectuals in Albania