Full page photo print

More documents

Recommendations

Info

Islamic Studies 36:2, 3 (1 997) 139 class citizenship" in the Ottoman Empire in addition to freedom from interference in local affairs. The Bosnian nobility, therefore, embraced Islam, and they have remained faithful to their commitment ever since. The resolve of the nobility being decisive in that era, Islam became the dominant culture of Bosnia. Finally, the Ottoman Turks, true to their word, granted Bosnia almost complete independence in local affairs, and Bosnian Muslims came to play major roles in the cultural and political life of the Ottoman Emp~re. On the other hand, for the non-Muslim Bosnian population, centuries of Turkish domination can certamly be viewed in an unfavourable light. Because the non-Muslim population was isolated from the mainstream of cultural and political life during the Ottoman period, a feeling of alienation developed which has made it difficult, especially for the local non-Muslims, to have an objective view of the era. Hence the opinion that the period in question was one of complete economic, social, and cultural darkness for the Balkan Peninsula continues to be held by many South Slavs. Such an attitude is well reflected in the negative treatment found in the distinguished works of Croatian and Serbian literature, such as those of the Nobel Prize winner Ivo AndriC (Nu Drini CuprijalNThe Bridge on the Drina River") and the poets, Ivan MaiuraniC (Smrt Sullail-age Cengikal"~he Death of Smail-Aga CengiCW) and Petar Petrovid NjegoS (Gorski vijenacl"Mountain Wreath"). However, no serious objective assessment of the past can overlook the role of Croatian Muslims, especially those of Bosnia-Herzegovina, in the lively cultural life of the Ottoman Empire. It must be emphas~zed that side by side with this biased approach of many, we also find that a number of historians and or~ental scholars have attempted to adopt an objective approach in assessing the Ottoman period. Among these one must mention Friedrich S. Krauss, Konstantin JereEek, Carl Patsch, Franz Babinger, Vladislav SkariC, Galab Galabow, Francesco Gabrielli, Josef Matl, Herbert Dadu, Halil InalCic, and Hamdija KreSevljakoviC. It needs to be remembered, however, that the intluence of these scholars remains limited. BOSNIAN CULTURE IN THE OTTOMAN PERIOD Although this essay will treate the culture of the Muslims of Bosnia- Herzegovina, it might be well to consider, first, some important aspects of the Ottoman period in order to correct the distortions already noted, and to bring into clear focus the context in which Bosnian Muslim culture flourished, a context containing characteristic resources as well as characteristic limitations. The era of Croatian history with which we are concerned falls on the borderline between medieval and modern history. However, at its outset the prevailing world vi~w throughout the Western worid was medieval and gave preference to faith over reason. Moreover, since Islam does not divide human activities into separate, watertight compartments of religious and secular, the achievements of the Bosnian Muslims bore the hallmark of time. Thus, on the whole, ordinary people, Muslim as well as Christian, remained medieval in mental outlook.
Islamic Studies 36:2, 3 (1 997) 141 effort noted above, but also from the cleavage of the political bond with the Orient. Because of it, and because oriental languages are no longer as well known as in earlier times, native Bosnian-Herzegovinian scholars cannot adequately assess the considerable contribution of their Muslim compatriots to the oriental Muslim culture. The literary and scientific contributions written in the Croatian language, from the inception of Austro-Hungarian rule in 1878 until the present, will not be discussed here. In this essay our effort will be confined to surveying briefly the culture of Bosnian-Herzegovinian Muslims mainly as it has been shaped by the four centuries of Ottoman rule. FOLK CULTURE Poetry It was the Muslim folk poetry of Bosnia and Herzegovina which drew world interest to the folklore of the Southern Slavic lands. Certain Muslim songs are, indeed, not only the most beautiful folk songs of the South Slavic lands, but probably among the most beautiful in the world.' Unfortunately, the Muslim origin of these poems was obscured because they were erroneously called "Morlak" or "Serbian" songs. Also, their intrinsic value was neither recognized nor acknowledged because of the frequent corruption of the texts.2 Only with the aid of recent research, free from religious and nationalist bias, have the merit and true national origin of these poems been clearly recognized. Epic Folk Poetry The South Slavic folk epic was carefully cultivated by the Bosnian Muslims. Many nobles, begs and aghas, kept personal singers who glorified their prowess in battle and that of their forefathers, and spurred the people on to new acts of heroism. Of the patrons of this art, the following are worth mentioning: wmad Pasha Hersek-Oghlu (died 1517); Beg of Lipa (presumed to have lived in the seventeenth century); Mur2d Beg BeSiroviC and Captain Muriid of Gradatac (both of the eighteenth century); Beg Novoselac (time unknown); Captain Mustaj Beg KuienoviC from Bosanski Petrovac (in office as captain from 1821 until 1835); Hgjj Rustam Beg BiSEeviC from BihaC, and Smail Aga Cengi6 and his son Ded' Aga (all of the nineteenth century). Some famous singers were: ~erim CaiC, singer of Mursd Beg BeSir~viC;~ Ahmed Bauk, singer of Smail Aga CengiC; and Avdo KarabegoviC, singer of H2jj Rustam Beg BiSEeviC. Some singers made their art available to folklorists: Mehmed Kolak KolakoviC, Hamid KuniC, Salko Vo.jnikoviC-PeziC, Meho Beba (all of the nineteenth ~entury);~ Omer Sestanovi~,~ Meho MoriC,'j Ibro TopiC, Avdo MedjedoviC, or-~uso HusoviC,' and Ahmed Bucman-JamakoviC (all of the twentieth century). Deliberate cultivation under patronage contributed to the high quality of the Bosnian-Muslim epic songs. Authoritative scholars unanimously affirm the value of Bosnian-Herzegovinian Muslim folk poetry. Friedrich Krauss writes:
Page 1 and 2: Islamic Studies 36: 2, 3 ( 1 997) T
Page 3: 140 MAIL BALICIT~B Cultural Achieve
Page 7 and 8: Islamic Studies 3 6 : 2, 3 ( 1 9 9
Page 9 and 10: Islamic Studies 36:2, 3 (1 997) And
Page 13 and 14: lslernic Studies 36:2, 3 (1 997) 14
Page 15 and 16: Islamic Studies 36:2, 3 (1 997) 151
Page 32 and 33: 168 SMAIL BALICIT~~ Cultural Achiev
Page 34 and 35: 170 SMAIL sn~~ClThe Cultural Achiev
Page 36 and 37: SMAIL e~~lClThe Cultural Achievemen
Page 38 and 39: 174 SMAIL sn~dlThe Cultural Achieve

Full page photo print

Create successful ePaper yourself

Delete template?

Save as template?