I've always believed religion should be a choice based on personal preference. Sadly, people in the Balkans don't have that luxury for they use religion as a main form of identification. The people in this area are so interconnected, mobilizing from one country to the other, it is almost impossible to know who is who. in fact identification has been such a pressing matter that their are regulations one must follow to answer a question as simple as "where are you from?"
The location of your birth means nothing; the language you speak says nothing; the shade of your skin tells nothing. who you are as a person coms down to your religious beliefs. If you are muslim then you must be Bosniak. If you are catholic then you are a Croat, and if you are Orthodox then you are a Serb. Conversion of religion is not a simple process nor is it an easy choice. to many it means turning your back on your people and the dignity of your family. Religion in the Balkans is inherited not chosen. Forcing people to stick to a faith that they may not believe in personally.
I wonder if being cheated out of a choice worth having a label? Shouldn't identity be a defined individually or is society so anal that they must put everyone in a neatly labeled in a box?
