Slavic Muslims were redefined as Turkish invaders through religious nationalism

Evidence

In the Serbian case, as Sells (1998) explains, the Muslims – Bosniaks and Albanians – were constructed through Christoslavism, the Serb religious national ideology that propagates “the belief that Slavs are Christians by nature and that any conversion from Christianity is a betrayal of the Slavic race.” Thus, Slavic Muslims could no longer claim to be Slavic; in the Serbian social construction, they became the embodiment of the Turkish conqueror – the dreaded historic invaders. They were portrayed as the direct successors of the Ottoman invaders and therefore shared in the Ottoman guilt, especially for the murder of Prince Lazar and other “martyrs” of the 1389 Battle of Kosovo, which brought about the breakup of the medieval Serbian Kingdom. — Nadim N. Rouhana and Nadera Shalhoub-Kevorkian, When Politics Are Sacralized, 124

Categorization

• DEFINE: ‘Christoslavism’ — the belief that Slavs are Christians by nature so conversion is racial betrayal — is a named concept worth preserving.
• XREF: Connects to the memory-of-1389 Battle of Kosovo as a grievance-sacralizing device, parallel to how other chapters treat foundational wounds. — connects to: Balkan nationalists long treated Muslims as a religious rather than national group — James Renton, Ben Gidley (eds.), Antisemitism and Islamophobia in…, 1070; Serb nationalist ideology fuses religious identity with race-traitor charges against Muslims — Michael A. Sells, The Bridge Betrayed: Religion and…, 246; Conflicting identity criteria trapped Slavic Muslims as inescapable traitors — Michael A. Sells, The Bridge Betrayed: Religion and…, 150 (+5 more)

Broader Connections

• Balkan nationalists long treated Muslims as a religious rather than national group #expands (0.90) — James Renton, Ben Gidley (eds.), Antisemitism and Islamophobia in Europe, 1070
• Christoslavism defined Slavic Muslims as traitors outside the nation #corroborates (0.90) — Michael A. Sells, The Bridge Betrayed, 166
• Serb nationalist ideology fuses religious identity with race-traitor charges against Muslims #exemplifies (0.85) — Michael A. Sells, The Bridge Betrayed, 246
• Conflicting identity criteria trapped Slavic Muslims as inescapable traitors #expands (0.85) — Michael A. Sells, The Bridge Betrayed, 150
• Bosnian Muslims suffered uniquely methodical persecution from both nationalist sides #expands (0.85) — Michael A. Sells, The Bridge Betrayed, 83
• Nationalist myths coalesced into an ideology defining Slavs as innately Christian #corroborates (0.85) — Michael A. Sells, The Bridge Betrayed, 132
• Both Serb and Croat nationalists shared the view that Slavic Muslims converted from cowardice #expands (0.85) — Michael A. Sells, The Bridge Betrayed, 281
• Serb extremists drew direct inspiration from religious epics glorifying Muslim extermination #corroborates (0.80) — Michael A. Sells, The Bridge Betrayed, 227