Provides a basic introduction to the people, history, and culture of Bosnia, with an emphasis on Bosnian Moslems. Designed for American service providers and sponsors, this fact sheet describes the Bosnian Moslems as descendents of the local Slavs, both Serb and Croat, who converted after the Ottoman conquest of Bosnia in the 1600s. Among the topics covered are: (1) Bosnia’s geography and climate; (2) Bosnian history, including periods of isolation punctuated by a series of conquests, the rise and fall of the Ottoman Empire and the influence of Islam, occupation by Austria, the assassination of Archduke Ferdinand in Sarajevo which ignited World War I, losses during World War II, the ambiguous relationship with Yugoslavia and Bosnia’s role in heavy industry, and the bloody conflicts in the 1990s following the dissolution of the republic; (3) educational and vocational backgrounds; (4) religious practices, including those that diverge from orthodoxy; (5) the arts, including song, dance, literature, and poetry; (6) food and dress; (7) festivities and social structure; (8) knowledge of English; and (9) the Serbo-Croatian language, including some basic vocabulary.
