--- title: "How Bosnian Muslims view Christians 20 years after Srebrenica massacre" description: "This weekend marks 20 years since the Srebrenica massacre – the killing of 7,000-8,000 Muslim men and boys by Bosnian Serb forces in a Bosnian town that had been designated a United Nations safe haven." date: "2015-07-10" authors: - name: "Angelina E. Theodorou" job_title: "Former Research Analyst" link: "https://www.pewresearch.org/staff/angelina-e-theodorou/" url: "https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2015/07/10/how-bosnian-muslims-view-christians-20-years-after-srebrenica-massacre-2/" --- # How Bosnian Muslims view Christians 20 years after Srebrenica massacre [![Past marijuana use, financial woes viewed similarly across party lines](https://www.pewresearch.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2016/01/FT_16.01.28_presTraits_marijuana.png?w=244)](https://www.pewresearch.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2016/01/FT_16.01.28_presTraits_marijuana.png) [![Bosnia Srebrenica War Crimes Genocide Commemoration](https://assets.pewresearch.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2015/07/FT_15.07.10_srebrenica.jpg)](https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2015/07/10/how-bosnian-muslims-view-christians-20-years-after-srebrenica-massacre-2/bosnia-srebrenica-warcrimes-genocide-commemoration/) *Family members mourn over coffins in Srebrenica on July 9. One hundred thirty-six bodies found in mass grave sites in eastern Bosnia will be reburied on 20th anniversary of the Srebrenica massacre. (Photo by Dimitar Dilkoff/Agence France-Presse via Getty Images)* This weekend marks 20 years since [the Srebrenica massacre](http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-18101028) – the killing of 7,000-8,000 Muslim men and boys by Bosnian Serb forces in a Bosnian town that had been designated a United Nations safe haven. The [worst atrocity to take place in Europe since World War II](http://www.nytimes.com/2015/07/09/world/europe/srebrenica-genocide-massacre.html) occurred during a brutal three-year war following the breakup of the former Yugoslavia. The war [was fought largely along ethno-religious lines](https://history.state.gov/milestones/1993-2000/bosnia), among predominantly Orthodox Christian Serbs, Muslim Bosniaks and Catholic Croats. The massacre continues to stir political passions today. On Wednesday, [Russia vetoed a U.N. resolution](http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/russia-vetoes-resolution-calling-srebrenica-massacre-32301237) that would have condemned the action as a “crime of genocide”; 10 other Security Council members voted in favor of the resolution. [![Muslims' Views in Bosnia-Herzegovina 20 Years After Srebrenica Massacre](https://www.pewresearch.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2015/07/FT_15.07.10_srebrenica-1.png)](https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2015/07/10/how-bosnian-muslims-view-christians-20-years-after-srebrenica-massacre-2/ft_15-07-10_srebrenica-1/) In 2010, Muslims made up about 45% of Bosnia-Herzegovina’s population, a slightly smaller share than that of Christians (52%), according to [Pew Research Center estimates](http://globalreligiousfutures.org/countries/bosnia-herzegovina). And a [Pew Research Center survey of Muslims](https://www.pewresearch.org/religion/2013/04/30/the-worlds-muslims-religion-politics-society-overview/) conducted in late 2011 found indications of both understanding and tension between Muslims and Christians in Bosnia-Herzegovina. Of the 38 countries where the question was asked, Bosnia-Herzegovina is the only one outside of sub-Saharan Africa where at least half of Muslims (51%) [say they know “some” or “a great deal” about Christian beliefs and practices](https://www.pewresearch.org/religion/2013/04/30/the-worlds-muslims-religion-politics-society-interfaith-relations/#familiarity-with-other-faiths). A majority of Muslims in Bosnia-Herzegovina (59%) also say Islam and Christianity have a lot in common; Bosnian Muslims who say they know at least something about Christianity are considerably more likely than those with less knowledge to believe the two faiths have a lot in common. About one-in-five Muslims in Bosnia-Herzegovina (18%) [say they attend interfaith meetings](https://www.pewresearch.org/religion/2013/04/30/the-worlds-muslims-religion-politics-society-interfaith-relations/#interfaith-meetings), which were recently [promoted by Pope Francis](http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2015/06/06/pope_says_interfaith_dialogue_is_a_duty_for_all_in_bosnia/1149623) during a trip to Sarajevo. Elsewhere in Southern and Eastern Europe, roughly one-in-ten or fewer Muslims say they attend such gatherings, including 6% in Kosovo and Albania and 8% in Russia. Amid these signs of interfaith tolerance and engagement, however, community divisions remain. Relatively few Bosnian Muslims [count non-Muslims among their close friends](https://www.pewresearch.org/religion/2013/04/30/the-worlds-muslims-religion-politics-society-interfaith-relations/#relationships-with-people-of-other-faiths): Roughly nine-in-ten Bosnian Muslims (93%) say most, if not all, of their close friends share their faith. Similarly, few Muslims in Bosnia-Herzegovina are comfortable with the idea of their son or daughter marrying outside the faith. Fewer than one-in-five Bosnian Muslims say they would be comfortable with either a son (16%) or daughter (14%) marrying a Christian. Elsewhere in the region, [openness to marrying outside the faith is higher](https://www.pewresearch.org/religion/2013/04/30/the-worlds-muslims-religion-politics-society-interfaith-relations/#marrying-outside-the-faith). For example, at least half of Muslims in Russia (52%) and Albania (77%) say they would be comfortable with their son marrying a Christian. Bosnia-Herzegovina had a high level of social hostilities involving religion in 2013, the most recent year analyzed, according to an [ongoing series of reports](https://www.pewresearch.org/religion/2015/02/26/religious-hostilities/) by the Pew Research Center. For example, in August 2013, three Serbs [reportedly attacked four Muslims](http://www.balkaninsight.com/en/article/bosnia-muslim-returnee-attacked-by-serb-in-zvornik-1) on their way to mosque in the town of Zvornik on the holiday Eid al-Fitr. *Correction: An earlier version of the map mislabeled Ukraine as Belarus.*