Religious sects in Northwest Balkans?

**Rainn** · 07-10-2021, 01:28 PM

In Northwest Balkans, do people usually identify themselves as Croat, Bosnian or Serb with respect to their religious sects? Like Catholics’ identifying as Croat, Orthodox’ identifying as Serb, Muslims’ identifying as Bosnian. AFAIK, those three groups have genetic differences but do most of them identify their ethnicity according to their religious sects?

I know that ethnicity =/= religion but after I met someone of Lebanese Arab origin but identifies as a Greek from Lebanon since she is not a Muslim, I begin to think religion is an important part of self identification. I am also curious about how it is in Northwest Balkans.

**Dušan** · 07-10-2021, 01:32 PM

There are genetic and dialect, not only religious differences between Serbs and Croats. But yes, Serbs are Orthodox Christians, and Croats are Catholics.

Bosniaks are by origin islamicized Serbs and Croats during Ottoman rule 15th-19th century. They form their own nation.
Neither want to be Serbs/Croats, neither Serbs/Croats accept them as part of their nations.

**Rainn** · 07-10-2021, 01:36 PM

Originally Posted by Dušan

There are genetic and dialect, not only religious differences between Serbs and Croats. But yes, Serbs are Orthodox Christians, and Croats are Catholics.

Bosniaks are by origin islamicized Serbs and Croats during Ottoman rule 15th-19th century. They form their own nation.
Neither want to be Serbs/Croats, neither Serbs/Croats accept them as part of their nations.

A similar situation I told in the original post is also valid in Lebanon to some extent. As a Christian, I do not identify as an Arab but a Christian Lebanese. However, Muslim Lebanese I met usually identify as an Arab. Arabic identity among Muslims is much stronger.

**Jana** · 07-10-2021, 01:38 PM

Total nonsense. Croats and Serbs were separate (Slavic) ethnic groups already when they lived in northern part of central Europe, before southern migrations.

Being a Catholic doesn't make you a Croat, it's based on blood origins and culture. Neither are all Croats Catholics.
Our direct neighbours Slovenes are mostly Catholic too and nobody ever considered these two as same ethnicity.

Really dislike such dumb and provocative threads.

**Dušan** · 07-10-2021, 01:39 PM

Originally Posted by Rainn

A similar situation I told in the original post is also valid in Lebanon to some extent. As a Christian, I do not identify as an Arab but a Christian Lebanese. However, Muslim Lebanese I met usually identify as an Arab. Arabic identity among Muslims is much stronger.

What percentage of total population of Lebanon, are Lebanese Christians today?

**Dušan** · 07-10-2021, 01:40 PM

Originally Posted by Rainn

A similar situation I told in the original post is also valid in Lebanon to some extent. As a Christian, I do not identify as an Arab but a Christian Lebanese. However, Muslim Lebanese I met usually identify as an Arab. Arabic identity among Muslims is much stronger.

What percentage of total population of Lebanon, are Lebanese Christians today?

**Jana** · 07-10-2021, 01:42 PM

Originally Posted by Rainn

A similar situation I told in the original post is also valid in Lebanon to some extent. As a Christian, I do not identify as an Arab but a Christian Lebanese. However, Muslim Lebanese I met usually identify as an Arab. Arabic identity among Muslims is much stronger.

It looks like a form of self-hate too me. Arabs weren't always muslim, but Pagan before that, so equaling Arab world with Islam is superficial.
What I think is that Christian Levantines want to be seen as white.

**Varda** · 07-10-2021, 01:42 PM

Originally Posted by Stearsolina

Total nonsense. Croats and Serbs were separate (Slavic) ethnic groups already when they lived in northern part of central Europe, before southern migrations.

Being a Catholic doesn't make you a Croat, it's based on blood origins and culture. Neither are all Croats Catholics.
Our direct neighbours Slovenes are mostly Catholic too and nobody ever considered these two as same ethnicity.

Really dislike such dumb and provocative threads.

Where disappeared Catholic Serbs? There was tons of them in the middle age.

**Jana** · 07-10-2021, 01:45 PM

Originally Posted by Varda

Where disappeared Catholic Serbs? There was tons of them in the middle age.

Raška was never Catholic.

**Incal** · 07-10-2021, 01:48 PM

Originally Posted by Dušan

There are genetic and dialect, not only religious differences between Serbs and Croats. But yes, Serbs are Orthodox Christians, and Croats are Catholics.

Bosniaks are by origin islamicized Serbs and Croats during Ottoman rule 15th-19th century. They form their own nation.
Neither want to be Serbs/Croats, neither Serbs/Croats accept them as part of their nations.

Are dialect differences that stark? Of course I'm no expert but when I went to both countries language sound exactly the same to me lol