ABSTRACT
B&H was formerly one of the six federal republics of Yugoslavia. During the break up of that country in the early 1990s, B&H declared independence on 1 March 1991 after a referendum, which was boycotted by Bosnian Serbs. In 1992, Bosnian Serbs joined with Serbs from neighbouring Serbia and Montenegro to begin hostilities against B&H, using the weaponry and army of the former state of Yugoslavia. The intention was to destroy all non-Serbs, with the main focus on Bosnian Muslims, in order to create their own ethnically cleansed state called the Republika Srpska. They started with the systematic shelling of civilian buildings all over the territory of B&H, expelling people from the homes they had lived in for centuries, starting fires and killing men and women. Many women were raped, as well as teenage and even younger girls. The war lasted from 1992 to 1995, including the 1,479-day siege of the capital, Sarajevo. Atrocities were committed all over the country, including genocide in a number of places. In Srebrenica alone, located in the north of the country, Serbs killed between 8,000 and 10,000 Bosnian Muslim males, from young boys to old men, in the presence of the UN Dutch troops who were stationed in the town to protect the UN-proclaimed ‘safe haven’. Women and children were separated from men and expelled from the town. The bodies of thousands of husbands, sons, fathers, brothers and relatives, who were killed there, have not been found to this day. From the census figures of 1991, it is known that there were 4.5 million citizens of B&H: 44 per cent Bosniaks, 37 per cent Serbs, 17 per cent Croats and 2 per cent of others. Some 200,000 citizens, with the highest percentage of Bosniaks among them, were killed during the 1992-1995 war, and about one million were forced into exile all over the world. The war and its atrocities impacted on the lives of all the people in the country, on many women and girls who survived, often with no male family members, and also on the whole infrastructure of the society, including education and sport. The cessation of hostilities was achieved by the signing of a peace accord in Dayton, USA. As a result of this accord, NATO forces led an international peacekeeping force in the country, which was gradually reduced to a stabilising force and eventually reduced further to a European Union force. The pre-war borders remained, and a joint, multi-ethnic and democratic government was established at the state level, entrusted with conducting foreign, diplomatic and fiscal policies. Administratively, B&H was set up as a state of two entities with their respective governments: the Federation of B&H (FBiH) and the Republika Srpska (RS). Today, Bosniaks and Croats make up the majority in the Federation of B&H, while Serbs make up the majority in the Republika Srpska. After the war, politicians have been unable to agree on the terms of another census, so that we do not have precise percentages of the current population; however, there still remain three main constituent groups: Bosniaks (Muslims), Croats (Catholics) and Serbs (Orthodox Christians), as well as several other religious groups such as Jews, Protestants, etc. Today the country’s policies are based on the acceptance of multi-ethnicity and multi-religion. Children and young people go to the same schools and mix in public places, except that there
are some ethnically homogeneous areas and specific faith schools for Catholic or Muslim children. Today women, including Muslim women, participate freely – and successfully – in sports in B&H. It is interesting to note, however, that the majority of successful women in individual sports are Muslim, whilst in team sports like basketball, volleyball, handball and winter sports there is a mix of the ethnicities living in the country. Today sportswomen such as boxer Irma Balijagic, basketball player Razija Mujanovic, tennis player Mervana Jugic-Salkic, the best performer in rhythmic gymnastics Amila Terzimehic, and most of the best women in karate (Arijana Jaha, Arnela Odzakovic – gold medallist at the 2009 World Games in Taiwan) and judo (Larisa Ceric, 2009 junior World champion) are all Muslims. Islam, as practised in B&H, is moderate, with women wearing predominantly European-style clothes, although many Muslim women also choose to wear a head covering to comply with Islamic requirements. Girls studying at madrasahs and Faculties of Islamic Studies dress exclusively according to Islamic principles. During physical-education classes in school, however, they dress conventionally, although in public competitions they wear tracksuits and scarves. As for prayers and fasting, they are matters of personal choice except for the students of the above-mentioned institutions, who meet all Islamic demands in this respect. There are no women who adhere to strict Islamic dress and behaviour codes, however, among top sportswomen.
