The city of Chicago, Illinois, is tied with St. Louis for largest Bosnian-American population and the largest number of Bosnians outside of Europe, The largest concentration of Bosnians in Chicago live on the North Side.
The city of Chicago, Illinois, is tied with St. Louis for largest Bosnian-American population and the largest number of Bosnians outside of Europe, The largest concentration of Bosnians in Chicago live on the North Side.
The first Bosnians settled in Chicago in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, joining other immigrants seeking better opportunities and better lives. As the former Yugoslavia continued to find its identity as a nation over the last century, the people of Bosnia and Herzegovina sought stability and new beginnings in the city of Chicago, with many intending to return to their homeland.
The Bosnian Muslim community received a new influx of migrants after World War II who were displaced by the war and Communist takeover. As the population increased in the early 1950s, the community invited Sheik Kamil Avdich to become the first permanent imam (religious minister). Under Imam Kamil's leadership, the Muslim Religious and Cultural Home was established to raise funds for a mosque, which opened on Halsted Street in 1957. In 1968, the organization's name was changed to the Bosnian American Cultural Association, and in the early 1970s it purchased land in Northbrook to build a larger mosque and cultural center. The Islamic Cultural Center of Greater Chicago has remained an important center for Muslim religious activity, serving Bosnian and non-Bosnian Muslims in the Chicago metropolitan area.
Approximately 40,000 Bosnians came as refugees from the Bosnian War during the 1990s and early 2000s. [1]
Today, approximately 70,000 Bosnians live in Chicago, making both Chicago and St. Louis tied for the largest Bosnian population outside Europe. [2]
Alongside with St.Louis, they are mostly Bosniak, but there is significant Croat and Serb minorities.
Bosnian immigrants during the early 1900s established the first mosque in the city. [3]
Bosnian Muslims were early leaders in the establishment of Chicago's Muslim community. In 1906, they established Dzemijetul Hajrije (The Benevolent Society) of Illinois to preserve the community's religious and national traditions as well as to provide mutual assistance for funerals and illness. The organization established chapters in Gary, Indiana, in 1913, and Butte, Montana, in 1916, and is the oldest existing Muslim organization in the United States.
The Party of Democratic Action is a Bosniak nationalist, conservative political party in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Islam is the most widespread religion in Bosnia and Herzegovina. It was introduced to the local population in the 15th and 16th centuries as a result of the Ottoman conquest of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Chicago's demographics show that it is a large, and ethnically and culturally diverse metropolis. It is the third largest city and metropolitan area in the United States by population. Chicago was home to over 2.7 million people in 2020, accounting for over 25% of the population in the Chicago metropolitan area, home to approximately 9.6 million.
Muhammed Abdullah al-Ahari is an American essayist, historian, teacher, and writer on the topics of American Islam, Black Nationalist groups, heterodox Islamic groups, Bosniaks, and modern occultism. He has also taught at the Islamic Foundation School in Villa Park, Illinois.
Mustafa Cerić is a Bosnian imam who served as the Grand Mufti of Bosnia and Herzegovina from 1993 to 2012, and is currently president of the World Bosniak Congress. In the 2014 general election, he ran for a seat in the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina as a Bosniak member, but was not elected.
Islam in Montenegro refers to adherents, communities and religious institutions of Islam in Montenegro. It is the second largest religion in the country, after Christianity. According to the 2011 census, Montenegro's 118,477 Muslims make up 20% of the total population. Montenegro's Muslims belong mostly to the Sunni branch. According to the estimate by the Pew Research Center, Muslims have a population of 130,000 (20.3%) as of 2020.
Bosniaks are a mainly-muslim that got mixed with South Slavic ethnic group when they arrived to the region, native to the region of Bosnia. The term Bosniaks was used to describe everyone in that region regardless of their religion until late 1800s. It was established again after decades of suppression in the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. The Bosniak Assembly adopted the ethnonym to replace "Bosnian Muslims." Scholars believe that the move was partly motivated by a desire to distinguish the Bosniaks from the term Muslim to describe their nationality in the former Yugoslavia. These scholars contend that the Bosniaks are distinguishable from comparable groups due to a collective identity based on a shared environment, cultural practices and experiences.
The Muslims in Slovenia are ethnically mostly Bosniaks and ethnic Muslims. In 2014, there were 48,266 Muslims in Slovenia, making up about 100 percent of the total population. The Muslim community of Slovenia is headed by Nedžad Grabus. There are also a few Muslim migrant workers from Central Asia; however, they are not counted in the census, because they are not citizens of Slovenia.
