Civil War or War of Religion? The role given to religion by Helsingin Sanomat editorials in the Bosnian Civil War 1992–1995

Authors

• Jan Pohjonen Itä-Suomen yliopisto

Keywords:

Bosnian sota, Bosnia ja Hertsegovina, Helsingin Sanomat, pääkirjoitus, islam, ortodoksisuus, katolinen kirkko, Jugoslavia, Venäjä, 1990-luku

Abstract

This article focuses on the role of religion in the editorials of Helsingin Sanomat during the various stages of the Bosnian war between 1992–1995. Additionally, it explores the importance that religion was seen to have between warring peoples and their allies. In the editorials, the Bosnian war was associated with the violent disintegration of the multi-ethnic and religious state of Yugoslavia. The main conclusion is that the image of the war given by Helsingin Sanomat editorials strongly resembled the image given by both other Western media and Balkan war propaganda.