Yugoslavs of the Moslem Faith
Yugoslavs of the Moslem Faith

Author(s): Wayne S. Vucinich
Subject(s): Cultural history, Sociology of Culture, The Ottoman Empire, Sociology of Politics
Published by: CEEOL Collections / Digital Reproductions
Keywords: Islam in Yugoslavia; Ottoman Empire;
Summary/Abstract: For centuries the territory of the South Slavs was a scene of conflict between the East and the West. Long and bitter religious disputes raged, with the Bogomils, the Eastern Orthodox, and the Roman Catholics struggling for dominance. the Ottoman Turks succeeded in conquering the entire Balkans by the end of the fifteenth century, the process of Islamization gradually extended over a large part of the Yugoslav lands. The Ottomans did not, for the most part, impose their faith on the newly conquered peoples, with the exception of boys taken into the janizaty and spahi corps. The Orthodox and Catholic churches suffered almost no hindrance in the exercise of their beliefs. But members of the Moslem faith were preferred for government positions and were given other favors by the government. As a result, many Yugoslavs went over to Islam. The nobility accepted Islam in order to preserve their privileged social position and wealth, to protect themselves from Turkish and Albanian attacks, and to escape the blood tax.

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