Slavic Muslims

A historical-ethnic category referring to South Slavic peoples (primarily Bosniaks/Bosnian Muslims) who converted to Islam, primarily during Ottoman rule. The term carries weight in nationalist discourse, where both Serb and Croat nationalists treated Slavic Muslims as traitors because their religious conversion marked them as outside the national community, a framing tied to the ideology of Christoslavism.

Claims that use this term

• Both Serb and Croat nationalists shared the view that Slavic Muslims converted from cowardice
• Conflicting identity criteria trapped Slavic Muslims as inescapable traitors
• A single 1847 verse drama glorified the extermination of Slavic Muslims
• Christoslavism defined Slavic Muslims as traitors outside the nation