Lecture Held: “The Islamization of the Serbian Ethnic Space and the History of Serbs of the Islamic Faith”

On May 18, 2022, historian and publicist Salih Selimović delivered a lecture at the Faculty of Security Sciences on the topic: “The Islamization of the Serbian Ethnic Space and the History of Serbs of the Islamic Faith.”

Selimović conducted his historiographical and demographic research in the areas of Stara Raška, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Montenegro.

In his comprehensive lecture, Selimović divided the process of Islamization of the “Serbian ethnic and cultural space” into three phases:

1. The Initial Phase (late 16th to mid-17th century): Characterized by individual conversions to Islam. According to the first census of the Pashalik of Bosnia conducted by the Ottoman administration at the end of the 16th century, out of 37,000 families, only 337 were Muslim. A similar ratio applied to Herzegovina.

2. The Main Phase (mid-17th to early 19th century): Characterized by mass conversions, driven by violence, economic incentives, and social privileges (such as the “Devshirme” or blood tax, and Islamization on feudal estates).

3. Late Islamization (early to mid-19th century): Also characterized by individual conversions.

A general feature of the process was that women accepted the change of faith with much greater difficulty, while it was accepted more easily by the nobility and the younger population.

“Although Islamization occurred in other areas of Ottoman rule, it nowhere led to the formation of new nations as it did within the Serbian ethnic and cultural space,” stated Selimović.

The professor noted that deliberate propaganda constructs—such as “Great Serbian hegemony” and “Bogomilism”—alongside indoctrination and public apathy, led to the short-term success of the proponents of the Bosniak national idea, but also to irreparable long-term damage.

Selimović concluded that the process of dismantling the “Serbian ethnic and cultural space,” which began during the Ottoman era, was continued by the Austro-Hungarians and completed by the communists.

Salih Selimović is a Serbian historian and publicist, born in 1944 in Tešanj. He descends from the Serbian family Vujović (Herzegovina). He is the author of 20 books and 116 scientific and professional papers. He is a regular member of Matica Srpska, a contributor to several scientific journals, and a recipient of the Vuk Award and other prestigious honors.

Professor Selimović’s lecture is the result of cooperation between the Department of History at the Faculty of Philosophy and the Faculty of Security Sciences (UNIBL).

You can watch the full lecture HERE.