EUROCENTRISM AND PREVAILING STEREOTYPES AND PREJUDICE IN BOSNIAK NATION

Abstract

There is a stereotype about Bosniaks which is deeply rooted in lack of understanding, and oen contempt, for the Islamic culture which is interpreted as barbaric, regardless of the fact that it contains high humanistic standards which historically have probably most explicitly been conrmed in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Existing ideological stereotypes about Muslim fundamentalism and terrorism additionally contributed to the shaping of stereotypes, as if fundamentalism and terrorism do not exist within other spiritual-ideological and political contexts. There are attempts by Serbian and Croatian nationalist to declare Bosniaks strangers, Asians, Turkish responsibility, mistake of history etc. In Western media, Bosnians are portrayed as an outpost of the “Islamic ocean” just waiting to swallow Europe. Stereotypes about Balkans in general and especially Muslims as a potential “threat” and “danger” for the West exist in Western general public. Bosnia is perceived as “a stronghold of Islamic terrorism”, “base and incubator of fundamentalism” etc. There are numerous stereotypes about Bosniaks in Western-European public. The only unclear aspect is the reach of their distribution. These stereotypes are based on stereotypes about the Orient, Islam, Balkan, Bosnia and Herzegovina as undeveloped civilization, about Bosnian Muslims who are necessarily serving as conductors for Turkish and Arab interests in this geopolitical region. Turks and Arabs are also subject to stereotypes about Eastern traditions which are perceived as barbaric. Besides these reasons for shaping of negative stereotypes, existing Serbian and Croatian ideological stereotypes also contributed to the stereotypes about Bosniaks as well as Bosnia and Herzegovina.