The Influence of Bosnian Islam on the Identity of Slovenian Muslims

Abstract

The article focuses on the identity of Slovenian Muslims. The Population Census in Slovenia shows that the majority of Slovenian Muslims by ethnicity are defined as Bosniaks, Muslims or Bosnians. All three national classifications are defined by migrants from Bosnia and Herzegovina (B-H). In recent times, religion has had a significant influence on the formation of the identity of Muslims in both B-H and in Slovenia, characterized by nationalism and culture. The primary characteristic of the population of B-H is its heterogeneity. Thus, religious identity has always been evenly tied to its national and political identity. However, we must not ignore the fact that Bosnian Islam has always been different from Islam on other continents, which is especially evident in the local manners and ways of everyday life. The influence of religion is derived from the reality of religious practices that individuals have adapted to their cultural identity. In this discussion, we will attempt to identitfy those connections that relate to Slovene Islam in Muslim religious practice.