The Discourse on Islam, Democracy and Human Rights in Bosnia and Herzegovina 1980-2010
The Discourse on Islam, Democracy and Human Rights in Bosnia and Herzegovina 1980-2010

Summary/Abstract: This article explores the relationship between Islam, democracy, and human rights in Islamic publications in Bosnia and Herzegovina in the period from 1980 to 2010. During this period two waves of the Islamic revival emerged in the country, as a reaction to an existing threat to Bosnian Muslims’ vital rights and interests, which in turn were presented by Serb nationalist intellectuals as “evidence” of the supposed intent of Bosnian Muslims to create an Islamic state in Europe which “could become the stronghold of the most extreme Islamic fundamentalism”. Based on an analysis of the publications from this period, this article explores the influence of the Islamic revival on the relationship between Islam, democracy and human rights. It shows that most of the publications are written by prominent Muslim intellectuals, who emphasize the compatibility of Islam, democracy and human rights. It also shows that while the different interpretations of Islam that were brought in the second wave of the Islamic revival challenged the local Islamic customs and religious practices, there were no attempts to impose political ideas. There were no demands for the application of the Shari‘ah or the establishment of an Islamic state.

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