tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3519883976018465014.post9003299383648889382..comments2024-01-30T19:29:34.430+01:00Comments on Brits in Bosnia - toddlers, dog and all: Of mosques, medresas and beerUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger12125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3519883976018465014.post-57440232325945444162010-02-15T10:36:43.302+01:002010-02-15T10:36:43.302+01:00Santa - glad you like it. Very true quote, I like ...Santa - glad you like it. Very true quote, I like if very much.<br /><br />Lynn - we are lucky indeed. I enjoy it every day.Dorset Dispatcheshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10457466586411004146noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3519883976018465014.post-23245540560388206992010-02-12T16:27:19.220+01:002010-02-12T16:27:19.220+01:00That's interesting. The reality of Islam is t...That's interesting. The reality of Islam is that most practicing Muslims aren't fundamental extremists, but it's the ones that are that scare everyone. It's the same in Christianity--there are extremist groups, and they commit acts of terrorism.<br /><br />You're so lucky to be able to see the juxtaposition of European culture and Islam!L Dhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18326267746653059247noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3519883976018465014.post-54726258119080075232010-02-11T05:55:36.124+01:002010-02-11T05:55:36.124+01:00Excellent, perspicacious article about my homeland...Excellent, perspicacious article about my homeland. <br /><br />Thanks guys!<br /><br />(“Bosnia is one of those places where you come as a guest, leave as an acquaintance, and return as a friend” — Nenad Velickovic)Santahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09532023654857467254noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3519883976018465014.post-24834069871305735272010-02-10T11:57:30.396+01:002010-02-10T11:57:30.396+01:00Owen - thanks so much, I really value your comment...Owen - thanks so much, I really value your comments. We will miss Bosnia very much but for many reasons the time has come to return to the UK.Dorset Dispatcheshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10457466586411004146noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3519883976018465014.post-37765847418106628122010-02-10T11:13:24.596+01:002010-02-10T11:13:24.596+01:00It's sad that someone with such a perceptive e...It's sad that someone with such a perceptive eye and ability to communicate won't be reporting from Bosnia after April.<br /><br />OwenAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3519883976018465014.post-52409097491418198212010-02-09T22:13:22.336+01:002010-02-09T22:13:22.336+01:00Thanks for helping me to understand your point bet...Thanks for helping me to understand your point better.Gappyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15086671907412626209noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3519883976018465014.post-61716254117575950442010-02-09T09:37:35.741+01:002010-02-09T09:37:35.741+01:00working Mama - glad you enjoyed it.
WDA - that, t...working Mama - glad you enjoyed it.<br /><br />WDA - that, to me, sums up Bosnia!<br /><br />NVG - There are a few, very few, radical Muslims here. But they have the same relationship with the vast majority that the extremist Christian right in the states have with most of us - ie pretty distant and not much similarity.<br /><br /><br />Gappy and Dino - I'm going to answer your comments together. Hope that is ok!<br /><br />My intention was not to suggest that the Christian and Muslim communities here get along well. In some areas they do, in many others they don't (Mostar being a prime case here!). What I was trying to do was to say that the Muslims here seem to have developed a way to be comfortably both European and Muslim which is unusual and which other European countries could probably learn from.<br /><br />The conflict here wasn't caused by religion, but religion happens to identify the different groups. Usually I prefer not to bring religion into descriptions of Bosnians at all, because I feel it is misleading. Bosnian Croats are not referred to as catholic, nor are the Serbs labelled as Orthodox, so it doesn't seem right to identify the Bosnian Muslims by their religion. In my normal day to day life, I usually refer to them by their more accurate name, Bosniaks, but find that for people who are just starting to try to understand Bosnia this is very confusing. The difference between Bosniak and Bosnian is very distinct, but easily confused without a confident knowledge of the country, which is why, although I hate it, I use the term Bosnian Muslim in this blog.<br /><br />Tensions between the different groups here are high. Mostar is particularly bad. The football matches there are case studies in potential violence. There are many reasons for this - it is a derby game, which are always the most passionate, the recent conflict certainly adds to this passion, the take over of Velez's stadium by Zrinjski during the war, the interference of politicians wanting to create a sense of instability for their own reasons. The list goes on. Mostar is such a beautiful town, it is such a shame that it remains so riven with differences and intolerance.Dorset Dispatcheshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10457466586411004146noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3519883976018465014.post-39563919808994905752010-02-08T23:14:03.493+01:002010-02-08T23:14:03.493+01:00Hi Emily,
I agree with just about everything you&...Hi Emily,<br /><br />I agree with just about everything you've said here. So many people in the UK seem to think that to be Muslim you have to be 1) dark skinned and "covered up" and 2) some sort of radical fundamentalist who wants to take over the world. This perception of Muslims has always upset me, and I often want to scream "It's a religion, not a race and not all Muslims are the same!" <br /><br />I wouldn't say that there are no tensions between Muslims and Christians in B & H though. Perhaps there aren't any obvious tensions in Tuzla as there was no major fighting there in the war, but I know that in Mostar a Muslim can get beaten up if he or she walks onto the Croat (Roman Catholic) side, and vice versa.You only need to watch what happens when football clubs from the two sides play a game against each other to see all the hatred pour out-it's shocking and disgusting. <br /><br />When I was in Mostar last year I heard some really horrendous stories about intollerance, and one of my friends said that one of the things she hates the most about contemporary Mostar is the division between the two religious communities and how they continously fail and refuse to understand each other, and how she doesn't feel comfortable going over to the Muslim side for that reason, although she herself hasn't got anything against anyone. Of course not everyone is intollerant in Mostar, but a fair few people are and that spoils the entire city for everyone living there. I just hope that one day they will all learn to get along and tolerate each other again.Dinonoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3519883976018465014.post-36541386596907891402010-02-08T20:42:17.308+01:002010-02-08T20:42:17.308+01:00I really like your blog. You always have something...I really like your blog. You always have something interesting to say, and I particularly enjoy the beautiful descriptions of the country you have made your home.<br /><br />I'm a bit confused about your assertion that there's little tension between the muslim and christian communities though. The viscious ethnic cleansing of muslims in Bosnia is really very recent.<br /><br />Did I get your meaning wrong? Please feel free to correct me if I did.Gappyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15086671907412626209noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3519883976018465014.post-35392168507420701812010-02-08T16:14:09.610+01:002010-02-08T16:14:09.610+01:00That is interesting. Sounds like a very sensible a...That is interesting. Sounds like a very sensible approach - let's hope it doesn't ever revert to fundamentalism, like some other Islamic countries.nappy valley girlhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10788949037047084412noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3519883976018465014.post-52071008556784428412010-02-08T14:17:15.972+01:002010-02-08T14:17:15.972+01:00Only yesterday we were in the BBI Centar - again -...Only yesterday we were in the BBI Centar - again - and I was marvelling that while the Islamic finance that funded it came with the requirement that no alcohol be sold onsite (no pork either) it doesn't stop an extensive range of lingerie shops operating with all the usual advertising their windows. <br /><br />I'd agree that things are very different here to the perceptions of Muslim culture given off by the UK press.WeDoAdventurehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10678149362154005218noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3519883976018465014.post-77772456576088932802010-02-08T12:53:27.587+01:002010-02-08T12:53:27.587+01:00Really informative post. Great to learn about othe...Really informative post. Great to learn about other culturesMusings of a Motherhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18152792654181529365noreply@blogger.com