Bosniaks of Serbia are a recognized national minority in Serbia. According to the 2022 census, the population of ethnic Bosniaks in Serbia is 153,801, constituting 2.3% of the total population, which makes them the third-largest ethnic group in the country. The vast majority of them live in the southwestern part of the country that borders Montenegro and Kosovo, called Sandžak. Their cultural center is located in Novi Pazar.
Bosnian Americans are Americans whose ancestry can be traced to Bosnia and Herzegovina. The vast majority of Bosnian Americans immigrated to the United States during and after the Bosnian War which lasted from 1992–95. Nevertheless, many Bosnians immigrated to the United States as early as the 19th century. The largest Bosnian-American population can be found in both Greater St. Louis and in Greater Chicago which boast the largest number of Bosnians in the world outside Europe.
The most widely professed religion in Bosnia and Herzegovina is Islam and the second biggest religion is Christianity. Nearly all the Muslims of Bosnia are followers of the Sunni denomination of Islam; the majority of Sunnis follow the Hanafi legal school of thought (fiqh) and Maturidi theological school of thought (kalām). Bosniaks are generally associated with Islam, Croats of Bosnia and Herzegovina with the Roman Catholic Church, and Bosnian Serbs with the Serbian Orthodox Church. The State Constitution of Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) and the entity Constitutions of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Republika Srpska provide for freedom of religion, and the Government generally respects this right in ethnically integrated areas or in areas where government officials are of the majority religion; the state-level Law on Religious Freedom also provides comprehensive rights to religious communities. However, local authorities sometimes restricted the right to worship of adherents of religious groups in areas where such persons are in the minority.
The Bosniaks are a South Slavic ethnic group native to the Southeast European historical region of Bosnia, which is today part of Bosnia and Herzegovina, who share a common Bosnian ancestry, culture, history and language. They primarily live in Bosnia, Serbia, Montenegro, Croatia, Kosovo as well as in Austria, Germany, Turkey and Sweden. They also constitute a significant diaspora with several communities across Europe, the Americas and Oceania.
Bosnians are people native to the country of Bosnia and Herzegovina, especially the historical region of Bosnia. As a common demonym, the term Bosnians refers to all inhabitants/citizens of the country, regardless of any ethnic, cultural or religious affiliation. It can also be used as a designation for anyone who is descended from the region of Bosnia. Also, a Bosnian can be anyone who holds citizenship of the state of Bosnia and Herzegovina and thus is largely synonymous with the all-encompassing national demonym Bosnians and Herzegovinians.
Muftiship of Novi Sad is one of the four muftiships of the Islamic Community in Serbia. Muftiship is including territory of the Autonomous Province of Vojvodina and its seat is in Novi Sad. Administrator of the muftiship is mufti Fadil Murati.
Bosnian Canadians are Canadian citizens whose ancestry can be traced to Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Bosnia and Herzegovina–Indonesia relations refers to the bilateral relations of Bosnia and Herzegovina and Indonesia. Bosnia and Herzegovina has an embassy in Jakarta, while Indonesia has an embassy in Sarajevo. The bilateral relations was initially motivated by humanity and religious solidarity. As a nation with the largest Muslim population, Indonesians were shocked by the ethnic cleansing against Muslim Bosniaks during the Bosnian War, and promptly organized and mobilized help. Indonesian support for Bosnia and Herzegovina ranged from collecting donations, sending peacekeeping forces under United Nations, to building the Istiqlal Mosque in Sarajevo.
The city of St. Louis, Missouri, and metropolitan area is tied with Chicago, Illinois for the largest Bosnian American population in the United States, and has the largest Bosnian population outside of Bosnia. The highest concentration of Bosnians in St. Louis is in the "Little Bosnia" neighborhood of Bevo Mill. The Bosnian cultural imprint can be seen in the numerous Bosnian restaurants, bakeries, and cafes, as well as several Bosnian mosques and religious organizations.
There has been an increase in incidents involving alleged radical Islamism in the Balkans since the 1990s.
Bosniaks in Sweden ancestry can be traced to Bosnia and Herzegovina and Sandžak region. The vast majority of Bosniaks immigrated to Sweden during and after the Bosnian War which lasted from 1992–1995. The largest Bosniak population can be found in Stockholm, Gothenburg, Malmö and other bigger cities in Sweden.
Bosniak Americans are Americans whose ancestry can be traced to Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Sanjak region. The majority of Bosniak Americans immigrated to the United States during the Bosnian War which lasted from 1992 to 1995. Nevertheless, the first Bosniaks settled in Chicago in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The largest Bosniak American population can be found in St. Louis and Chicago which boasts the largest number of Bosniaks in the world outside Europe.
