We arrive at the mosque and I am immediately startled by how young Anis is. He’s young enough that he could pass for a university student or one of us. This is not who I imagined from our back and forth messages. I imagined some wizened old man with a full beard--not clean shaven, enthusiastic, conversational Anis. Perhaps sensing our surprise, he reveals unprompted that he graduated religious school relatively recently and has just replaced the previous imam at the mosque. Later drinking coffee/juice he tells us that he loves his work, and finds it deeply fulfilling, but he sounds a little tired as he admits wishing for more friends his own age and a chance to connect outside of religion. His passion is clear though and he admits that he is in the process of memorizing the entire Quran. He has a philosophical but witty personality while still maintaining a conversational air.

When we arrive at the mosque he cheerfully leads us to the fountain outside and launches into a short legend regarding why it was built and what it symbolizes. He shows us the washroom with pride and jokes with us about the little coffee refreshment station knowing that we don’t drink any. He seems to be curious about us as well and tries to be sensitive just as we try to be sensitive in this new environment. He asks lots of questions about the word of wisdom and our religious beliefs. We end up sitting rather informally in a little circle in the prayer area, all of us except Anis wearing makeshift veils. We ask about life as an imam and he tells us about the events he finds most important. He frankly admits that holidays like Bajram attract the most people, even those who do not normally come to worship services. He laughs, seemingly unbothered, saying that people will always come for the food. Whatever the reason, the resulting connection is valuable. He enumerates some other responsibilities as well: leading worship prayers, preparing sermons, and teaching people how to actually read the Quran in Arabic.

I want to know about the youth in his community/congregation. I wonder if they still speak Bosnian and if there are very many of them. He says that most of his congregation is older with few children, teens, or young adults. He says that he spends time with the youth teaching them Sunday school and planning fun group activities. They recently did an escape room together. He seems resigned when he talks about how most of the youth no longer really speak Bosnian and he admits that while his other sermons may be in Bosnian, he always teaches their Sunday school in English. He recognizes that this is something parents must take responsibility for. He himself cannot control how the language survives across generations. It must be spoken and reinforced at home for children to learn. While language and numbers may be dwindling among his youth, the group activities provide friendship with others with similar backgrounds and hopefully instill high values.

When Aly asks him what he wishes people knew about his culture, his cheerful attitude evaporates and his voice becomes heavy and serious. He says we must know the biggest reason most people have left Bosnia is due to war. Some people still go home and visit family there, but there are certain places that people want to leave in the past, himself included. He speaks of the fear of running into someone who may be a war criminal. Finding yourself face to face with someone who murdered members of your family. He wants the world to know that terrible things happened. Bad things that never should have happened like the genocide at Srebrenica and many others which are little known about.

When we ask Anis about how he personally holds on to culture, food is the first word out of his mouth. He doesn’t hesitate with this answer and says that making himself meals is very important. He quips that “food is always the last soldier on the battlefield of culture.” That makes me smile. He even offers us a bag of traditional “slatkis” or common Bosnian treats as a parting gift. Seeing them makes me nostalgic for my mission because these cookies, wafers, and chocolates really do line the shelves of every grocery store I can remember there.

Analysis: 

Anis said that he wishes more people knew about the war and genocide in Bosnia, and I agree that this is important context for understanding Bosnian immigrants in the diaspora. Aside from being a compelling reason for many to leave their home country, Anis also described it as a roadblock for some that keeps them from visiting. On some level, I wonder if this weakens individuals' connection to their culture, especially if the youth no longer are connected to a more extended family and no longer remember the places that their family once lived.

From our discussion about the mosque as a community center, I think that holidays are also another key way that people preserve their religious and ethnic identity. People who wouldn’t come to regular prayers and services would still attend holiday feasts. I also realize that food as a method of preserving cultural identity is intertwined with the religious community because it is often present for community events, especially holidays. I also find that it seems to be a center where people can speak their native language and connect in that way, but it does not seem that having this community really preserves that ability in the youth like I thought it might. There is not enough emphasis on speaking the language at home or in other aspects of life to combat their preference and need for English. However, even if they are not speaking Bosnian, it seems that they are still learning the same theology and holding on to the same values that their parents do. They also have a chance to connect with others from the same background through activities organized by the mosque. The two young women that he is teaching Arabic in order to read the Quran mean there are at least some examples of youth who want to hold on to this religious and cultural identity.