Multiculturalism: Christian Orthodox Serbs in Balkans Essay

After the First World War country was united with other Slav territories to form Yugoslavia. At the time, the population of Bosnia consisted of over 1,300,000 Serbs which were Orthodox Catholic Christians, million Muslim Bosnians and around 700,000 of Croats. They all were strong attached to this land by the historical and local claims. After the death of Josip Broz Tito, elections in 1990 brought nationalists to power in Slovenia, Macedonia and Croatia, which declared independence in 1991 and were recognised internationally. The Leader of Bosnia’s, Alija Izetbegovic called for independence too, and the country was recognised as independent by the USA and the EU in 1992. However, Bosnia’s Serbs weren’t happy because they wanted to be part of “Greater Serbia”. a Serbian named Slobodan Milosevic, a former Communist responded to Bosnian’s declaration of independence by attacking and bombarding the capital city, Sarajevo. Serbs shot down civilians in the streets, including over 3,500 children.

Before the split of 1054, the Roman Catholic Church or Western church and the Eastern Orthodox Church or Byzantine church were almost one with each other. The two churches held the same ideals and got along with one another the majority of the time. They had previous splits in the past but they were never a permanent situation because they usually found a solution to their issues and differences. The split between the Eastern Orthodox Church and the Roman Catholic Church in 1054 seemed to have no resolution when their theological, political, and cultural differences became too much for them to harmonize upon.

Throughout time, Christianity has changed constantly. In order to survive, Christianity has had to evolve and split. It has split into many denominations, some of which have become extinct over the centuries. The religion has changed and divided due to influential people and events in time.

The victims targeted during the Bosnian-Herzegovina genocide were mostly Bosnian Muslims and Croatians. The majority of the people that were being murdered and executed were male (boys and men), while the women were being raped and tortured. The downfall of the Ottoman Empire gave a rise to the thoughts of nationalism which in turn caused the ethno religious (an ethnic group whose members are also unified by a common religious background) in Bosnia to have clashing issues like historical problems between groups and political issues. The three different groups which were living in Bosnia were obviously Bosnians but also Serbians and Croatians.

Understanding religion is also complex. In American society, Christianity is the largest religion; however, there are vast differences among Christians, as to what one is to believe and how one’s beliefs are to be put into practice. It’s the mixture of beliefs and practices of other religions and the absence of any religious belief. America is indeed a melting pot when

Christianity is one of the most dominant religions in the world today and has a long and complex history. Although Christianity has its roots in Judaism, it was greatly influenced by the culture of the Greeks and Romans it developed in. The Greco-Roman world was polytheistic and full of deities that were petty and faulted. As a young religion Christianity shares aspects with the religions around it, namely in the central stories. Eventually Christianity spread through the Roman Empire and to the rest of the world.

In addition to minor ethnic differences, there were substantial religious differences amongst the various Bosnian ethnic groups: the Croats were predominantly Catholic, the Serbs were predominantly Orthodox, and the largest ethnic group (an ethnic plurality) consisted of Bosnian Moslems. This may have lead to the resentment of Moslems by Christians because converts to Islam received special privileges during the period of Ottoman hegemony over the Balkans. Additionally, Catholics may have resented the Orthodox Christians because the Turks preferred the eastern Orthodoxy to western Catholicism, which was the church of their rivals, the Habsburg Empire (Malcom 55). The Ottomans adopted a policy of taking Balkan children, training and educating them and utilizing them in

The Yugoslav army was made up of Serbs, controlled by Milosevic. Croatia is where the first huge exterminations occurred shortly after they declared their independence from Yugoslavia. This resulted in hundreds of Croat men deceased. In 1992, Bosnia declared their independence from Yugoslavia. Bosnia was a majority Muslim population. Serbs believed that Muslims were an inferior race (Mike). Serbs placed Bosniak Muslims and Croats into concentration camps as a way to “Ethnically Cleanse” the nations. Two of the camps, Omarska and Keraterm, were places where killings, torture and brutal violence was happening. Another camp, Trnopolje, was a camp were mostly women, children, and elderly men were placed. This camp functioned as a staging area for rapes and massive killings. No other country knew about this as the Serbs were keeping it a secret. (REMEMBERING CONCENTRATION CAMPS IN

Yugoslavia has long suffered with problems concerning religion and ethnicity. There was always a back- and- fourth tension between the ethnic groups. “During the 1930s it became apparent that the ethnic groups were unwilling to blend and merge together. The Serbs who made up about 40 percent of the population dominated politics. The Croats and Slovenes resented Serbian aggressiveness. These ethnic groups lived an

Christianity is broke in to three divisions Catholic, Orthodox and Protestant. In 1054 a major break in Christianity took place, giving birth too two major sects. The major sects were called Catholic and Orthodox. In the 16 century another split became, and that sect was called Protestant. The issue of religious authority continues to be a fundamental difference and perspective between the sects of Christianity. For example, the Pope was not acknowledged by the Orthodox as a worldwide supremacy. Comparison is the Catholic's religious structure cored around the Pope. Thus Christianity has multiple sects and is far more complex.

In long history of Croatia we were in many wars with various countries. One of them was Ottoman Empire. As a part of Venetian Republic, Croats gave their contribution in defending their own land during two Ottoman-Venetian wars: War of Cyprus (1570.-1573.) and Cretan war (1645.-1669.). Venice defended Dalmatia to prevent penetration of the Turks in the Apennine peninsula, protect Christian civilization, and the biggest reason was successful trade that took place in

Christianity is the religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. Most followers of Christianity, called Christians, are members of one of three major groups--Roman Catholic, Protestant, or Eastern Orthodox. These groups have different beliefs about Jesus and His teachings. But all consider Jesus central to their religion. Most Christians believe God sent Jesus into the world as the Savior. Christianity teaches that humanity can achieve salvation through Jesus.

One prime element in different cultures that was influenced by Western countries is religion. Religion is defined as the belief in and worship of a superhuman controlling power that could be one’s own personal God, Gods, or even Goddesses. The most popular and followed religion in the world is Christianity. Christianity is also widely known and accepted as a European/ Westernized religion though the origin of Christianity began in what is today the Middle East, and Asia. In fact, Jesus of Nazareth was a Jew; that is, He belonged to an Asian tribe closely related to the Syrians and

Serbia feels a cultural tie to Kosovo because it has many monasteries, churches, and religious sites that are significant to the orthodox Christian faith, which is the main religion for Serbs (Malcolm). The Serbian claim conflicts with the Albanian majority who believes they have a claim to Kosovo because of they are the largest group. Throughout history Kosovo has been profitable because it have many natural resources, such as metals like nickel, and it is known for its abundance of silver, which has caused conflict because many countries have wanted to claim it. During World War Two, Hitler used the mines in Kosovo for profit (Malcolm). Mostly, Kosovo has been coveted because it is in a good location with many mountains guarding it and has always been a checkpoint for many trade routes, which made it prone to conquests. Conflict can always be understood through history, and Kosovo’s strategic location is one main reason for the fighting.

According to Alan Thornett, after the death of Tito, Slobodan Milosevic wanted to expand its Serbian territory and make a greater Serbia, by gathering together all regions that are inhabited by Serbs. This would mean that Serbia would have more power contrasting everyone else, and a little or no