People search: Building Bridges with Bosniak People

By Bob Burton

The most frequently asked question during the Bosnian war (1992-1995) was, “Sta je tvoje ime?” (pronounced stah-yeah-tVOya eem) meaning “What is your name?” A person’s name was the major clue to their ethnicity. This war was one in which neighbors killed neighbors and everyone was left wondering who could be trusted. This kind of ethnic cleansing among Bosnian Muslims, Croats, and Serbs had not been seen in Europe since the Nazi regime. More than 200,000 Bosnian Muslims were killed. Another 1.3 million were displaced or left to live as refugees.

At the outbreak of war, many Bosniaks fled to the United States. It’s estimated that more than 150,000 Bosniaks live in the United States and more than 30,000 in Canada. The highest concentrations are found in St. Louis, Chicago, Atlanta, Louisville, and New York. With smaller concentrations in Bowling Green, Kentucky; Utica, New York; and Waynesboro, Pennsylvania. The Canadian cities of Toronto, Vancouver, and Hamilton have noteworthy populations.

 Reflecting the deep hatred and distrust from generations of war, a Bosniak man once said, “For me to become a Christian would mean that I would have to become a Croatian and I could never do that.”

The Bosniaks converted to Islam during the Turkish invasion and reign of the Ottoman Empire (1378-1878). However, the Islamic faith has become more of a folk religion than a way of life. Croatians (Catholic), Serbians (Orthodox), and Gypsy Romas represent the remaining population. All of these groups have significant populations in North America.

The barriers to reaching Bosniaks take many forms. The people are entrepreneurial with work consuming much of their time. They equate Christians with Croats or Serbs—their bitter enemies. Forgiveness and trust are not understood by Bosniaks. The events of 9/11 brought mistreatment directed at many Bosniak families. Also, they may live here but their heart is still in Bosnia. They possess a convenient form of Islam. However, if they leave their faith, they will be considered apostate—cut off from their families.

Bridges are built by those who choose to live like missionaries in North America. It begins with love, prayer, and the Holy Spirit’s guidance. Churches (names are omitted for sensitivity to their work) in various cities are networking with one another and identifying where Bosniaks live. Sunday School classes are adopting Bosniaks. Churches are engaging them through activities like prayer walking, distribution of the New Testament in their language, ESL instruction, workplace chaplaincy, and sports activities. It is a slow process of sowing the gospel—a lifestyle approach—but building bridges by making friends for Christ makes the difference. Pray for Bosniaks to be receptive to the gospel.

Is God calling you to engage in these activities? The Bible says, that He determines the preappointed times and the boundaries of their dwellings (Acts 17:26 NKJV). Could it be that God allowed the Bosniaks to move to North America so that they could hear and respond to the gospel thus building a bridge back to Bosnia?  

Bob Burton is a national missionary among people groups and population segments in North America.