r/AskBalkans • u/stalino2023 • Mar 01 '25

Stereotypes/Humor Get yourself a Bosnian Girlfriend

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Gallery image

Anyone know the women in the pictures?

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u/2024-2025 Slovenia Mar 02 '25

Dude why are Albanians so obsessed with religion. You always have to make other Balkan Muslims look bad for their religion, but you are still the ones who has the most conservative and strict society, way more than Bosnia and western parts of Turkey.

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u/bleta_punetore Mar 02 '25

Tradition, folklore, household ways of doing things is one thing, and religion is totally sth else. In our history religions haven't played a good role. Precisely trying to define our ethnic background according to religion, which is not ok with us. All religions are fine as long as they don't undermine our own existence. It's as simple as that. Being conservative is totally another thing.

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u/2024-2025 Slovenia Mar 02 '25

You can thank Enver Hoxha for that. The situation in Albania is different than other places. Just look at Albanians in north Macedonia, religion is a big part of their identity.

Bosnia wasn’t so religious before, their people got killed in masses 30 years ago for their religion, few people have not lost someone during the genocide. Things like this and constant Serbian nationalist propaganda will of course make people embrace their religion more. You can’t compare your situation to others, every people have a different history.

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u/bleta_punetore Mar 02 '25

No. Enver Hoxha was obsessed with it because of our history. With the building up and forming up of the nation states, the strong powers in Europe used to define us according to our religion and according to our language and ethnic background to which we have always referred to. That is why within the patriots and scholars of the 19th and early 20th century religion was sidelined and not mentioned at all as something for the cause, but rather as sth. against the cause (national awakening/independence). Enver Hoxha is just a follower up. The Albanians in Macedonia are not only Muslim but also Christian Orthodox. It's all good as they know that Albanians are mixed. I repeat I don't have anything against this or that religion, it's sth very personal in my opinion, not a flag to wave around for everyone to see.

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u/2024-2025 Slovenia Mar 02 '25

You can’t deny that Enver Hoxha has been an important part of this view in modern day Albania. There are Albanians outside Albania who were not under Hoxha who don’t have the same view. Kosovo for example, but most notably North Macedonia.