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The penetration of the Ottoman Empire to Europe was stopped on Croatian soil, which could be in this sense regarded as a historical gate of European civilization. Since 1519 Croatia has been known as Antemurale Christianitatis in Western Europe. The name was given by Pope Leo X.

The Croats endured the greatest burden of this four century long war against the Turks. The most tragic fact in this war was that many islamized Croats had to fight against the Catholic Croats. It is interesting to note that the city of Zagreb and nearby Sisak despite many attempts were never occupied by the Turks, though they came as far as Vienna in 1683. Budapest for instance was in the hands of the Turks for 160 years.

Croatian Muslims

Historical names of many officials in the Ottoman Empire reveal their origin (Hirwat = Hrvat or Horvat, which is a Croatian name for Croat): Mahmut-pasa Hirwat (= Hrvat), Rusten-pasa Hrvat, Pijali-pasa Hrvat, Sijavus-pasa Hrvat etc. In the 16th century a traveler and writer Marco A. Pigaffetta wrote that almost everybody on the Turkish court in Constantinople knows the Croatian language, and especially soldiers. Marco Pigafetta in his "Itinerario published in London in 1585 states: "In Istanbul it is customary to speak Croatian, a language which is understood by almost all official Turks, especially military men."

This can also be confirmed by the 1553 visit of Antun Vrancic, Roman cardinal, and Franjo Zay, a diplomat, to Istanbul as envoys of the Croat - Hungarian king to discuss a peace treaty with the Turks. During the initial ceremonial greetings they had with Rustem - pasha Hrvat (= Croat) the conversation led in Turkish with an official interpreter was suddenly interrupted. Rustem - pasha Hrvat asked in Croatian if Zay and Vrancic spoke Croatian language. The interpreter was then dismissed and they proceeded in the Croatian language during the entire process of negotiations.

Statistics

2001 census population: 4,437,460 muslims: 1.3% (57,687)

The Croatian South Slavic Muslim community, per census 2001, is divided between around 20,000 people who still declare themselves as Muslims by nationality, around 20,000 who declare themselves as Bosniaks, and around 10,000 who declare themselves Croats of Islamic faith.

Population of other muslim minorities in Croatia (from the 2001 census):

• Turks: 300 (0.01%)

Population of other minorities in Croatia who have a sizable amount of muslims (2001 census):

• Roma: 9,463 (0.21%)
• Albanians: 15,082 (0.34%)

Muslims in Croatia

As regards the status of Muslim-Bosniak minority, the situation is the following. On the territory of the present Republic of Croatia, Muslim believers are for the first time registered during 1931 census: 1,239 of them were in Zagreb, their overall number in Croatia being only about 4 thousand. The next censuses registered Muslim believers as follows:

1,077 persons in 1948, 16,185 persons in 1953, only 3,113 persons in 1961. After 1971, when SFRY (former Yugoslavia) recognized the Muslim nationality to Muslim believers, the census showed the following:

18,487 persons in 1971, 23,740 persons in 1981, 43,486 persons in 1991.

On the bases of the censuses from 1931 to 1961 it is clear that a certain number of Muslim believers declared themselves as Croats or Yugoslavs. Their number augmented during immigration from Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Islam today

Croatia's capital Zagreb has one of the biggest and most beautiful newly built mosques in Europe, although in Turkish time it had none (Zagreb was never occupied by the Turks). For instance in Belgrade, the capital of Serbia, there had been several hundred mosques from the Turkish time, out of which only one survived.

mufti of zagreb , is Imam Sevko Omerbasic , leader of the islamic community in croatia.

they are currently trying to build a mosque in rijeka, which they want to make the mosque built in a style that suits the mediteranean so it blends in with the city/town. they also want to build a mosque in dubrovnik ontop of the mountain that is behind the old town of dubrovnik, but the council rejects it being built there, but suggested if they would build it behind the mountain, which they rejected. they are also going to build a mosque in osijek.

See also

• Islam by country
• Demographics of Croatia
• Muslims by nationality
• Bosniaks
• Ottoman empire
• Austro-Hungarian empire
• Venetian Republic
• Republic of Ragusa
• Turkish Croatia

External links

• http://www.hr/darko/etf/et02.html
• http://www.islamska-zajednica.hr/
• http://www.zg-medresa.hr/

• Islam by country
• Religion in Croatia